I am about to sort through my brakes and wondered if I should restore my master cylinder or order a new one from ??? Not sure if this is the original M/C or if that matters for this car?
Thanks for any suggestions,Pat

If your car is a manual brakes drum brake car, that MC is correct.
That may be the original part for your car in which case it would be nice have restored back on your car. Especially if you are trying to do a OE resto with correct date codes and such.
But those master cylinders aren't that rare, were used on most drum brake Mopars from 67-70, so not hard to find a rebuilt correct one.
If you want to have yours restored, I recommend Brake and Equipment Warehouse in Minneapolis. New correct repro caps are available for around $75, from PG Classics and other sources of repro parts.

Thanks.. I will have a look at the bore and see if it will clean up with a light hone. I will derust with some citric acid. I know the resto guys don't like to paint bare metal parts but if you live in a moist climate you have to do something to protect previously rusted parts...anyone have any tips on protective coatings like Gibbs??
Cheers,Pat

RPM the M/C

Pat,

I did my own master cylinder a few years back for my 68 Hemi Road Runner. The car had sat for some time and I had difficulties trying to get it apart. Finally ended up using some compressed air to get the piston out - made a mess so do it outside... I had a rebuild kit that I picked up at Carlisle and all the parts were perfect matches. I used one of those honing stone tools from NAPA that you put in a drill and the bore turned out very nice. One thing I did find once it was cleaned up (glass bead) was that there is a date code stamped on the front snout. Mine was within a week of the build date and knowing the rest of the car's history it was a safe assumption that it was original to the car. I sent the cover and hardware out to be re-plated and painted the MC, it still looks good today. I also used DOT 5 fluid so it will not screw up the paint on the MC or on the sheet metal.
Good luck with your project!

Jim

Good info Jim..and nice job on your M/C. I didn't realize there was a date code on the end. Mine is 057 8. My car was made March 28,1968. Does the M/C code come out to May 7,1968 ??
Seems kind of weird they would change the M/C two months after the scheduled production date.I guess it could have been changed at any time after the car was built..the date just indicating when the replacement was made.
Cheers,Pat

57th day of '68. (057 is day of the year and 8 is the second digit of year)
Perfect for your car, good chance it's the original!

I would agree that most likely original to the car going by the date code. 057 makes it late February. Mine is 130 8 (May 9 '68) with a scheduled build date of 4 May '68. I found plenty of parts on the car with date codes and even a few with dates about 10 days later than the SPD. Car was delivered in early June.

You never know, SPD is scheduled build date, car could have actually been built a week or more later.
The other wild card that is never mentioned, is defects in parts installed in the assembly line. I work for a truck manufacturer and a fair number of trucks end up in what we call red tag aka test and tune after they roll off the line, due to problems.
Mechanics at the plant must then repair them before they leave the facility to be delivered to the dealer. I'm sure cars makers have the same thing.
So the inspector saw a master cylinder was leaking, car would be flagged, and a week or two later it gets repaired before it got shipped.
But you'll never know for sure, with a date code that close to SPD I'd bet the car was either built after SPD, MC replaced after build because of defect, or repaired when it got to the dealer as they found a problem during prep.

That is great news!
I will keep am eye out for more date coded parts.
Thanks guys!

Any pictures or info about your RR? Trans, color, interior, options?

I was a frequent user of Moparts as I was working my car - lot of good info from this site. There are a few others on here with 68 Hemi Runners so ask away...

Jim,
I will post some photos once I find the thumb drive their on.
My car is Racing Green with vinyl roof and decor package.
426/auto/8.75, probably sold new in Vancouver, WA.
Has been sitting in my garage for 30 years.
I am building a rotisserie now to mount the car on.
I will definitely have a few questions.
Thanks,Pat

Pat,

Post the pictures when you can. I also built my own rotisserie - it made the work under the car a whole lot easier! Mine was low mileage but had been raced in its early days and I had mini-tubs to reverse.

Nice rotisserie!
I managed to find a photo of my car back in the day..I will keep searching for more.
Cheers,Pat