bamfordsgarage

Good morning all, Day Six, Hartford, WI to Ann Arbor, MI, 382 miles. No more overheating, thanks to level terrain and cooler temperatures. We didn't get out of Chicago until 6pm and cruised the I-94 all the way in to Ann Arbor. There's a 55 mph minimum on the Michigan portion of that road, and while we didn't always obey, we averaged nearly that. Today's picture post... - Many folks in the Model T community swear by Water Wetter, which is claimed to aid heat transfer from the engine to the coolant and then to the radiator, resulting in coolant temperatures up to 20 Deg lower. We tried it yesterday in WI — ran for an hour with basically stable temperature of 200 deg, then put the bottle of WW in the rad and ran again for an hour. Ambient air temperature, terrain and vehicle speeds were basically the same before and after the WW was added. Our results? No change, good or bad. We stayed within a half a needle of 200 deg on the the gauge. - This morning in Hartford I installed new (old) decals on the rear quarter window for the states we've travelled on this trip. The ones on the roll-up window reflect the states driven on the trip to CA in 2008. All manner of these vintage travel decals are available on E-bay priced at $5-$15. I think they add a nice period touch to this sort of car. - The Hartford WI stop was to visit the Wisconsin Auto Museum, which features WI-manufactured vehicles (KisselKar, Nash and American Motors) plus many others makes including Tucker, but, unfortunately, very few Mopars. Ancilliary displays range from stationary engines and Lionel trains to an operational Soo Line 2-8-2 mainline steam locomotive. We really wanted to get a close look at this particular car, a 1912 KisselKar Model 4-50 Touring. This utterly original, unrestored (and running!) Kissel is one of only three 1912 Model 4-50s known worldwide. I have one of the other two, which Jerry and I restored over an eight-year period. It's a great car to drive — 373 in3, 4-speed overdrive, and capable of 60 mph. We finished the restoration in 2002 and I've worn out a set of tires since. - Also at the museum is this cool 1946 Teardrop trailer, homebuilt from plans in a Popular Mechanics magazine. Wouldn't that perfect great trailing along behind a P15/D24? - Rolling into to downtown Chicago on the I-94

Thanks everyone for your comments and good wishes. Here'e hoping for an uneventful trip (bad events, at least) the rest of the way. Eneto-55, we will be on US 30 out of Chicago but likely move up towards US 20 or similar roads through Ohio — and regrettably "extra time to kill" is no longer on the menu.

