Master cylinder pushrods - what NOT to do...

[tlracer]

I thought I'd share this scary 'modification' I found on a racecar recently.

Brake master cylinder pushrods were evidently too short, so someone lengthened them by brazing extensions then adding bolts on the ends...

[Alex Zeller]

There is no doubt that isn't the most elegant solution to a fairly common problem.

However, the failure of seemed to be across the solid origional pushrod not the brazed joint. Is there any indication why the pushrod actually failed?

It's a conserning falure for sure!

Cheers, Alex

[Earley Motorsports]

Is there any indication why the pushrod actually failed?



Cheers, Alex

Maybe they cooled the brazing while it was still hot causing the metal to harden. Although the bronze may crack first. Why not just thread a piece of rod and heat the top to make the mushroom.

[tlracer]

As you can see from the left pushrod, they're not even straight, so the normal axial load will cause a bending moment and lead to breakage anyway...

...whichever clown perpetrated this had ground the ends of each steel part to a point, brazed into the 'V' when they were end-to-end and then ground the resulting wart very roughly flush!

The really dumb part is that the eventual length is the same as a standard Girling rod...so why they didn't just buy two I just can't think

Oh, and just to finish them off (or to hide the abomination?) both rods were covered in black heatshrink sleeving...