Replacement Chevrolet master cylinder

[Grant Bowker]

Today I installed kits into two of the master cylinders I had previously sent out for sleeving.

I had one kit from Jimmy Carter http://www.oldchevytrucks.com/cart/i...319?sdes=me319 and one Raybestos kit MK33 (from ebay for about 1/3 less than the Jimmy Carter kit that also had a sticker on the bag saying "33").
On starting the second cylinder, I noticed that the new piston didn't want to enter the bore easily. It turns out that the sleeve had been installed slightly off-axis to the cylinder bore so there was a tiny lip on one side of the bore. Nothing that would affect function, just enough to either force you to put the piston in from the pedal end of the cylinder (and risk turning the lip over) or require a tiny amount to be ground from half the circumference of the cylinder wall to permit putting the guts in from the outlet end. It only took a couple of minutes with a stone in the Dremel, more time to realize what had happened and set up than to do the grinding. With the lip out of the way each kit went into the cylinder easily, seems to be a proper fit.

To avoid the chance of damaging your new piston, I suggest that if you have had cylinders sleeved that you try fitting your old piston assembly (if in good enough shape that you are sure it won't score the sleeved cylinder) into the bore to check for unwanted lips at the ends of the sleeve. In my case the lip was at the outlet end of the cylinder.