Hello All, Day Four-Five (it was all one!), Rapid City, SD, to Hartford, WI, 944 miles (via secondary highways in SD, northern IA and southeastern MN). Trip total 2,239 miles, average 15.4 miles/USgal. We’re still in the game, but a little less cocky than a couple days ago. Tuesday we had massive overheating problems in the Black Hills of SD, such that we lost all our coolant several times and, inadvertently, ran with nothing but fumes in the rad for an undetermined number of miles. Clearly we were expecting way too much of the old tub in the 85 deg afternoon heat what with our big ol windblock on top, 1985 lb of cargo and crew, and the steep grades around Mt. Rushmore. After refilling the radiator we were not even able to drive downhill without boiling over — worse yet, we were being followed by an ominous cloud of blue smoke. Things did not look good for Team 47Dodge. Later that evening we got connected with a Rapid City Model T Man by the name of Jim Johnson who invited us to his home shop and helped diagnose and deal with our overheating issues — turns out the thermostat was no longer opening (we probably fried it earlier in the day), so we ditched it then flushed the system twice, finally filling up with a 50/50 mix of ethylene glycol and water. I hoped the overheating problem was solved but was discouraged about the blue cloud out back. An engine overhaul appeared imminent and Hershey looked far far away. First thing wednesday AM we got a quick oil change and lube ($23.25 tax in, for five quarts and 27 fittings, such a deal) and set off down I-90 heading east. Miraculously, our oil cloud had disappeared, but the temperature gauge started to climb once again, and we overheated a couple more times until we modified our driving style to avoid further problems — drive a little slower (40-45 rather than 50-55), a ginger throttle foot going uphill, run the heater full blast, stay put in the afternoon heat, and pull over to cool down before we reach the boiling point. We didn’t stay long on the I-90... that’s no place for anyone going 40 mph. Fortunately there were roughly parallel roads along most of the route, and we decided to drive through the night to take advantage of cool air temperatures (hence no post yesterday, my apologies). We crossed the Mississippi soon after sunrise and chose to carry on to Hartford and make up some lost time. Despite taking turns driving and napping we were mighty tired — but relieved — on arrival here mid-afternoon. I don’t know what happened to our oil cloud... perhaps the engine oil got so hot that it was being easily sucked past the rings during the intake stroke, and once we cooled the engine back to normal that stopped happening. Bottom line, there appears to be no permanent damage, nothing serious anyway, and we are able to carry on as long as we don’t demand too much of our long-suffering engine in the future. You guys on the Forum are often bragging up the Mopar flathead as being one very tough engine — and frankly, I took those comments with a grain of salt (everyone likes to think the best of their particular brand). I’m a believer now what with all the abuse we heaped on that poor engine on Tuesday, with no apparent lasting effects. Yea Flathead! Young Ed, sorry we never got connected, but the closest we came to the twin cities was Adams, MN about 5:00 this morning and I didn’t figure you would want a call quite that early. Merle, will send you a PM later this evening about getting together tomorrow after we leave Hartford. Today’s Picture Post: - Devil’s Tower, WY, Tuesday AM; - At the Devil’s Tower Visitors’ Centre we met this fellow, Scott Parker, who recognized my T-shirt and struck up a conversation — turns out he is from our hometown (we have several mutual acquaintances) and, incredibly, was one day out from completing a 16-month ‘round the world tour on his 2007 BMW F650 single. He started from Edmonton, rode to Cape Spear, Newfoundland (as far east as one can go in North America), then down through the US and central America to the very tip of South America. From there he rode back up to Buenos Aries and flew, with bike, to Cape Town, South Africa, then rode up through Africa and the middle east to Russia, Mongolia and again Russia to Vladivostok in the far south east. From there it was travel by ferry to Seoul, South Korea, air to San Francisco, and again by bike up to Alberta Canada via Wyoming. Total distance, rubber on the road, 78,000 km (49,000 miles). Absolutely amazing — and makes our run to Hershey look like a drive around the block! - Team 47Dodge at Mount Rushmore; - A small fraction of the mostly-Mopar yard at Moore’s Auto Salvage in Rapid City, SD (thank you ‘40Plymouth). What a great place to wander for a day or two. They are selling parts and pieces world wide — Mark Moore the grandson told us they had calls the last few days from Austria, Australia, and many other places both in and outside the US; - Approaching the Missouri River on Hwy 44 in southern SD yesterday about dinnertime.

Hello All, Day Three: 342 miles, Baker, MT to Rapid City, SD, via Devils Tower, WY, Mt Rushmore, SD and O'Reilly's Auto Parts. I'm thinking it was maybe a mistake to mention yesterday we have had no car troubles. A big mistake, perhaps. Possibly huge. We may be OK now — early tomorrow we hightail it east on I90 and will know soon enough. I'm on a borrowed computer and have several things ahead of me yet tonight so am signing off but will post details and more pix tomorrow evening. Chris

Hello All, Day Two: Swift Current, SK to Baker, MT, via western ND. 475 miles today, 954 total. GPS sez our average velocity has been 47.7 mph with a maximum of 66.0 (we cruise at 50-55 but kind of forgot once or twice going downhill!) No car trouble yesterday or today, oil consumption a little over two quarts. Todays' pictures: In the town of Cadillac, SK, where all the streets were renamed after automobiles during the '80s (and would you believe, there are no Dodge, Plymouth, Chrysler or DeSoto Streets!); 47D pretending he's a tractor in Lisieux, SK; pretending he's in Egypt, again in Lisieux; the former Knopps Motors in Rockglen, SK, where our car was traded on a new Ford pickup in 1975; and the beautiful Little Missouri National Grassland in western North Dakota. Our border crossing from Big Beaver, SK to Whitetail, MT was, thankfully, uneventful. We have no contraband and mean no harm but did harbour fears that we would be ordered to dismantle the car top carrier for inspection. As it turned out, he only poked at the tarp, glanced in the trunk and reserved the longest inspection for under the hood, where we heard all about the '50 Mercury that his parents used to own. Tomorrow we visit Devil's Tower Nat'l Monument, WY (setting of Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and Mount Rushmore, SD, and then hightail it on east. Little Ed, we'll be in touch tomorrow evening about a rendezvous sometime Wednesday. PS: Does anyone know the empty weight of a D25/P15 sedan?

