ive been told there is a simple way to do this... NON POWER, just a simple swap to dual resevoir get a drum/drum master cylinder (this is a little confusing as I know there are differences between power and manual, and also differences in the years from what im told.. if you know which i should use that would be great) block off the line on the stock dist. block that runs to the back hook the block up to the front of the master run a line from the back of master to the back of the car (or i guess you could run it to the line that goes to the back thats already there) anyways.. chevy guys, wanna chime in? im trying to get to a dual for safety reasons, had a single go out on me in an old car and it WASNT a good feeling ;0) .... i may also be open to the idea of power brakes but i have never dealt with them as far as hooking up the diaphragm etc.. is power worth it? thanks
i have been thinking of doing the same. there was a time some where after 63 where the dual cylinder was standard and disks (and power brakes) were optional so it sounds like a reasonable approach. looking forward to see the reply's from those who have done the swap
idk the difference on manual and power, but think power is way better. on all pre 62 caddies there is only a single reservoir as well. the easiest way is just like you say with the lines, block em off and splice on. i'd say go with a cadillac booster from 67 or 68. you can buy the entire assembly for ab 120 bux brand new with warrnaty! it has drum brakes all around and this unit doesnt use a proportioning valve. also makes ab 1200 psi of stopping power. so easiest way in my opinion would be that. to do it with out a booster would be pissing in the wind since the pedal would still be hard. its like saying power steering or not?
check out this links http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-183453.html http://www.photopaige.com/edscars/60caddy/CaddyWebSitev2_files/NewBrakes.htm http://www.cadillaclasalleclub.org/forum/index.php/topic,43988.0.html
with drums front and back match the master cylinder bore to the wheel cylinder bore size then measure the bolt spread and bring this info to the parts store. chevelle or camero is my guess.
I went with a dual master cylinder on my Chevy. Went to the parts house and asked for a '69 Chevrolet fullsize with manual drum brakes and it bolted right up. As far as matching up to the old lines, can't help there since I ran all new ones at the same time.
this is gonna sound really stupid... but where on a stock '63 283 would i get a vaccuum line for the booster? thats the only thing to be hooked up right? seems like not that huge of a $$ difference to go power, but if its really worth it i might... only difference would the vaccuum line for install i think ps - for the previous poster i believe it was '67 when dual resevoirs became mandatory
Also after you install the dual mc and bleed the brakes, make sure to see if it does what you want. Open a bleeder on one end of the car, push the pedal, see if it applies the brakes at the other end of the car before the pedal hits the floor. Then close that bleeder and open one on the other end of the car, and try again. Dual cylinders have more travel than singles, so you have to make sure the pedal travel is sufficient to move the mc pistons far enough to "save" you if a line breaks. Although I've noticed that after you lose your brakes completely once, you tend to be more meticulous about brake maintenance, so the dual cylinder isn't really needed
On my dad's '63, we used an original '63 booster, and added a dual master cylinder from a mid 70s Camaro. It has front discs, though. Personally, I'd dump the front drums, get some brackets for $60 or so, and add D52 style discs. You could put the "kit" together with all new stuff for $200 or less. If you can find one, a booster from a Chevy Monza works well. Its a much smaller diameter than your average booster, yet its large enough to stop the car well. I did several tri-5 Chevys with that booster. I like it because even tall valve covers have plenty of clearance. I don't have the dimensions in front of me, but its a little smaller than the factory 63 booster.
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