Where is a place you recommend buying good quality parts from?
Ugh. $64,000 question.
I believe that
Halifaxhops here sells ignition parts.
There's a guy out there who's a real character,
Craig Studnick, who raided a ton of parts stashes back in the '70s through the '90s and makes the rounds of the auto flea markets – he's got a ton of stuff, all NOS, and his prices are sometimes reasonable.
Personally, I figure out what the original Chrysler part number of what I need is, then watch eBay for something to come up at the right price, which it generally does.
For parts that are probably fine from a modern supplier, or that just won't be available by the time I need them, I usually try
RockAuto, which is also good for checking interchanges with aftermarket suppliers (such as Standard), as well as between years and models.
In the master cylinder, it’s the front compartment that is completely gone, which is why I assumed it was the rear brakes.
So... Right you are.
Also, assumed it was the rear brakes because if it was the front brakes I’d imagine it would be near impossible to stop...
Says Isaac Newton and a whole bunch of auto designers.
When the front brakes fail, you find that the rears lock up easily and the car doesn't stop well.
When the rear brakes fail, it seems a bit harder to stop, but if you never drove the car with the brakes working right, you might never notice.
I was going to fill the master cylinder back up and pump the brakes to see if it would come leaking out of the back wheels where I could see it.
Hey, why not?
However, I did actually notice that around the master cylinder, it looks like there’s fluid spilling/splattered around the surrounding area of it… could the leak be from that then?
Hard to say. Old cast iron master cylinders do tend to ooze brake fluid from the cover, and look a little "wet."
If you fill it and pump it up aggressively, and there's a leak somewhere, you should see a drip underneath, and you may even hear it hiss out.
If there's really no leak (including being wet at the bottom of the brake backing plates), then it's probably the master.
The oil is very dark and there isn’t much on the dip stick, so it’s hard to really tell, but it doesn’t look foamy from what I can see.
Yeah, doesn't sound like it. Intake manifold gaskets are a pain in the behind, but they can be done.
Check to be sure it's really antifreeze leaking out, and not just condensation boiling off.
Older antifreeze will taste distinctly sweet. New antifreeze will taste absurdly bitter (reformulated because crayon-eaters used to drink it).
– Eric
