Beretta.net Forum

woody90gtz wrote: ↑Tue Oct 15, 2024 9:24 pm

Rettax3 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 13, 2024 11:30 pmI'm definitely missing something though -how did the brake master cylinder get damaged from that?

My "line lock" setup is nonconventional... ...in a panic stop when hammering the brakes the rear master cylinder is hydraulically locked, so the pushrod was the weak link.

Okay, got it. Kind of. I am quite familiar with line-locks at least...
As per my M.O., my 'off-topic' response (I call it 'being engaged' in conversation... ), about ~20-something years ago, I was working at a classic/muscle-car restoration (parts) shop. I had been hired initially for slinging parts and helping to revamp the inventory and cataloguing system, and to keep me around to eventually head their 'service' department, which had yet to actually be implemented -cool since I could help structure it the way I wanted to, but that never came to fruition due to the owner's hesitance over local zoning concerns and additional tax burden... Anyway, one of the other salesmen working there at the time had started Kopy Katz -a Mopar-oriented resto-parts company that had finally petered-out, leaving him in need of a steady paycheck. Cool guy, if somewhat 'off' -as most interesting people are, I guess... Well, his Daily Driver was a primer-grey Vega wagon -cool car until you looked inside to see the hobbled and patched-over interior. Under the hood was an entirely different scene, though... He had shoe-horned a semi-built 400 SBC with a TH400 behind it into the Vega, big rear tires and a full Posi rear-end.
The ONE TIME I took a ride with him in that Vega, he backed out into the road, held the brakes, then notched it into '1st', and let the rear tires spin.. Then he notched it into '2nd' (B&M ratchet-shifter), and as we passed 40MPH on the speedo with the car just sitting there, shaking more and more violently, he let off the brake... The Vega just sat there for a second and all shaking ceased as smoke continued to roll out behind us, then whoomph! Into the seat I got shoved, feeling like we were rear-ended by a Mack truck. After driving around to a couple of near-by stores for supplies, hot-rodding around every corner and stop-light like it was just his natural driving habit (it probably was), I asked him about the line-lock on his brakes, as I hadn't noticed the controls. Oh, so silly, he didn't have one... The rear brakes were just shot, and had no hope of holding that 400.


Okay, so back on topic. So you had the rear brakes isolated to 'off' at the point of the accident? Even if you hadn't locked them out, the line-pressure would still end up the same once the rear hydraulics hit their full travel, wouldn't it? Perhaps a little further down in pedal-travel, but I can't see where that would make the situation better for the pushrod. I'm seeing how you have it set up and why, I just don't think it was decisive on the pushrod failure -seems to me like it was under-built, nothing you did wrong with it downstream or during use. Just my perspective. Again, glad you came out okay, and were able to save the car from serious wreckage.

Haha I've seen people vice grip the rear rubber line to do the same thing
I've never felt a brake pedal hydraulically lock when squeezing pads...in any car. A properly sized system will always have pedal travel left before locking hydraulically.
A typical brake pedal also has a pushrod directly inline with the master bore. This dual master setup with bias bar needs some play built into the rod to allow misalignment, the spec is 1/8 gap to allow one master to plunge further than the other. That slop is probably what caused the bend. Wilwood has a video here that shows it better than I can explain.
https://youtu.be/ZYK4VEOae6w?si=4kTb4deMUnAxwgbY

Took the old man racing again in another Chevy vs Mopar grudge match.
https://youtu.be/GMs8_LgJ7lw?si=5_9U8NyRUA-qtqJd


I guess I haven't posted much about my dad on the boards, but his chemo has gone unbelievably well and he's still feeling good! A true success story, battling a type of cancer that is typically very aggressive. When he got his first...really remarkable...re-scan, he decided to buy a car that might have a chance in beating the Beretta! haha He grabbed a blown up 6.1 Hemi 6spd Challenger SRT8 for cheap that had already been disassembled. So we had to piece it back together from boxes of parts.
https://youtu.be/5qdV44pqG6c?si=VerGnMBf8f6aUoCm


Then we set it up with an OBD2 line lock, some 17" wheels and slicks, and added some electric exhaust cut outs.
https://youtu.be/st-9Fa5UGgc?si=ob08u2mMJWiExlvf


At the track, neither of us ran the 12s we were shooting for, but I did manage to get him in both our heads up races, even though we were running within a tenth of each other pretty much all day. I broke my torque arm mount on the rear axle and bent the torque arm heims while trying to dial in my launch, but I just scrambled to get it fixed/upgraded and we're ready for a rematch ASAP at Island Drags in NJ before they close for the year. Somehow racing season always gets away from me.

Thanks for the update -good news is always welcome, even if not timely! Cool you guys get to run together too -that kind of quality time is priceless. Keep spankin' the new $#!t with that 'Retta, Woody!

