I can't find my Motors manual that would cover these. What is the master cylinder setup on a mid-50s Olds, is it like a Pontiac would be, under the floor? Is it the same one even? I'm going to go look at one next week and I'm wondering how hard to upgrade one to a dual chamber master. I know from pulling one out of a '57 Pontiac that they can't be done like a 49-52 Chevy and run a rod through the gutted stock one, not without cutting a hole in the floor for it. Pontiacs have a defroster on the firewall where you'd put a regular modern master, and a heater core under the seats, but I've never paid attention to what's under the hood of an Olds - if there's nothing in the way, I'd just stick some other pedal mount in it, they're a lot easier to fill and bleed if they're on the firewall anyhow.
I'll look at my Motor's manual tomorrow and get back to you. As I recall (and my "recaller" ain't always right lately) they have the treadle vac that sits low on the firewall on the driver's side, but I could be screwed up. I'll be back tomorrow.
Have a friend who just got his 54 Convert. on the road this week after a lengthy restoration, he threw the stock Master cylinder setup away, made a new plate to bolt into the firewall with a latemodel Impala power booster setup . This is a beautifully restored car, but he knew after many years as a mechanic not to try and mess with the original junk. Took a weekend to convert, and if you aren't in the know like most of the "experts" are, ha,ha. You'd never suspect it, and to top it off, the car is reliable and stops too.
Yeah, putting something more conventional on there is no big deal if there's room, I have firewall mount pedal brackets laying here that I can't sell at a swap meet to save my life, just wondering what a stock manual brake deal looks like. Thanks -
Manual or p/s,if its manual I think a bracket could be made so a newer master cylinder can be mounted as I was thinking about doing it on a 53 I had. The master cylinder is under the steering column behind the box.
I looked in my 1957 Motor's manual and it doesn't say where the stock M/C is located, but there were two different M/C's available in the '54-'57 models: some were equipped with the Tradlevac and some with a more conventional Moraine. I'm pretty sure the Tradlevac was mounted low on the driver's side of the firewall, but it doesn't have any location for the Moraine unit. I know the Buick's of those years also had both systems available and the Treadlevac was mounted on the lower firewall. My '55 Special had the Moraine unit mounted on the frame under the floor boards. Sorry I can't be more definitive about the Olds. -Bob
It occurred to me to look for someone selling one and see if there's a picture of one in the ad. Kanter shows the interchange as 1937-1958 Olds except 53-58 power brake, and they show a picture which it notes is not exactly the same, but looks a lot like the '57 Pontiac unit I mentioned, it appears to bolt under the kick panel on the frame. Since the car in question is just a bottom-end 88, I'm not expecting it to have power anything. Although you never know I guess, years ago I had a '59 Dynamic 88 (the cheap series for that year) that had PS and factory air. In any case I'll go see it this week and go from there. Thanks for checking it out for me -
If it helps I know a 55 olds with power brakes has the entire setup (i.e. booster & master cylinder) bolted to a plate that bolts in to the toeboard. Single outlet to a flexi that goes to a distribution block on the frame. Did not bolt to the frame, fairly tight fit under the steering column.
It's down by the steering column, you get to it from under the hood, has a small dip-stick that unscrews. Sir Whoosh did a firewall mount on his 55 or 56. The originals are ok, I think, but have a chromed bore that (I think), that makes them expensive to rebuild.
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