RPM PROJECT CAR 1
1: A quality install begins with quality parts. We spent quite a while planning our brake plumbing, then ordered all the necessary AN fittings and braided hoses from Fragola and two 20-foot coils of 1/4inch stainless brake line from Brake Quip.
PART 31
HIT THE BRAKES
>>We install a dual master cylinder pedal assembly with parts from Fragola, Brake Quip, and Lokar
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e’ll be perfectly honest here: we are sick and tired of seeing unpainted chromoly bars on the chassis of our project car.
november 2016 | RPM Magazine
story by
It seems as though our SFI 25.3-spec twin rail skeleton has been almost ready for powder coating for years...because it has. So in order to rectify that problem, we are working feverishly
to try and get all the little details done so that everything will be well thought out and there will be no mistakes once the powder goes on. This month, we continued in the pas-
Toby Brooks
senger compartment, moving on from seat mounting to the pedals and beginning the install of the braking system. And while it was certainly a challenge, it paled in comparison to the
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4 2-4: We also ordered a full complement of Lokar’s killer new black billet pedal products, including a foot rest pad, throttle pedal assembly, and brake pedal pad. After a bit of fab work, we created a mounting bucket from 1/8-inch chromoly plate in order to secure the dual master cylinder mount pedal assembly. We then adapted the Lokar pedal pad to fit.
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thought that went into the system prior to actual install. Our biggest problem was how to actuate the
multitude of pistons in our Baer Brakes 4-piston dual caliper rear/ single caliper front SS4+ Deep Stage braking
system. Obviously a vacuum brake booster would be useless with our high performance power plant,
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and driving a hydraulic pump would be next to impossible with our accessory drive meaning a HydroBoost was
5 & 6: Last month we installed a dash bar to mount the pedal assembly but didn’t have time to finish it u . After fabricating the mounting box for the pedal assembly, we removed a section of the 1-inch bar, then welded in tube adapters from Pro Werks, seen installed here in photo 5. We added another to the fi ewall, providing three attachment points to ensure a secure bolt-in fit. he box fit, but l oked unfinishe . Nothing a little billet and tinwork can’t fix
www.rpm-mag.com | november 2016
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8 8 & 9: Foot room is at a premium in a dual rail car, so we had to mount the brake pedal before we could determine where to mount the gas pedal. However, the electric power steering dictated exactly where the brake pedal mount had to go. Luckily, after fabbing a mounting pedestal for the gas pedal, it went in perfectly and will be comfortable relative to the brake pedal mounting position.
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7: With the pedal assembly mounted, we installed the Lokar pedal pad, fabricated a billet flange o dress up the front of the mount, and whipped up a removable sheetmetal lid to cover the top. We even broke out the dimple dies to doll it up a bit more.
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november 2016 | RPM Magazine
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11 out, too. We decided a manual braking system would be out, but how on earth could we actuate 8 pistons in front and 16 in rear with a lone non-boosted master cylinder? We were nearly ready to give up on the dual caliper rear setup until our good friend George
11: The BQ1028 tubing straightener is a must have. It turns your coils of stainless brake line into straight runs in no time flat and is super easy to use.
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10: A pair of Fragola black anodized -3AN bulkheads went in to the fi ewall next, providing a safe pass-through for the under-dash master cylinders to the rest of the braking system. In case you were wondering how we plan to get to the master cylinders, we’ll use the factory fuse box cover on the side of the dash as a hidden access panel. Cool huh?
Norovich of Norovich’s Custom Pro Streets suggested a dual master cylinder brake pedal assembly. He had used a similar kit in his pro street 1957 Chevy wagon and thought it would serve our purposes well. He was right. Using a 7/8-inch bore cylinder for the front and a 1-inch for the rear, we will now be able to use all six calipers. What is more, thanks to the pedal’s design, proportioning can be adjusted mechanically simply by altering the pedal bias as set by a single
threaded rod behind the dual cylinders. Our next hurdle was to get it installed. Using 1/8-inch chromoly plate, we fabricated a small mounting box that was then bolted to the chassis under dash by way of Pro Werks threaded tube adapters. With the brake pedal mounted, we then made another mount for the gas pedal using the same material and before we realized it, we finally had pedals in the car. The next step was to begin plumbing the newly-installed
12: Don’t you dare expect us to ever plumb another nitrous or brake system without the BQ352 high speed flaring tool. We won’t do it. It is THAT good. You can create a perfect 37 degree AN fla e in less than 10 seconds using one hand.
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Our industry-leading, extremely rugged superchargers have helped customers win more Our industry-leading, extremely rugged superchargers helped win more records and championships over the past 15 years thanhave every directcustomers competitor combined. www.rpm-mag.com | november records and championships over the past 15 years than every direct competitor combined. No matter your class of choice, call us today to take your racing and winning to the next level. No matter your class of choice, call us today to take your racing and winning to the next level.
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RPM PROJECT CAR 13
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13 & 14: A billet mounting flange and a removable lid complete with dimple died details made for a good looking pedal mount, but the custom bent and fla ed Brake Quip lines with Fragola fittings ere required to add some function to the form.
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master cylinders—at least to the firewall. Using AN tube nuts, tube sleeves, and fittings from Fragola Performance Systems and stainless line from Brake Quip, we tried our hand at cutting, flaring, and bending line. While forming brake lines is cer-
tainly worthy of an entire feature in and of itself, we can say with 100% certainty that the process was made SO much easier thanks to the tools we picked up from Brake Quip. You’ll be hearing more about these in an upcoming Cool Tools feature soon, but the BQ1028 tubing straightener is a must-have and the BQ352 high speed
november 2016 | RPM Magazine
flaring tool is easily worth double its price. Both tools are that good and will save you tremendous amounts of time if you are plumbing an entire system. After comparing the BQ352 tool to the other clunky designs out there, we will never use any tool other than the Brake Quip. As usual, things were rolling right up until press time, but we are looking forward to hopefully wrapping up all the little details on the chassis within the next two
months and FINALLY getting some color on some parts. While the process seems lengthy and arduous, it is essential to ensure we don’t forget something that should have been
welded on and being stuck with an ugly powder coat scar. All this and more next month as we continue working hard to usher in the second coming of pro street!
SOURCES Lokar Motorsports www.lokar.com 877.469.7440
Fragola Performance Systems www.fragolaperformancesystems.com 866.337.2739
Pro Werks www.pro-werks.com 231.873.9252
Brake Quip www.brakequip.com 877.431.0075