Day One, Edmonton, AB to Swift Current, SK... (Right you are, Fred) Distance travelled 773 km/479 miles (we rarely follow the shortest route), average fuel consumption 18.6 mpg (that's per Imperial gallon, which is 20% bigger than the US gal). This compares to an average 19.8 mpg on a run to California in 2008 without the new car top carrier. Gross weight with a full fuel tank and 480 lb of human cargo was 2,425 lb front axle and 2,667 lb rear axle, total 5,092 lb. Can someone please tell us the factory spec for the empty weight of a D25/P15 sedan? Here are a few pictures from south of Drumheller in east central Alberta. The Finnegan Ferry over the Red Deer River has been operating since 1913, at which time there were 58 ferries operating throughout the province. "Ferryman" Darlene said her little cable ferry carries about 15-20 cars a day through the summer and considerably more in the fall hunting season. Merle, it looks like we will be in Hartford, WI on +/- Thursday. Meet up for lunch?

...in about 10 minutes. The old D25 is carrying a pretty full load and we have some 2,800 miles to cover from Edmonton, AB to Venus, PA where we pick up and install an overdrive transmission from George Asche on Monday Oct 04. From there it's a short jaunt to Hershey on the Tuesday to get set up for the swap meet Wednesday to Friday and the big car show Saturday. Here's hoping for a grand adventure!

Well, its not exactly stock. Besides the usual aluminum pistons, which pretty much everyone uses instead of the original cast iron slugs, I am running a reproduction high-compression aluminum cylinder head which raises the compression ratio from the original 4.5:1 up to 6:1. The 33% increase in CR makes a big difference. I've seen 50+ mph in this car but it is happiest in the low 40s. Here is my '26 last December on the coldest day of the year. It was -43C (-45F) that morning out at the airport, but a relatively balmy -35C (-31F) here in town. Apparently our airport was the second coldest place on earth that morning, next to some outpost in Siberia.

They do work, particularly in narrower tire profiles. Motorcycle guys use them a lot, and also Model T folks (T tire sizes are typically 3.5"-4.5" wide). I put them in my '26 T and they made a noticeable improvement above 40 mph.

Michael I believe you are in New York, where the tinting of vehicle windows is governed by New York State's window tint statute in § 375 (12-a) of the Vehicle and Traffic Law. Subsection 12-a. NY, PA and CA have the most restrictive window tint laws in the US. One is permitted to apply a tint film to existing side windows, providing that film is non-reflective and transmits a minimum of 70% of visible light. US Federal Motor Vehicle standards require side glass (in front doors) in new vehicles to have a minimum light transmittance of 70%. Not sure if you can legally multiply these to arrive at a an acceptable 50% light transmission for aftermarket laminated glass — it could be that for new glass, the 70% minimum applies. Having said that, laminated safety glass, which is what the glass shop will cut for you, is available in a variety of colors and degrees of tint, and there are always glass/customs/street rod shops willing to do whatever the customer wants Going to 50% light transmission sounds like a big reduction, but it is really not all that much — the driver is still easily visible from outside the vehicle (LEOs like that), and the driver's eyes quickly adjust and you wouldn't even notice it's there, even at night. For the windshield, NYS mandates a minimum of 70% light transmission for any applied tint film, and that film cannot be more that 6" high (down from the top). In the case of our cars, with their near-vertical windshields, 6" is too low, looks goofy, and generally impedes straight-ahead vision. I, personally, would go with 70% light transmission laminated safety glass on all side and front windows. Too dark and the LEOs might object, and unless you also have a tint film applied to the rear window (and you would need a good installer to deal with that compound curve), then there would be a noticeable difference between the clear back glass and darker side windows. As far as a tint film on the back window, NYS allows any degree of tint on this window, providing the vehicle is equipped with two external rear view mirrors.

