On 25 Oct 2006 19:34:39 GMT, "Bob Eager" wrote:

I can't think of any condition of single component failure that could
result in sudden catastrophic loss of all braking

I was thinking of a failure of one of the rods as it entered the
cylinder, which would then absorb any travel there might be and also
cause loss of hydraulic fluid.

The rear brakes were connected to the single rear hydraulic cyinder by
a "Stirrup" arrangement which surrounded it in the vertical plane. If
a rod/cable came loose there was not enough available free movement to
pop the piston out of the master cylinder.

By the same token if your car didn't have the same dimensions it had
when it was new because some gash mechanic had drilled new mounting
holes and moved the back axle you could have taken up all the allowed
movement and still get no footbrake on the rear wheels. :-(


I needn't have worried - what you say is quite enough! :-)

It was all hairy enough.

In reality it needed a chassis/brake lube about once per month.

IIRC in the user manual an oil & filter change was mandated every
1,000 miles.

DG