Torque arm is fixed and I fabricated a drag anti-roll bar, but the forecast looked pretty sketchy for today so we skipped out. It rained here starting about 2, so probably a good choice. That leaves 2 more Sundays if weather permits...


Bent 1/2" bolt, two 3/4 heims & 3/4 adjuster and broke the 7/8od x 1/2ID sleeve.

Fixed with a 3/8" lasered plate with 3/4 bolts rotated 90* and additional bracing



Adjustable ARB ready to go: using existing mounts on body and axle, but using the end link location for the roll bar, and sway bar bushing location for the end links

Hope you can get out again this year!

Vroom vroom went racing yesteday. Info coming soon.

Video with the rear upgrade done:
https://youtu.be/zofQmk3FDGU

Video racing with Papa Woody again is up on YouTube. Tiffany came as camera crew and I had plenty of time to set up my GoPros so it's one of my better videos yet.
https://youtu.be/DSpBP6vjbhA

First time ever going to Island Dragway in NJ. The track was packed! 6hrs on the trailer for 3 runs...ouch.
Confused a lot of people by spinning the rear wheels. Starting line guys were telling at me to back up when my rear slicks were already in the water box. haha. And the tech guy looking at the car with the hood open (and engine pointing rearward) asked if I had slicks - while looking at the front tires.

I'm getting the rear suspension dialed in better, all sub-2.0 60 foots this time. From looking at the rear axle cam though, it's obvious there's room left for improvement. Is there enough left to hit my goals? Yeah, I dunno.


Met this guy "Pirrofab" too, running a Mitsubishi swapped Vega. Pretty unique combo, cool dude.

woody90gtz wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2024 12:28 am Confused a lot of people by spinning the rear wheels. Starting line guys were telling at me to back up when my rear slicks were already in the water box. haha. And the tech guy looking at the car with the hood open (and engine pointing rearward) asked if I had slicks - while looking at the front tires.

That is something funny, right there! But hey, give the folks some credit for recognizing a Beretta in the first place anymore, and knowing enough to recognize that your car should be FWD... Though really, looking under the hood should have been a clue to think twice about what he was looking at, especially for a tech guy...

Rettax3 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 08, 2024 3:08 am

woody90gtz wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2024 12:28 am Confused a lot of people by spinning the rear wheels. Starting line guys were telling at me to back up when my rear slicks were already in the water box. haha. And the tech guy looking at the car with the hood open (and engine pointing rearward) asked if I had slicks - while looking at the front tires.

That is something funny, right there! But hey, give the folks some credit for recognizing a Beretta in the first place anymore, and knowing enough to recognize that your car should be FWD... Though really, looking under the hood should have been a clue to think twice about what he was looking at, especially for a tech guy...

Yeah that same tech dude had my dad FUMING because he said he couldn't race with the helmet he had. It was an Impact brand helmet that he borrowed from a buddy and the tech guy thought it wasn't a Snell helmet, even though the Snell sticker was under the padding like it always is. I didn't really expect my dad to know that but the tech guy should have...but whatever, I got it sorted out.
Papa Woody was in a pretty bad mood as soon as we got there and it was so packed. He's kinda soured on racing already not having immediate success...but I'll get him back out there next spring as long as he's still doing well. I told him...it took me literally years to run the numbers I wanted to with the 3400...determination is key.
I've also pretty much settled on keeping the 4.8 in for the start of next year. The 5.3 would absolutely smoke him and it would just discourage him more. And honestly, I have plenty of crap to do this winter anyway without touching the Beretta.

It's out of storage and roaming the streets again. Kiddo is happy to be back in the "race car" and so am I. Still no defroster and the tires are easily overpowered in the cold morning, but the afternoons have been really nice and the winter beater Blazer just crap the bed, so....

Lots of updates here I'm way behind. But I redid the gas tank and now it's mint. I redesigned my strut mounrs and fitted 3rd gen Camaro struts, made my oen FE7 brackets and Ram/Camaro end links for my 33mm Blazer sway bar and it is AWESOME. Maybe the best handling Beretta on earth, honestly. Took some persistence, but I'm really happy with it. Videos for this stuff to come.

Finally got the Berettafest video done: https://youtu.be/KEidJb3mnCs

Grabbed another Beretta! Chris is moving, so he made me a deal I couldn't refuse. So now I'm once again the (not so) proud owner of a Quad4/5spd GTZ. This one is a 92-93 and it's a little crusty...prob best used for parts. The q4 runs on starter fluid and everything is intact with the 5spd, etc. The ebrake even still works! I'm gonna dismantle the interior and store it (I like the 91-93 style better than 94-96) and remove all the glass for use in my car. I'm also gonna cut the roof off and put the sunroof in my car eventually. If you want other parts, let me know.


I also finally got the video done for the other Z26 I bought last year. Haven't touched it yet, but I do have a game plan for that one as well.

https://youtu.be/evbCbRYZI_w