[DeTomaso] Clutch Master rebuild kit???

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/15/14 8 02 57, panteratime at aol.com writes:


> Clutch pedal goes to floor and looses pressure.  There are no leaks 
> anywhere.  Drained and bled system at slave.  Still  soft pedal.  Slave is years 
> old but its a stainless long throw unit  from our vendors so I don't 
> suspect a problem.  Master is original. 
>  I heard it may be bad seals in master when it can loose pressure with no 
> leaks? 
>  So--What is part number for rebuild kit?   Beck Arnely?   Sources?     
>  Any other direction/suggestions greatly appreciated!! 
> 
> 

Cliff,

Great to hear from you!

Years ago it was possible to buy a rebuild kit for Fiat 850 wheel cylinders 
(the actuaters for the rear drum brakes) whose seals fit the Pantera clutch 
master cylinder.   But those rebuild kits have not been available for years 
now.   Nobody rebuilds wheel cylinders; they just buy new ones.

Similarly, nobody rebuilds clutch masters anymore, because the labor 
involved in removing and installing the unit is so great that nobody wants to 
experiment with a do-it-yourself rebuild and have it fail and require the proces 
a second time.

In recent years clutch master cylinders have proven problematic.   The new 
ones that were cast up with the word 'DeTomaso' cast into the side of them, 
have proven notoriously unreliable, and vendor attempts to rectify the 
situation haven't met with much success, judging from the comments of other 
people here.   Lori's car had one which failed after only a couple of years.

The proper, genuine Italian ones are much higher quality but have proven 
difficult to source.   Marino at Pantera East (727) 381-1151 was the only US 
source, but at some point I heard he had sold out; hopefully he has restocked 
his shelves.   You can buy JUST the master cylinder; you don't need to pay 
extra for the reservoir bottle, as that bottle simply unscrews from your old 
unit and transfers over (you will need a new crush washer to go in between, 
available at any auto parts store).

Should you have no luck with Marino, my next stop would be Roland Jackel in 
Germany; he sells the proper units, but they are quite expensive.   Still, 
if I needed one that's the only way I would go.

There are various non-original solutions available from vendors like 
Pantera Performance Center, which require fabricating new lines etc. but I suspect 
you aren't interested in that!

Let us know what you find out?

Mike
-------------- next part --------------
   In a message dated 9/15/14 8 02 57, panteratime at aol.com writes:

     Clutch pedal goes to floor and looses pressure.  There are no leaks
     anywhere.  Drained and bled system at slave.  Still  soft pedal.
     Slave is years old but its a stainless long throw unit  from our
     vendors so I don't suspect a problem.  Master is original.
     I heard it may be bad seals in master when it can loose pressure
     with no leaks?
     So--What is part number for rebuild kit?   Beck Arnely?
     Sources?
     Any other direction/suggestions greatly appreciated!!

   Cliff,
   Great to hear from you!
   Years ago it was possible to buy a rebuild kit for Fiat 850 wheel
   cylinders (the actuaters for the rear drum brakes) whose seals fit the
   Pantera clutch master cylinder.  But those rebuild kits have not been
   available for years now.  Nobody rebuilds wheel cylinders; they just
   buy new ones.
   Similarly, nobody rebuilds clutch masters anymore, because the labor
   involved in removing and installing the unit is so great that nobody
   wants to experiment with a do-it-yourself rebuild and have it fail and
   require the proces a second time.
   In recent years clutch master cylinders have proven problematic.  The
   new ones that were cast up with the word 'DeTomaso' cast into the side
   of them, have proven notoriously unreliable, and vendor attempts to
   rectify the situation haven't met with much success, judging from the
   comments of other people here.  Lori's car had one which failed after
   only a couple of years.
   The proper, genuine Italian ones are much higher quality but have
   proven difficult to source.  Marino at Pantera East (727) 381-1151 was
   the only US source, but at some point I heard he had sold out;
   hopefully he has restocked his shelves.  You can buy JUST the master
   cylinder; you don't need to pay extra for the reservoir bottle, as that
   bottle simply unscrews from your old unit and transfers over (you will
   need a new crush washer to go in between, available at any auto parts
   store).
   Should you have no luck with Marino, my next stop would be Roland
   Jackel in Germany; he sells the proper units, but they are quite
   expensive.  Still, if I needed one that's the only way I would go.
   There are various non-original solutions available from vendors like
   Pantera Performance Center, which require fabricating new lines etc.
   but I suspect you aren't interested in that!
   Let us know what you find out?
   Mike