amazing... I've come across some Hurst Airheart brakes, but until now hadn't seen the master cylinder. I had no idea they were made of magnesium

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=4061505827472822&set=pcb.4679284899015418

made in the innovative and inventive era of car parts

https://www.facebook.com/groups/119087132480/permalink/10162807217327481

in October 1976, an Oshkosh, Wisconsin newspaper first said, " You have to kiss a lot of frogs " and that must have been after trying to find a good garage to get some work done

my brakes are overdue for replacement, I'm talking grinding of course, but instead of tossing some new brake pads on, and getting the rotors turned, the way we've been doing it since 1969 when disc brakes started becoming a part of day to day life, I learned (and posted about it) last summer that no one wants to turn rotors anymore. 

And the price of rotors has dropped, so damn low for the basics ones, that it's just cheaper to bolt on new ones. Of course, I hadn't needed to do brakes in decades to any step past pads or shoes. So that was a surprise to me. 

Then problems with jobs and income made brakes something that would have to wait until the last minute, and a payday not already reserved for rent. 

So, for the past couple days I've stopped into 4 garages (wanting to get the shocks and struts done too, as the car has 105,000 miles, and why the hell not replace them too? And since I don't have a spring compressor... )  

The 1st one would only get parts from O'Reillys. What the hell is that about? the next one wanted to get paid 100 to "inspect" my car. 

I don't need to waste 100 on an inspection that is unnecessary. I know that I want the rotors replaced, the pads replaced, and the shocks/struts replaced. I don't need the rest of the car "inspected" to waste my time and money. 

They, and the next place, REALLY want to get rid of the customer, and have the car dropped off. The less time the owner is nearby seems to be the goal... of them making money by getting the cars dropped off, and the owner to pay by credit card when they pick it up, with zero interest in what was done, how, or with what parts. 

Yeah, I don't operate that way. I tell my barber what I want, I tell a waiter what I want (if I could afford a sit down restaurant) and I tell a rental car assistant what I want. 

That's how things go in the Merry ol Land of Oz, am I right? 

So, since I'm not in jail, and no longer in the military, I don't get told what to do. I don't work for them, they are in business to work for whoever walks onto the lot. When that's me, and my paycheck, I expect that any business that wants my money, and "please give us a review on Yelp" has to ask me what I want, and then (referring to a brake job) give me a written estimate 

California law (BPC § 9884.9, CCR § 3353) requires automotive repair dealers to provide a written, itemized estimate for parts and labor before beginning any work.

So I emailed on Saturday, they ignored that. I stopped by on Monday, asked for an estimate, didn't get one, stopped by on tuesday, got a verbal and a look at the computer screen, but nothing in writing. 

So I called and texted, and got an estimate without part numbers, and asked for the part numbers to verify those would be what I asked for, rotors that are drilled (hopefully giving better braking, shorter stopping distance) and got those on the drive over today to visually check the rotors they got. 

They didn't get what I told them to. 

How can any shop be so inept when they've achieved this many customer voted awards? 

So, failure to respond to email, failure to come through on the 1st request for an estimate, failure to put in part numbers when 1)requested 2) after saying they'd email me the estimate with the part numbers and failure to get the parts I requested. 

Oh, yeah, and they spelled my name lower case, and misspelled it. How do you take that

THEN when I pushed the issue, the young guy in the office, who I doubt knows a Haynes from a Rand McNally, a socket from a paper weight, and I know has never used a pickle fork on a vehicle and wouldn't recognize a strap wrench if it would save his life. If he's not a nepo baby I don't know what he is. 

Anywho, he proceeded to tell me to get lost, and I told him that where he was working wasn't one I expect to last long enough to see 2030. Then he confessed that it was a horrible place. Well, I wasn't looking to contradict that. I left. 

I had another place in mind, over close enough to my garage that I can walk over and putter around, also walking distance to a Starbucks, Denny's etc. 

I stopped in, and this guy was FRIENDLY. I'll keep you posted, I'll be there at 730 am tomorrow, and already plan to get them breakfast/coffee and lunch. Yeah, I do that. I did pizza for the shop that upgraded my 69 R/T

MT .... Not many people are instantly recognizable from just their initials

I wonder if this is Von Dutch pinstriping

The Wynn's Spit Fire was front wheel drive, 4 wheel steer, 305 with 4 valves per cylinder, with Hurst/Airheart brakes

a brake problem

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gcdnz/48207906812/

Ford has lost a lawsuit over asbestos exposure, and yet, did not take the logical precautions, and in August 2024, asbestos was found in Ford’s UK-based Parts Distribution Center resulting in it being shut down

Sadly, I know a family friend that died from mesothelioma, no doubt, many of you do to. 

Recently Ford lost a lawsuit, and the appeal, because the jury rightfully decided that Ford was liable for the mesothelioma of a former parts department employee at a Ford-Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Orchard Park, New York

Joseph Skrzynski worked at the dealership between 1975-1980, and was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2021, a result from his handling of brake components from Ford over the course of that time period.

