I'm building a 1927 T coupe and have a Speedway disc front axle with 1978-88 GM calipers and a 1955 Ford Fairlane courier rear axle. Could anyone suggest the best brake master cylinder to use please? Thank you.
I'll be mounting a British Ford Cortina pedal box on the wrong side 325W but I haven't gotten round to mocking it up yet!
Thank you Rusty Rocket, I'll have a look and see. My T was from Orange County so it's in great condition. It's in rainy Glasgow now!
A 1" bore will be tough to use. For every 1/16 you go down, pedal pressure will be more effective. Don't go smaller than 7/8" . If your master is mounted of the firewall, you will only need a residual pressure valve for the drum brakes on the rear. If it's below the floor,you will need a 2lb. for the front and a 10lb. for the rear. The corvette master is real heavy and large. There is better options.
1969-1970 Ford Mustang disc/drum master cylinder has a 1" bore, is compact, and should work well. I have used a ton of them on under-floor applications, following the previous advice about residual valves.
billybones, I have used 1", 15/16" and 7/8" on my 32. It has gm calipers on the front and Lincoln mark 7 rear calipers. The rears are virtually the same as explorer. The difference is the Lincoln has a very thick , very heavy rotor. They both have the internal parking brake that is drum brake style. The master's I have used are found on most Ford products from 1970 until sometime in the 80's. There are alum units used in Lincolns, cast iron in most everything else. They have the same bolt patterns and most have the outlets on the left side. There are some right side ones if you do some research. I had to use an adjustable proportioning valve to have decent brakes. This is all manual with a firewall mount pedal. These are all double masters. This is an example of one: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=925160&cc=1119945&jsn=8
My basic rule of thumb is don't mix-n-match if you can help it and keep it simple. The other thing to keep in mind when dealing with all the after market company's out there selling kits and parts is that they make a living selling parts, not necessarily giving you the best advice. If you don't already know what exactly you need they all will sell you everything they can. Your front disc brakes come on a vehicle with Drum rear brakes. I'd use a 78-88 Master no matter the bore size. Another thing I've learned is that the Brass valve is a waste unless you need a idiot light. It's really just a manifold and a place to use more flair nuts and if your not good at double flairs more places for leaks. It's just plain unnecessary and another way for sellers to hit your Wallet. Something else, a Disc Drum GM master already has the residual valve in it for the rear drums. You don't need those in line valves, just another hit your Wallet for the aftermarket guys.
The "brass" (combination) valve can contain more than just an idiot light signal, but I agree they are not the best choice on a non-stock custom brake system. JFYI, most, if not all disc/drum and drum/drum OE master cylinders had internal drum residuals up to the mid '70s, so you need to check for one in the master you use, especially later '70s.
Don’t mean to hijack this thread, but I’m hoping for some help. Mocking up a new chassis suspension etc for my 40 Tudor. I have disc brakes for the front and proposing discs for the rear. Two questions. Would I need power assist to stop the car? What master cylinder (under floor) would be my best choice?
You don't mean to hijack the thread, but then you go ahead and do it anyway. You will get more and better answers if you start a new thread and ask your questions in the title.
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