Many thanks to Gentleman Jim Yergin who kindly offered a winter parking spot for our Dodge not far from DC and Dulles (says he has extra room in his garage, a concept with which I am unfamiliar). Some may be interested in the car top carrier we have been building for the Dodge... I like any modifications to the car to utilize existing and/or recycled materials, preferably as old as the car itself, and with the look and feel of a 1950s Popular Science how-to feature. Not factory-made or flawlessly finished, but looking like a home-shop job by a guy with reasonable skill and a decent set of tools. 1. Early mockup with two recycled fir closet doors from a 1940s home. The centre spine (and two narrower solid edges, not shown) is made from an old waterbed frame. It was right about now we realized what a handy place this would be for watching a parade or pitching a pup tent! We extended the doors a bit at the back for a finished platform size of 57.5" x 86". 2. Edge and covering details. The canvas is from a discarded boat cover, glued on with contact cement and wrapping down the vertical edges (but not onto the bottom). Edge detail is similar to the perimeter of a canoe and also made from the old waterbed frame. All screws that show are slotted brass, recycled from a dismantled 60 year old fishing boat. 3. Corners are rounded to protect the tarpaulin. That's an interior wood stain, chosen to promote premature weathering so as to better to match the rest of the car. Green tape is temporary to protect the canvas from getting stained. 4. Crossbar and mounting bracket details. Wood parts are again made from the old waterbed frame, and each foot has a 1/4" leather sole against the roof. Brackets are hand formed from 20 gauge steel and screwed to the car with period Phillips-head screws (not common here in Canada). The wooden feet carry most of the load and the screws keep everything anchored. The (mentally) toughest part of this job was drilling 16 holes in the roof! The leather and steel were leftovers from other projects and the rubber gaskets between the brackets and roof were made from an old inner tube. 5. The completed carrier with a mocked up load on top — today we ordered a custom waterproof canvas tarpaulin to fit this size load but expandable to accommodate even more bulk. I had hoped the tarpaulin outfit would have some old material around, leftovers from a job they were replacing with new, but no such luck. I had to settle for new, unblemished material instead. We'll probably drive over it a few times and grubby it up a bit before we leave.

Hi Greg, that was very helpful. Looks like Herb Wessel is right on the way between Hershey and DC. I was very interested to see that Herb has several Case automobiles — my late dad had a 1913 Case automobile (project) in our basement for many years and they are pretty rare, at least in our area. I know of two in Alberta, one of which was my Dad's and has since been restored. and another on Vancouver Island off Canada's west coast. We'll try to arrange a visit in Hampstead on Sunday following Hershey.

Thanks everyone, lots of good suggestions. We now have a solid prospect for winter parking near DC. Looks like there are a lot of forum members in the area — I suggest we try to all get together for a meal and some tire kicking. Greg, that link took me to a Farm Collector Magazine error page. Not sure where to go from there... Don, we may be passing through Tennessee in March. We have a week or so to wander from DC to Oklahoma, will let you know about TN. Merle, you assume correctly. I visited the museum about 2001 and am looking forward to a return trip. Apparently they now have a very original 1912 50-HP KisselKar on display — my friend and fellow vagabond Jerry and I restored my 1912 50-HP KK over an eight year period and it will be most interesting to examine an unrestored original. I look forward to coffee and a visit with you in Hartford.

