Two questions. Is there any 1965 P/B reproduction master cylinder's out there? I know the 1966 and 65 have same part number and I know the outlet sizes of 3/16 and 1/4. Is there any different marking's in the 65 compared to the 66 master cylinder's? Thanks john
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Re: 65 P/B master cylinder
John-----
There is no reproduction that I am aware of. The last I heard, someone was trying to obtain the patterns from the Danville, IL GM foundry where these things were originally cast. It was years ago that I heard this and nothing ever "developed" that I am aware of. By now, unless someone got the patterns and is "holding back" on manufacturing, I'm sure that everything at Danville has been long-since scrapped. I drove by there several years ago and there was a "stream" of scrap metal trucks hauling stuff OUT of the long shut down facility. Heaven only knows what treasures were in those trucks.In Appreciation of John Hinckley -
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Re: 65 P/B master cylinder
Larry-----
It's possible that some of these things have been reproduced by some small time, "back yard" type operations. It's hard to imagine someone doing this because manufacturing one of these things is not something that's conducive to this sort of manufacturing. It's also possible that these were some sort of "samples" produced in the far east by "reverse engineering". If so, and if they contained the GM part number and other casting marks, then they are what amounts to counterfeit parts.
For something like a master cylinder, I wouldn't touch one with a 10 foot pole unless I knew that it was original GM OR a reproduction/replacement manufactured by a reliable and experienced source. With a "backyard" type reproduction of an item like this, what I would expect is unsatisfactory performance and it sounds like that's exactly what you got. Since brake systems have significant safety considerations, things have got to be 100% right.
If you have any pictures of the "reproduction", I'd be interested in seeing them.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: 65 P/B master cylinder
Joe I will send you the photos I have.
The part number was very light and almost unreadable as if it rusted off,but the inside of the unit along with the threads for the cap were like brand newComment
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Re: 65 P/B master cylinder
Corvette Stainless Steel Brakes in Miami is reproducing them now-they will be ready in August for a retail price of $200. They are popping the 67-72 master cylinders now. I have seen them and they are close to original.
KenComment
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Re: 65 P/B master cylinder
Ken----
Do you know if they obtained the original tooling from GM?In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: 65 P/B master cylinder
No, they had it made.Comment
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Re: 65 P/B master cylinder
In China!Comment
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Re: 65 P/B master cylinder
Ken-----
Yes, I sort of figured that. To re-create this tooling in the US would probably be prohibitively expensive considering the rather limited market for the final product.
In this case, it's a bit worrisome, though. It's pretty tough to "reverse engineer" parts like this and get it exactly right---usually a few nuances or details get omitted. Beyond that, I worry about proper functionality.
It's too bad that the original tooling has, apparently, been lost. With that, a perfect reproduction in every way could have been manufactured. Without it, I doubt that the final product will completely "measure up" to the originals.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: 65 P/B master cylinder
Joe, I agree. I have seen his other stuff and it is very nice. They will fool most people unless they had an original part in hand to compare it to. I don't think his objective is to fool anyone though, just to provide an affordable repair part for our cars and to make a few bucks.Comment
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