The "Whatever" Project

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

Just spent some quality time in the garage finishing up on the pedals and master cylinders. I'll start with pictures.
See the nice bracket holding the master cylinders? I bet you can. Can you say tacked in? Now notice that the pedals are a little too far back. So can you say shorten the push rods?

That's better! Okay so getting serious, next I'll make a dead pedal to attachto the angled brace on the left.

One of these days I'll learn how to take good pictures and how to post them effectively. Until then you'll have to put up with my bad pictures...

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

They sell 2# (disk) and 5# (drum) valves that allow you to mount below and not have the back flow you are concerned about.

Yup! And the Whatever is going to have discs all around, so eventually I'll have a pair of 2 psi residual valves. And if I mess up on piston size calculations for front and rear calipers, I'll also have to install a proportioning valve. So many places for leaks!

I don't know how many of you guys have experience with Swagelok plumbing, but I intend to use it for the hard lines and fittings. All stainless steel and in the quarter inch size, I know from experience that it's good to way over any pressures that a brake system could ever experience. Like over 10,000 psi. In reality, way over that... hey I used to blow stuff up, and it never failed in any experiment. And it's used routinely in hydraulic systems that experience 10s of thousands of pressure cycles.

So what I'm saying is, it's expensive and overkill, but it won't fail and it won't leak! Am I lieing, Dan?

[Captain]

Groovy !!!
I did figure that something like that was used.
But I would have found out after I had puddle of brake fluid on the stall floor ......
Only to be found Later, after I sailed out into the street with No Brakes......LOL

[cstmwgn]

Help me if I am wrong here......
I know that under the floor pedals have been working for years, But doesn't the reservoir have to be above the wheel cylinders and calipers on disc brakes?
Won't they back bleed out ?

They sell 2# (disk) and 5# (drum) valves that allow you to mount below and not have the back flow you are concerned about.

[Captain]

Help me if I am wrong here......
I know that under the floor pedals have been working for years, But doesn't the reservoir have to be above the wheel cylinders and calipers on disc brakes?
Won't they back bleed out ?

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

Wahoo! Finally! Got the pedals and master cylinders figured out! Made bits and bobs that I have tacked to get the stuff in place. Going to be due south of my butt. Best place for the master cylinders was under the floor under the seats. Tomorrow's efforts will be to position everything and tack in place, then shorten and thread the cylinder ends of the push rods. No pictures today because I was getting really tired after making stuff, going to a doctor appointment, getting lunch for us around 3, and finishing up on the bracketry. Oh and the telltale sign is when I start dropping stuff and knocking dishes of parts on the floor.

Once I'm at that stage, it's time to quit before I hurt myself. Or drop the camera. Or some other equally bad outcome.

So go and look at picture 3 if you need a picture fix! Stare at picture 3! Savor the composition of picture 3! Picture 3 is your friend! You have never seen a picture quite like picture 3! You may never see another picture like picture 3! I will never post another picture like picture 3! I am done with picture 3!

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

You may remember that in the previous orientation of the pedals, I had made an extension for one of the pedals to actuate the brake master cylinder. Now with the pedals back down under the floor, both need those extensions. So that's what the first task accomplished.
When I'm sure that all of this will work, I'll weld both arms and extensions together. Well I'll weld one extension to each arm, not both together. Just making it clear that I sort of known where I'm going...

The next task was making pushrods. And they will be adjustable. I made a threaded adjuster with left and right hand threads. It sure is nice having new sharp cutting tools. First use of one of the left hand dies today.
Not bad, considering that most of the equipment in the garage is older than me. And here's a complete push rod, well not completely complete. I have to cut it to length and add the ball end once I get those master cylinders mounted.
I got to get better at taking pictures...

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

Well picture 3 notwithstanding, I got nothing done today. Picked stuff up, looked at stuff, set stuff back down. It was a total waste. Took a nap instead during the thunderstorms. Made some sketches, threw most of them out. CAD didn't help. But eliminated all of the wrong solutions, now I have a plan on what the bracketry is going to look like. So over the next couple of days I'll make a bracket for the master cylinders. More CAD tomorrow first, then 3/8 plate and a couple of 1/8 gussets, all tied into the frame rails and lower frame tubes. I can see it in my mind, now I have to make it...

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

Now back to our regularly scheduled BSing. Thank you for your attention.

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

Picture 3:
Doesn't do anything for me. How about anyone else? Send all comments regarding picture 3 to Dan. He needs the input. He demands the input. He is delirious for the input.

will be his response to the input!

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

So which one is picture 3? I don't want to waste a great deal of time trying all the different numbering combinations to avoid analyzing picture 3

Lower left on my screen. I don't know which one is number 3 on your screen...

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

Picture 3 is my favorite! I like the floor pedals!

That's the wrong picture 3. Look at the other picture 3. Study it. Don't blink. Keep staring at picture 3. Look at picture 3 until it imprints on your retinas. Picture 3 is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything. Picture 3 equals 42. Picture 3 is the most important picture in the universe, let alone my garage.

We are now returning control of your mind to you...

[Russell]

Picture 3 is my favorite! I like the floor pedals!

[cstmwgn]

So which one is picture 3? I don't want to waste a great deal of time trying all the different numbering combinations to avoid analyzing picture 3

[DanStokes]

Please explain picture 3. It confuses me and I'll probably lose sleep over it. Or I could ignore it I 'spose.........