How bad is the brake lever

Deadguy · Post by **Deadguy** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 11:06 pm

John at Midwest Military, and Pete Debella have both warned me that the modern reproductions are absolute garbage. No one seems to have any in stock, except Kaiser-Willys and Rapco, and I would assume both have the new "reproductions" I've been warned about.

Post by **wesk** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 11:57 pm

Exactly which parts are you missing?

Most parts can be easily repaired by welding or adding bushings.

Deadguy · Post by **Deadguy** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:04 am

The actual brake lever arm that extends from the front floor panel to the brake lever/clutch lever cross shaft below.

Post by **wesk** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:19 am

Are you referring to Rod "D" and it's attaching parts?

Deadguy · Post by **Deadguy** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 1:49 am

no, not the e-brake, the wheel brakes!

Bretto · Post by **Bretto** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 5:42 am

"How bad is the brake lever"
I assume he may be talking about the brake arm that you mount the pedal to? I hate assuming though. Is this what you are talking about Dan?

Deadguy · Post by **Deadguy** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 11:32 am

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Bretto · Post by **Bretto** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 1:39 pm

I read once that the after market ones don't always line up right and have to be heated and bent to align up with the floor hole.
Mine was egged out a bit and sloppy, probably like yours was. I opened it up and added a bronze bushing. Time will tell how long that will last. I think they are just cast, otherwise I would have cut off the eye and welded on a peice of tube or pipe then added a bushing that way. Any good machine shop should be able to ream it open enough to add a add a bushing, just make sure they don't make it too thin and you use a new crossshaft.

Post by **wesk** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 1:41 pm

Dan,
You could make everyone's ability to help you better by simply posting the correct name, and/or part number and even supplying your photo graph of the part.

There are literally 1000's of those laying around.

If you are aiming to have a perfect factory class resto you will just have to hunt for a NOS or good used takeout. Otherwise half the willys production pedal arms will fit.

The methods used by most of us to locate parts is to first get our ORD 9 out, look up the part, then cross reference it with the WWII MB parts list and the other M series jeep parts list so we know what is the same or not. Then we scour the vendors stock lists and then we go to the "WANTED" forum and post our needs there.

evanso1975 · Post by **evanso1975** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 1:56 pm

To follow on from Wes's post, the footbrake arm on my M38 has a GPW part number cast into it. Seemed to work fine too.

Let's see how long it takes the jeep police spot it.

Wbr,
Owen.

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:25 pm

This is something that erks me every time I have to buy a reproduction part. I know that there is really only one overseas company that is reproducing these jeep parts, although the local guys are starting to come to our rescue now with US quality, perfect reproductions. So why can't the foreign company make a copy (ie: bolt holes in the right place, correct dimensions and indentations, etc.)? It seems to me that, if they wanted to keep and add more customers, that they would be perfect the second that a customer complained about something not being right. Instead, over a decade (or more ?) later, there parts are just a little bit closer and cost 3 times as much! Thanks for stepping up guys!

I'll get off my soapbox now - sorry to steal the thread

Deadguy · Post by **Deadguy** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 8:02 pm

Ok, apparently the DL I got, is that the brake pedal arms don't always fit, because they are made for several Jeeps. The advice given was "heat them up and bend them". which Bretto already mentioned, but that was the seller's actual advice.
I did mean to call them "brake pedal arms" not levers. My memory is really bad, and sometimes I mix up words in my head. I had brain cancer back in 2001 (I was actually in Bellevue hospital in Manhattan in ICU when the twin towers went down.) Surgery was followed by chemo and radiation. I used to have an almost photographic memory. Not so much anymore.