Please note it is about 12:30 am cst and have been mocked by my beloved Chevy for a few hours now . The project is updating to front disc , firewall mounted vac booster /dual bowl master / brake pedal . 1. Note that the shop manual pictures look as if the car is being worked on without a body , There's a reason for this ... The master and pedal linkages are F-in buried on top of and behind what appears to be a recreation of the Eiffel Tower ! 2. First item on the the Chevy "wisdom " list . Toe board has no access panel that can be remove ... None . Chevy must have really disliked the dealer mechanics . 3 . Item two on the Chevy "wisdom" list . The brake pedal AND the clutch pedal use the front part of the master cylinder casting as their mother F-Ing pivot . So that means I have to leave the old master in place as well affair bit of the old brake pedal arm . All so can have functional f-ing clutch ! 47 Pontiac very same conversion pretty easy done and driving in a day . 50 Chevy beAt me like a rented mule and still not done . Anyone else experience the same situation trying to access and deal with the original brake / clutch setup with the master . Yes this was somewhat of a tired venting rant I suppose , but I hope to sweet baby Jesus I'm not the only one having had issues with this setup Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
My old friend Arthur Richmond, who did mechanic work well into his 90s, said "Engineers need to stick to running trains and let mechanics design automobiles."
It's pretty lame having a firewall mounted swing pedal for the brake and a floor pedal for the clutch.......WTH were you thinking?? Ray
The Stock location works great and there are good kits that allow modern parts with the stock pedals and arrangement. driving an old car with swinging pedals is just weird anyway.
Welp....when I put my 50 delivery together, [400 sb/4 speed] I stayed with the original pedals and master cylinder and it's pedal pivot. I bought a new original-type master cylinder [drum brakes] but when it came to the clutch linkage I kept the master cylinder pivot but I used a lakewood blow-proof steel bellhousing. I hit U-pull-it and grabbed all the clutch linkage [less pedal] from a mid 70s ford pickup. I welded the Ford Z-bar pivot to the frame rail and made a bracket to weld to the bellhousing for the other end of the Z-bar. The Z-bar was narrowed and re-clocked [as long as I had it in 2 pieces] and this setup worked great! It was stout as hell and controlled a very heavy 12 inch clutch. Now, as far as your need for a dual master cylinder........most guys gut the original master and run a rod from the pedal all the way through the old, gutted master and mount the new master cylinder on a bracket attached to the frame rail/corssmember/whatever is handy.
Check the website for Buffalo Enterprises in Arlington,WA. The can help you with the brake situation and maybe anything else you may come across.
Haha thanks guys I knew I'd get some snark . I convert all the cars I build to disc front and dual bowl master . I had a very spooky time when I lost my brakes with my wife in the car. Now I have kids so I put the best brakes I can on my builds . Yeah it's a little goofy but I'm ok with that . I'm swapping to a t5 for now . If it does what I want I might keep it , if not I'm losing the 3rd pedal when I swap to a v8 . For what ever reason I've never liked the frame mounted dual master and booster . Either way the location and accessibility of that whole setup is a freakin nightmare ! My 47 Pontiac had a toe board that was split . Pull four bolts and bam access to the master and all the pedal linkages Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Buffalo site says future home of buffalo enterprises - is there a current site that is active ? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
When any of these old cars were new do you think anybody ever expected them be around 67 years later? However they are still easier to work on than any of the new stuff today.
I completely get that they are alive longer than likely expected and definitely easier than modern cars. Still not mechanic friendly setup even 60+ years ago Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Trying to keep it more traditional with a few of the things that make me feel safer with the family along with me Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Yup every year ! Hitting jalopy fest this coming weekend too , hope the Chevy will be ready Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I just started building the exhaust for mine. I wanted to keep the pedals under the floor but there's no frickin room left! Walton Fabrications has a super nice engineered pedal kit that can be configured with a clutch MC and pedal as well. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Walton's stuff: -firewall mounted: http://www.waltonfabrication.com/19chcarpoclp.html -Under floor: http://www.waltonfabrication.com/19chcarpobru.html Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
at age 16 in an apartment complex parking lot with my Mom yelling at me to not make a mess being my only guidance and nothing but my shiny new wrench set I put a master cylinder in my 1949 Chevrolet. that's all I got to say.
The Walton kit is what I'm using - Ratfink - never said I couldn't just said it is more of a pain in the ass than it needs to be ,not to mention didn't want to run a widow Maker master . Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
that Walton one for the firewall would be the sensible way to go. I've seen underfloor ones where the master cylinder is under the seat. I don't know if they were all like that. kind of inconvenient to check.
That's the one I recently installed - it went in with only minor tweaks Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
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