“During this five-year period, Skrzynski was exposed to asbestos on a daily basis,” according to his legal brief, “when he opened and handled boxes of Ford brakes and clutches; wiped dust off of the parts counter that accumulated from the manipulation of these boxes and from the brake work being performed in the adjacent garage; stood in close proximity to mechanics on over 1,000 occasions as they performed brake repair and replacement, including blowouts and sanding; and when the garage and equipment were swept, cleaned, and maintained at the end of the day.”

https://fordauthority.com/2025/08/ford-asbestos-lawsuit-verdict-upheld-by-ny-appeals-court

Only 3 years ago, in 2023, Ford was found responsible for a woman's death from asbestos exposure from Ford brake pads:  https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2022/11/jury-agrees-with-family-of-dead-woman.html

clever way to advertise brake fluid, but really, Wilwood, Baer, etc brake companies should use this notion

https://www.halobyorthene.com/halo-p1

looks a lot like a run down Camaro... but, with those seats, and tires, the hints are that this is a very fast and well handling Camaro

that's far too expensive of tires for just a run down Camaro, and between the spokes of the rim, the Wilwood brakes are a huge upgrade over stock

the use of front-facing brake lights (FBLs) on cars are being investigated.

A study from Graz University of Technology in Austria suggests that up to 17% of crashes can be avoided outright, and up to 25% can result in reduced injury severity, with the use of front brake lights.

FBLs can show whether an approaching driver is slowing down or continuing at a constant or increasing speed. That way, you can make a more informed decision about whether it’s safe to go.

The study recreated 200 real car crashes to determine reaction times, carefully analyzing each step of how the collision took place and when the car/s started braking. Next, they recreated these accidents but added FBLs to cars coming from the front or side, while assuming that the quicker reaction times would apply when these lights are illuminated. 

According to the simulations, 7.5 to 17% of the original crashes could have been avoided entirely with FBLs, and as many as 25.5% of those crashes would reduce the severity of injuries, due to the drivers responding more quickly. Even a half-second quicker reaction time can significantly influence the severity of a crash.

https://www.autoblog.com/news/new-study-says-front-brake-lights-can-save-lives

damn shame, these belong in a cool hot rod or racing museum, but I don't have one.

 

If you want to buy one of these, go straight to Ebay, there's a museum quality one, that's OUTSTANDING https://www.ebay.com/itm/226787921331

new innovation in brake cooling, bolt on air ducts that mount on the lower control arms, and move air onto the front brakes... it can’t possibly weigh much, and won’t be visible outside the car, but every little bit of extra airflow goes a long way to cooling the brakes

 

https://www.thedrive.com/news/clever-toyota-gr86-subaru-brz-bolt-ons-turn-control-arms-into-brake-coolers

I doubt it's going to take long before someone is making these for aftermarket front suspension companies, like Detroit Speed, QA1, etc

in a strange series of circumstances, I've not needed to have brakes turned, rotors or drums, in about 20 or 25 years. So, not that my commuter needs the front discs turned, I find that the action of turning rotors, is obsolete.

I stopped by a garage that does a LOT of repairs, from transmissions to brakes. 

Well... they came highly recommended, so I dropped by to make an appointment, and was told that the steel in rotors is garbage, they just warp if turned, and it's not that much more to install new replacement rotors according to the mechanic. 

So here's what new ones cost. What's the point of turning rotors for the same cost then? 

 https://www.reddit.com/r/Cartalk/comments/12bnf8k/do_people_still_turn_rotors/

I think the last time I needed drums, for my 69 Super Bee, I bought them at Worldwide Auto Parts (I don't know if they are even in business anymore). Then I traded for an original 69 Coronet Bee front disc brake set and had those rotors turned. I had a couple used cars around then, and never needed to get brakes done, then in 2011 I finally could afford a car payment and bought my very first new car, 3 years later, traded that in on my 2015 new car, and here it is ten years later and I finally have to deal with the rotors. I did the brake pads at about 50k miles 

no one advertises brake pads anymore....

 

https://issuu.com/morphyauctions/docs/flipdoc_feb_21-22_gas?fr=sMDBjOTY0OTU4MTA

here's a really old brake system, that new to me, and a very efficient design I suppose

 two shoes, and one cinch strap, that's a triple show set up. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=947707174059926&set=pcb.947707287393248

clever adaptation of a pop art aberration

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6AdwGoozqa/?igshid=tic011oe9w5j

The only Wilwood brake things NOT in the Wilwood booth, and instead, found on a Rolls Royce... in the Australian tire roasting show area over in the parking lot by the West Hall at SEMA

 

you can pluck a cheap four-piston Brembo front calipers brake upgrade straight from Cadillac’s ATS and CTS-V parts bin.

Combined with an adapter kit that typically costs less than the calipers, you can upgrade to four-piston Brembo front brakes for as little as $500 all-in on some platforms.

A more popular upgrade, though, is to pull parts off the spicier CTS-V, which the aftermarket will help you fit to a much broader range of chassis. They come in two flavors, with the first-generation CTS-V using four-piston Brembos at all four corners, while the second-gen upgraded its fronts to six-piston units. The latter are pricier, but still on the cheap end for six-piston performance calipers—especially if you’re willing to buy off-brand eBay parts.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/want-a-cheap-brembo-brake-upgrade-find-a-crashed-cadillac

Looks like someone used up all the brake pad, then some of the backing plate, then some of the piston

Ever heard of how Penske and Donohue got the unfair advantage with the Javelin?

They took Porsche 917 brakes (Girling manufactured) to the AMC people, had AMC part numbers made for the Porsche brake parts, then had those Porsche 917 brakes sold over the counter to meet the SCCA regulations

https://theamcforum.com/forum/penskedonohue-javelin-replica_topic78747_page3.html

https://www.canepa.com/museum/1970-amc-javelin-trans-am/

I just learned that Wilwood makes racing brake fluid