Hello Ron Some time ago, I had to remove, repair, and re-install the factory antenna on my '47 Dodge D25, which I understand has the same bodyshell as your '48 Plymouth. My antenna was identical to that shown in Bob's first photo, and mounted (left fender) the same as his second photo. It was a very difficult job, as you know, because there is simply not enough clearance. The floor gets in the way. In fact, I did have to bend the antenna a bit to get it in, and was able to re-straighten it after the fact. Not perfectly, but almost — and with that car, minor flaws get lost in all the other patina. And then last month I had to remove and replace the master cylinder — twice — to sort out an errant sealing washer for the residual pressure valve. Why is this relevant? To R & R the master cylinder, one has to remove the front carpets and floor panel to pull the MC and pedals up and out of the car. Reading your post and thinking back to when I had the floor pan out, I am pretty sure that had I removed it for my antenna job, the antenna base would easily have slipped down beside the master cylinder and given me a nearly straight run up through the bracing and into position. Try taking your floor pan out before installing the antenna. A few extra minutes to R & R the pan will probably save you endless headache and protect your shiny NOS antenna from damage.

Thanks everyone for your replies. The excitement is building here — really looking forward to this trip. Still a number of things to do to the car before we leave, but the critical stuff is now done. We're almost finished a rather cool, period-looking car top carrier and I'll post some photos and details next week. Thanks for the invite Young Ed — we'll have to see how our schedule is as we cruise thru Minnesota. Perhaps if we can't take the time to detour north and if you have the day off, you might bring that cool '48 coupe down to, say, Albert Lea and we can buy you lunch. Greg G that was a great tip about the Smithsonian restoration facility near Dulles. I spent some time reading up about this online, and it's a must see for us. Rockwood, thanks for the suggestions... I sent PMs to Rodney and Joe, but was unable to find Dave Erb in the members list. I imagine he uses a different screen name, do you know what it is?

Well not quite yet, but friend Jerry and I leave two weeks from this morning in the trusty D25 and by suppertime should have reached the Saskatchewan/Montana border on our way to the enormous AACA Hershey (PA) Swap Meet and Show. By all accounts this is the biggest swap meet in the world — I was there in 1993, and, at that time, to walk every row in every field was a 20+ mile trek. Our path takes us from Edmonton, AB to Rockglen, SK (where our Dodge was traded in by the original owner in 1975 for a new Ford pickup), south to Devil's Tower, WY then over to Sturgis and Mt. Rushmore in SD. From there its a fairly straight run east to Hartford, WI (home of the mighty KisselKar, of which I have a 1912 model), south to Chicago and again east to Detroit. Our next stopover is Venus, PA to meet George Asche (and relieve him of a much-needed overdrive!) and then on to Hershey PA where we will be camping and vending at the swap meet in Space O-AB4 from Oct 06-08. Our rusty old tub wouldn't stand a chance in the regular judging in the big show Saturday the 9th, but fortunately the AACA also has an HPOF (Historical Preservation of Original Features) category in which they will inspect and certify cars that retain a minimum of 65% of their original components and finishes. We oughta be a shoe-in for that sort of recognition. After Hershey we'll play tourists for a few days in and around Washington DC, taking in the sights and particularly some of the Smithsonian collections. I don't like to be away for too long, and after three weeks on the road I'll be ready to get home PDQ. Our plan is to park the car somewhere in the PA/DC/VA area for the winter and fly home from there. In March we'll fly east to fetch the car and take another three weeks to meander home via Chickasha, OK and Pikes Peak, CO (and elsewhere) along the way. I'll be posting pix and comments from time to time on the trip, and hope to meet up with a few of the forum members for coffee as we go. (Neil Hoback, for example, looks like he is pretty much right on our way once we leave Chicago.) Right now, I'm looking for a parking spot for the old Dodge over the winter. It doesn't have to be indoors, just reasonably secure, and free or reasonably priced and not too far from a major airport. Any suggestions? It would be nice to have the car stay with P15/D24 folks, but really, any port in a storm... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Here are a few pictures from our last big road trip, which took us from Edmonton to Cheyanne, WY, then west through UT and NV to San Francisco and back home through OR, ID and MT — a little over 5,000 miles with our only troubles being one flat tire, a busted generator, and a noisy throwout bearing.

To each his own — there's as many flavors to this hobby as there are cars and owners. But you can definitely count me in with those who would rather drive than polish...

