Going around a lh corner the battery retainer broke shorting the battery against the body. The engine died and shower of sparks erupted from the main power lead where it goes through the firewall ( the insulation has work through)

Pull over - resecure the battery and tape up the leap and I am off.

First corner - total brake failure - pedal straight to the floor. A few our fathers later and I managed to stop on what was left of the handbrake and gearbox.

On inspection it appears the body had shorted against the front to rear brake line. Would this melt the master cylinder seals?

There was no fuild lost and the master was full. The pedal was still connected properly.

Any ideas?

Lucas brakes no smoke = no brakes

_________________
120bhp with 450kg just fun waiting to happen

We were prob. drunk when we set it up last and thought this will be a good idea

I doubt it, current always finds the most efficient way to ground, and the master cylinder seals don't form part of this path.

I would however bleed all the fluid in the lines, as the red hot pipe has boiled the fluid into something less to do with brake fluid.

_________________
SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

just unlucky i'd say. I wouldn't think they were related.

_________________
Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!

Strange current path however...why would the brake pipe become a conductor?

_________________
SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

you must have hit that corner like the angry fist of god.

_________________

shorted to the live body because of the battery shorting out on the body.

However boiled brake fluid in the pipe would leave an air gap and therefore no pedal.

Any injuries yet Stephen??

apart from your dry cleaning bill

_________________

Well i dont think the body could become live as such unless the earth has come off, and if that happened there could be no short.
Since the master cyl is bolted to the car it is earthed, and all the brake pipes should be earthed through the master and wheel cyls, there cant be a short in there.
The only way i could see a battery cooking a brake line was if the + terminal hit a brake line.
Sorry but it's not much of an answer for your riddle.
I have had unexplained brake failures twice.

_________________
Dean Hutton's first car was a Mini.

How do you explain the arc marks between the body and the brake line ?

and no contact between brake line and terminal

You do know that thing is out to kill you....

_________________
One should never skimp on the zip ties.

Magic

_________________
Dean Hutton's first car was a Mini.

Stray spark from a lead?

_________________
Dean Hutton's first car was a Mini.

Too much of a co-incidence that it happened at the same time.

where is your rubber gromit to stop things earthing out and rubbing through. you are a hopeless person that does not deserve a special vehicle and you deserve everything the morris/leyland vehicle dishes out to you

_________________
busier than a 0ne legged man in a butt kicking competion