scarebird adapters

[DanTudor57]

Rich,

Something I learned that hard way.. make sure you have the correct compound for your pads. Wilwood offers several compounds, but when I bought my kits, they shipped with track specific pads. These will eat your rotors  in a few hundred miles (200 miles and mine were gone); require very specific break-in steps and have specific usage specifications.. Make sure you have the softer, street-specific compound.

[ROKuberski]

Dan,

I told them that I don't have a hot rod and wanted "standard" pads.  That's what they told me I have.  I hope so.  I can't imagine destroying rotors in just 200 miles.

After wearing out my wife on brake bleeding, I have a friend coming over tomorrow so I can complete the job. 

I bought a brake bleeding kit from Harbor Freight and it's a piece of crap.

We are doing it the old fashioned way.

Rich

[RICH MUISE]

Did you buy the Harbor Freight model that hooks up to a compressor? I thought it worked pretty well, and I bought it on recommendations from other car guys that liked it alot.. It's like $50., $30. on sale...they had 3 different ones to chose from, but I think only the one that hooked up to a compressor.

[ROKuberski]

Rich,

No, I don't even remember seeing that one.  I bought this a year or two ago when I last worked on brakes.  It's a cheap hand held POS.

The rubber gaskets did not stand up to brake fluid and the hand held pump does not pull much vacuum at 5,700'.

Dan, this is the brake pad that I got with my kit http://www.wilwood.com/BrakePads/BrakePadsProd.aspx?itemno=150-8850K
The compound is BP-10.

Rich

[hiball3985]

I've always used the wife method but last year my son bought a pump, not cheap HF, that pumps from the wheel cylinders and it worked great. Then he put the bleeders on his wheel cylinders that have the spring loaded check valve and he likes those better. I may try those in the future..

[ROKuberski]

I got the brakes done Friday, but it seemed like my dual chamber master cylinder was not working right.  I got good fluid flow to the rear when bleeding, but not to the front.  Maybe less than 1/4 the fluid for each press of the brake pedal in the front compared to the rear.  The car stopped okay, but not great.  Also, I could feel that I hit bottom when pushing hard on the brakes and I could not lock up a wheel.  I just ordered a new master cylinder from rockauto.  None of the local parts houses had what I wanted and rockauto has this one on a close out sale.

I looked through the full size Fords for a car that has disk/drum brakes.  The 1967 Galaxy had what I wanted and I confirmed that the bolt pattern works too.  Although it is a two bolt not a 4 bolt cylinder.   So now, I am wondering if I should remove my 10 psi back pressure valve since this master cylinder was designed for what I now have. 

Rich

[lalessi1]

I would remove it if for no other reason than to eliminate it as contributing factor.

[ROKuberski]

Lynn,

I agree.  It's a cheap part, no point in taking a chance.

I hope that I've made a good choice, it seemed logical to use this type of master cylinder.

Prices ranged from about $20 (about $30 including shipping) on rockauto to over $120 at NAPA.

Rich

[lalessi1]

My car has a dual master cylinder that I suspect came off the same car that the disc brakes came from. I would have used the same logic that you did in selecting a master cylinder as a starting point but I would be mentally prepared for the possibility of the need of a proportioning valve....

[ROKuberski]

Lynn,

I do have the proportioning valve installed as well as the 10 psi residual pressure valve.  I am thinking that neither of these may be required with a master cylinder designed for the disk/drum brake setup.  The proportioning valve can be adjusted to the point that it will have no influence.  As to the residual pressure valve, that may be a problem.  I'm not sure, but having two inline, may give me a 20 psi residual.  After a little driving, I can lift a rear wheel and give it a spin.  If there is brake drag, I will remove the added residual valve and check it again. 

Rich 

[lalessi1]

My car has neither and the brakes seem reasonably balanced. The rears do tend to lock up first though and I am still liking the conversion you selected to use over what I have.... keep up the progress posts please!

[BWhitmore]

The majority of master cylinders (new and rebuilt) for disc/drum brakes have built in residual check valves. 

[ROKuberski]

The majority of master cylinders (new and rebuilt) for disc/drum brakes have built in residual check valves.

Thanks for the comment.  It makes sense to me that this would be the case.  The new master cylinder is to be delivered today.  I will go ahead and repipe it without the added residual pressure valve.  That will be a cleaner job anyway.  Also, this master cylinder appears to have a port for the brake light switch.  That will also allow me to remove the inline tee I installed for the pressure switch. 

I won't get started on this until Friday.  Lunch today with my antique radio club guys and all day Thursday, I volunteer at the Colorado RR Museum.

Rich

[hiball3985]

If that has a port for the brake light switch I would like to have one like that as mine is on a T also. I have no proportioning valve and I'm not sure if the master has a residual valve for the rear, it doesn't feel like it..

[ROKuberski]

Jim,

I got the part this afternoon.  I confirmed the bolt hole spacing is correct and I measured the depth into the cylinder for the push rod and that appears to be fine too.  I had to buy one reverse flare fitting adapter, 3/8" male to 3/16" female.

There is one fitting on the side for the rear chamber and one on the bottom at the front for the front chamber.  There is another fitting on the side that is pipe thread that I will put the brake switch into.

I'll have this done by Friday if you want to wait to order one like mine.  Rockauto still has two in stock of the one I bought.  It's on a closeout and with shipping it was about $30 and I got it in three days.  See photo below and you can see what I ordered.  It's a 1967 Ford Galaxy front disk/rear drum and not power brakes.  If you search on MC36225, you should be able to find that  unit from other sources.

If anyone knows how to determine if there is a residual pressure valve for the rear brakes, I would like to know how to do that.  I will pipe the smaller (front) chamber to the rear brakes.  From what I've been told, the disk brakes get the larger chamber because as the pads wear out fluid is displaced into the caliper and that's why it needs the larger reservoir.
 
Rich