Thanks Dodgeb4ya, for the details of the original and replacement seals at the back end of the MC, and for everyone who took an interest in my problem and contributed to the solution... this forum is a pretty great place. End of the story: MC out and in again this morning, with the washer installed under the relief valve, brakes working dang near perfect. Right on.

I have the Canadian parts book and the reprint US shop manual, and yes, that washer is not shown in either. But it makes sense to have something there -- without some sort of seal, surely the residual pressure would eventually leak past the valve/end cap interface (metal on metal). A tiny imperfection in the surfaces or littlest bit o' grit in between would be enough. Sure wish I hadn't sent my original MC to the scrap yard! Neil, might there be some sort of rubber seal or other sealing strategy built in to the end of your residual pressure valve? Maybe someone else here has a spare MC handy that they could look at and add to the discussion?

Hello Dodgeb4ya -- hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, that was an interesting post. Thank you. Rock Auto did not offer a choice of professional or cheap that I noticed on line, however the brand on the box is Raybestos and the cylinder has Made in USA cast on the side. This afternoon I put the cylinder together and back in the car. My observation during the test drive was that pedal travel has increased significantly (no other adjustments made except ditching the washer). I've been puzzling over this development and your statement that the fat washer belongs between the check valve and the casting would absolutely explain my new low pedal condition -- with no washer back there, residual pressure would obviously leak between the check valve and the end cap, allowing the wheel cylinder pistons to retract further, thus requiring longer pedal travel to bring the shoes (back) into contact with the drum. It is also a much more likely scenario that the fat washer didn't end up in my cylinder by some fluke, but belongs in there after all and was merely mis-assembled at the factory. This new development also increases the odds that I had a brain fart when I originally disassembled the cylinder to clean out that machining debris and put it back together wrong at that time. If anybody needs me, I'll be out in the shop...

Sorry Neil, I was in the workshop since five this morning and needed breakfast and a nap before posting. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Rockwood was right -- near as I can tell, there was a problem with the master cylinder. Having said that, I take equal credit/blame for assuming new repro parts are always OK right out of the box. If only I had ensured both ports were open before installing the dang thing... Photo A: The bent wire is the length from the end of the master cylinder to the compensating (front) port. When the piston assembly is fully retracted, it must be past this point in order to clear the port. Not gonna happen. Photo B: I believe this thick hard rubber washer between the piston and the secondary cup is the problem. Photo C: The factory repair manual shows a skinny little metal washer #15 at this location (with axial holes through the ring). Note also the secondary cup shown at #16 has a hole in the centre. Photo D: The secondary cup in my repro master cylinder is molded around a metal core and dished in the centre back toward the piston. I figure this one piece should replace the original factory setup of #15 and #16 and allow fluid to zip past the cup when the brake pedal is released/piston is retracting. Photo E: Without the big fat washer, the piston assembly is short enough to clear the compensating port nicely when retracted. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I'm generally very careful to reassemble things exactly as they come apart -- its been over a month since I took the MC apart to flush out the machining debris and while I can't be positive, I am pretty sure it went back together exactly the way it came apart, with that fat washer between the piston and the cup. There's certainly no where else it would go in there. I'm inclined to ditch the fat washer, button up the MC and put it back in the car. Comments?

I found the problem. Thanks to all who contributed. Will post explanation, pix and The Big Question later this AM...

Hello all, thanks for the additional comments. Yes, the flex lines were all three replaced, just forgot to mention it in my original post. Out for dinner now with my beloved then will open up the master cylinder for a look (obstructions, ports) later tonight or first thing AM.

Thanks both for your suggestions. Neil, I agree there might be something keeping the piston from retracting fully (other than the dedicated piston stop bolted onto the end of the cylinder). That would explain this weird behavour. Now that you mention it, this could be checked without actually removing the cylinder and that sounds like it should be my next step. Rich, I do know that the compensator port (in front of the piston) is blocked although it appears to be blocked only by the piston primary cup (the piston having not fully retracted). I will double-check this when I followup on Neil's suggestion.

