ok..my chevy's got discs in the front,drums in the back,no power brakes.it's a dual chamber master cylinder under the floor.now,i'm already pissed enough that the previous owner never made a larger hole in the floor to check the cylinder (you can only check the 1st one) but now my brakes are acting up.on the 12th i took my car to a show and on the way home the brakes went out and when we had towed it home,the front chamber was dry and the back one was on it's way.we filled it up and i took it to midas to have them check for a leak and replace the master cylinder.after driving it there and waiting 2 hours for them to even put it up on the lift,they then tell me it's not leaking..the plunger's plunging fine without any fluid coming out and after pumping the brakes,the lines werent leaking either.the only place any fluid had looked like it had leaked out was around the cap from where we filled it.they said if it was leaking,they couldnt tell where,so just watch it for leaks..also,sine it's so close to the frame,they couldnt find any casting numbers to try and match it up.apparently they'd have to remove the master cylinder before they could even match it up for a replacement if they can find one.i took the car out for a drive today didnt notice any problems with it until i parked it and when i came back,there looked like a spot rite under the master..i put a few sheets of paper under it so that if it leaks i'll be sure to know..but my question is,since i'm planning on driving this car from ohio to indiana friday,if there is any advice anyone could give me?anything would be appreciated!thanks! Creepy
My 54 also has a dual chamber under the floor and front disc brakes. My master cylinder is off a late 60s Mustang with front discs and it's mounted on an ECI bracket. Seems like most are done the same way as mine is.
i dont have a clue what kinda cylinder it is..i thought the guy said it was camaro..??it's got a mustang II front end Creepy
Mine is Mustang II front with GM 11 inch disc brakes. Rear is Nova rearend with stock Nova brakes. The ECI bracket bolts in place of the original master cylinder and puts the stock pedal up through the floor just like original. The ECI bracket instructions said to use a 67 Mustang disc brake master cylinder. That's what I did and it works awesome.
I have a 52 Chevy, which has basically the same frame. I'll ditto everything Hillbilly said, plus add the fact that mpbrakes.com is a good resource for ID-ing many master cyls typically used by the aftermarket.
[ QUOTE ] Rear is Nova rearend with stock Nova brakes. [/ QUOTE ] i got a nova rearend,too..dont know what kinda brakes are on it,though..probably nova
Pardon me here but I get pissed everytime brakes come up................what fucking size are your wheel cyl bores and your MC bore?????? It matters. Doesnt have to anything to do with a leak but guys compare apples to Kiwis Have you checked your wheel cylinders? Lots of fluid can seep out and get fried due to heat in the drums without showing a visible leak.
TMan, If fluid seeps out and get fried would it be somewhat wet when you go and remove the drums for inspection?
[ QUOTE ] i'm already pissed enough that the previous owner never made a larger hole in the floor to check the cylinder (you can only check the 1st one).....i took it to midas to have them check for a leak....they then tell me it's not leaking..looked like it had leaked out was around the cap from where we filled it......took the car out for a drive today didnt notice any problems with it until i parked it and when i came back,there looked like a spot rite under the master.....Creepy [/ QUOTE ] Got the same setup on my 51; (Mustang) master cylinder under the floor on a TCI bracket. Everything you are saying seems to point to the m/c cover. How does the rubber gasket look on the m/c cover? Does the cover seem to fit on the m/c correctly? (Maybe the previous owner put the wrong cover on the m/c). Also, I cut a square in the floor right above the m/c for an access panel. I put hinges on one side, and 1/4 turn fasteners on the other side. Whenever I need to check the brake fluid I just flip up the panel and its right there.
Abelugo, yes it could and usually does. But he said he took this thing to MIDAS, they are not usually known for the highest level of skill and/or brake knowlege
[ QUOTE ] Lots of fluid can seep out and get fried due to heat in the drums without showing a visible leak. [/ QUOTE ] that's the problem...i HAVE a visible leak...as for what size everything is,i dont know.i only know that i have 15 inch wheels.anything else about the master cylinder and the wheel cylinders has been a mystery to me up until now.when i took the car to midas the only visible place fluid had came out of was from the top,so i'm assuming the cap might be the culprit...as for the gasket on it..lol i dont even recall there being one!this point was just pointed out to me earlier by someone else other than on the board and i'm looking into it..i put some paper under the cylinder to check it for leaks and it didnt show any,so i'm assuming it's just the cap,but i dont know.i'll just take it out and have someone look at it because i dont have any tools here to do anything.thanks to everyone who's helped. Creepy
can you get a picture of the master cylinder by jacking the car up? I have a master cylinder off of a 86 ltd and it stops mine just fine but I have the small rotors on mine. My disk brakes kick the crap out of the old drums that were on it. Hopefully later I can update them to the big ones off of the malibu's. I can sometimes tell what they are off of when I look at them. Plus I would probably need to know the piston size also.
i dont know anything about the master cylinder on my car..the way it's set up you cant really see it because of the frame.i took it back to midas and they jacked it up and the master is dry as a bone,along with the lines..it looks like the cause for the fluid i saw around the frame was just over-flow from when i filled it back up and then it ran down to the frame,which is an open C channel and sat there and is just now running out..the lines and the cylinder dont appear to be leaking,so i'm cutting a bigger hole in the floorboard to access the cylinder if i need to later. Creepy
I have a MC under the floor set up (with power booster). I have thought about removing the booster since it hangs down and catches on stuff from time to time. Looking at my set up if I want an access panel I have to cut thru the floor brace. Is that what you guys did? Right now I crawl under the car and use a mirror with a flash light to see how the level looks and use a turkey baster to fill it needed (never had since I put the original fluid in).
[ QUOTE ] Looking at my set up if I want an access panel I have to cut thru the floor brace. Is that what you guys did? [/ QUOTE ] No, I didnt have to cut through any bracing on my 51 Chevy. As I said, I have a TCI pedal assy and master cylinder/clutch cylinder bracket. The yellow one:
I have been thinking about switching to disks with a new MC on my '54. I have looked through catalogs at the TCI version and the ECI (Mustang MC/stock pedal setup) and I am not sure which one I should go with. I haven't seen either one in person.... Does anyone here have a preference??? Ease of installation? Does one seem to fit and/or work better than the other? My car originally had a 3 speed but currently has a 327 and a TH350. Do manual discs provide a vast improvement over the stock drums? Any advice would be appreciated since my car is more of a driver than it's ever been. The brakes are the one thing that make my knuckles white when I drive it long distances or in traffic. Thanks!
p54- I have installed parts from both TCI and ECI. Both are very good. As for the master cyl. bracket, the ECI one will probably be a little easier to install.
Check to see which bowl of the master cylinder is plumbed to what end of the car. The larger cylinder is for the disc brakes - more fluid to compensate for pad wear. The smaller cylinder goes to the drums that normally have self adjusters that compensate for wear. You could have simply run low on fluid!!!
Hey Slide, Thanks for the input... I've been kicking around which one to go with for a while now. I think I am going with the ECI... seems cheaper, seems easier, and many seem to recommend it on this post. THANKS!!!
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