1. Brake fluid is leaking... looks like I need a new master cylinder. Checked on rock auto and see 3 options... one available from cardone for $84 and then two other suppliers have available for $170. Cardone being half the price makes me a little su****ious, any experience on those parts and why they'd be so much cheaper? http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1349917,parttype,1836 2. Coming back from the rats nest in NY on Sunday. When i get into the driveway i see my front left tire if flat. I take it off and see that the inside of the rim has a big crack. I didn't hit any potholes that i remember, not even sure how that could have happened. Anyway, any thoughts on where I might find a replacement rim? Do tire shops still weld rims? Maybe I can go check that route as well. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks fellas!
The higher price looks more typical for a complete master cylinder. Is the Cardone part a closeout? I did once encounter a misidentified Cardone part at Rock Auto but I have also bought correct parts there at unusually low prices, too. And I have used Cardone parts, from whatever source, that were perfectly OK. Of course, you could rebuild the master cylinder yourself for much less. Andy Bernbaum at oldmopar.com sells rebuild kits for about $30. I have rebuilt a couple of '51 and '52 Plymouth master cylinders and they are quite easy compared to some others I have done. I have never seen one of those wheels crack but it must have been an existing defect; you couldn't do that without knowing it immediately. I have some old Ford rims with welded repairs, so it probably could be fixed; but they are cheap and plentiful, so I would just get another one. All Mopars of that era used essentially the same rims.
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