I recently rebuilt the factory brake system on my Canadian 1947 D25 and am experiencing an occasional "snugging up" of the shoes into the drums whilst driving. Perhaps a Forum member has also had this problem and/or can shed light on the probable cause... Work done: Relined all brake shoes (3/16" lining), new wheel and master cylinders (Raybestos from Rock Auto), replaced four brake lines (to rear, on rear axle, and within the front wheels), bled & flushed the system, and manually adjusted the new shoes to minimal clearance to drums (such that when rotating the drums by hand, each rev would would drag just the tiniest bit at one spot, presumably the result of a not-quite-perfectly-round drum). The drum surfaces were reasonably good with no significant ridges or grooves and generally smooth contact area. I noticed some metal filings inside the master cylinder reservoir when unpacking same from the box — took it all all apart and flushed it thoroughly with BrakeKleen and then brake fluid. I left a small ceramic magnet in the reservoir to catch any stay residual metal bits. The magnet is covered in a fine black fuzz. Observations: At random intervals (for example: one day, one week, 20 blocks, 2 days, etc.) I can sense the brakes not releasing fully but certainly not locking on hard. The kind of thing where one can hear a bit of a drag when moving very slowly, and the car will not coast freely to a stop but stops a little sooner than it should. The problem does not get worse than this, but does not correct itself either. Otherwise, the brakes perform well, stopping the car smoothly and quickly, with no drag to either side. There are no apparent hydraulic leaks. Pedal travel once past free play feels too short — with all my not-inconsiderable effort on the pedal, it still stops 2+" short of the floorboards. My quick-fix when this dragging occurs is to crawl under and crack open one of the bleeders for a fraction of a second. A bita fluid spurts out and we're good to go another 20 blocks or two days or whatever. I have done this procedure on the RF, LF and LR wheels, and it worked each time. Checked: Pedal free play at the linkage is OK. There is no pedal or linkage pressure forcing the master cylinder piston off the piston stop until the pedal has moved an inch or so. Peering into the master cylinder whilst pushing on the brake pedal does show a flow out of (up through) the compensating port, but not necessarily with the volume/force I would expect. However, I cannot poke a small 0.021"dia probe down through the compensating port —into the port, yes, but not through. The probe is stopped by what is likely the master piston primary cup. When the probe is resting in the port hole (and, presumably, on the side of the primary cup), a forceful push on the pedal spurts out fluid through the port and the probe is dislodged. Speculations: Shoes too close to drum? I think not, in that my quick fix of bleeding off residual pressure corrects the symptom — if the shoes were adjusted too tight, relieving the pressure would not affect this (I think). Poor/broken/weak brake shoe return spring? Perhaps, but why would the problem be so sporadic? Residual Pressure valve faulty/too strong? Again, maybe, but would this not be a problem continuously? Piston not retracting far enough when pedal is released? This would explain why I cannot push my probe through the compensating port. From what I've read, the master cylinder piston should retract far enough that the primary cup fully clears the compensating port. However, piston retraction does not seem to be an adjustable distance and the piston does appear to seat firmly against the stop. Assuming I assembled the master cylinder properly after flushing, then the retraction distance is factory set. If it is not correct, then other people using this same part# would have experienced the same issue (and, maybe they have...) Possible fixes: Remove, examine and reassemble/reinstall master cylinder in case I put it together wrong the first time. If no improvement, fabricate a gasketed spacer to move the piston stop about, say, 1/8" further away from the cylinder casting, to allow another 1/8" of piston travel and thus clear the compensating port. Or chuck the cylinder in the lathe and take off, say, 1/8" from the backside to allow it to come closer to the piston stop, again to clear the compensating port. However, unless my situation is a known problem with this master cylinder, I am loath to start modifying parts to alleviate a problem that probably originated elsewhere. You would think from looking at my shop that I never throw anything away, but I did unfortunately haul the master cylinder to the scrap yard a while ago along with some other junk — thus I cannot examine the old to see what it could tell me about the new. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ If anyone is still reading after all this longwindedness, I would very much appreciate any comments or suggestions about this issue and what might be the cause. Thanks!