ok, i've asked this question before, but i'm still undecided. i've done the full brake job front and back (new return springs, wheel cylinders, shoes, flex lines) and it helped, but i still have a soft pedal. i'm thinking master cylinder, right? if i can get my spare cab fixed up this winter, i'll be switching cabs and master cylinders, hopefully. should be easier with cab off, eh? my question is this- should i put the same style back on, or upgrade to a dual reservoir, and will that take a bunch of fab work, because i'm a painter, not a welder. just wondering if there's an easy upgrade, or if the original setup will be fine. my truck's a 3/4 ton, btw, if that makes a difference. thanks!! jon
Jon, With my 1 ton I bought the adaptor kit from Classic Parts and put in a dual resevoir MC. You might check the archives cause there was quite a bit of discussion at the time. There is also a lot of disucssion about exactly how to adjust the brakes to get the optimum distance between the shoe and hub. Even with new shoes, hoses, springs and MC I still have a soft pedal. I wonder if I should have a proportioning valve to put more pressure on the front. I have drum breaks all around. Huck in front and Bendix in back. Good luck, Gater
I put a new Mustang II brake Master Cylinder on my truck when i was restoring it. Now it will throw you through the windshield if you're not mindful of what you are doing. I hated the old brakes--- Stand on the peddle with all you got and hope for the best. One of the best things I did for me and the truck!!
Soft Brake Pedal Means one of two things : Air in the hydraulic system -OR- the brake shoes are not correctly adjusted/ bedded in . You _DO_ know there's TWO brake shoe adjusters for each wheel , right ? the " mechanic" who did a brake job on my '49 before I bought it , didn't know this so only one shoe per wheel was anywhere near properly adjusted and then the PO actually DROVE it like this for awhile so the new brake shoes wore all manner of oddly so that even after I'd properly adjusted them the brake pedal didn't ' feel right ' and any stop above 35 MPH made the brake pedal sink to within 1" of the toeboard ~ I had to make weekly brake adjustments untill the shoes bedded in correctly then it stopped as well as any Huck Brake equipped vehicle ever did (not well but the pedal is always high and firm) If you've properly adjusted the shoes etc. , it is time to do " The Stick Trick " . don't laugh nor argue nor make any shortcuts ~ do it exactly as I posted and it should help . Untill you resolve the soft brake pedal issue , don't replace the master cylnder as that's NOT the problem , a stock master cylinder gives passable braking but it should be hard as a rock when you step on it or there's a serious problem somewhere .
good info nate. thanks! i'll check the adjustments again. top and bottom, right? and then i'll try the stick trick. jon
Oops ! I neglected to mention : You must ensure the brake pedal retracts all the way back and hits the underside of the toeboard with a thump ! each time you release it and then the master cylinder push rod MUST be free to rattle a bit if you shake it ~ any preload on the ,aster cylinder keep the by-pass valve loaded and you'll never get proper bleeding nor the rock hard pedal we all like . Often , getting the correct return spring is difficult as it needs to have lots of coils as it extends a goodly distance when you depress the brake pedal . There's a Zerk fitting on the pedal shaft , scrape all that old rock hard grease & mud off of the pedals , shaft and Zerk and grease the beejeebers out if it , wipe off the excess that comes mushing out due to the worn bushings .
.....I purchased a bracket kit from Classic Parts and bought a dual line master cylinder...... I just think it's safer..... be sure to get a master cylinder for all drum brakes unless you are running disc..... there is a difference...... I ordered one for.... I think it was a '70 Nova with all drum brakes..... it was the least expensive.... less than $20 at AutoZone.... I called the company that made the adapter bracket, sine they sell complete kits too, to see if I needed a proportioning valve....... as long as you are running all drums, you don't need one...... this setup should perform just as the stock single line..... here's a pic of it.......
Wow ~ ..That's a sano installation . Is it a two piece bracket then ? (looks like it) . Please tell me those are NOT copper brake pipes Will this adapter and dual master cylinder work with the original clutch pedal and tranny ?? . It's been many years since the frame of my '49 shop truck looked like that
No.... those are steel lines and brass fittings...... why would you think they were copper??? LOL!!! ....the bracket comes as one peice..... basicly it's just an "L" shape with a gusset and all the holes pre-drilled..... yes, you'll use your original pedal assymblys .....it comes with bolts to mount the bracket to the frame, the master cylinder to the bracket, two different legth pushrods (because the kit fits Chevys and Fords), a heim joint, and some spacers......
Good Deal ! ...I thought the brake pipes might be copper because they look yellow on my crappy monitor and because I see quite a few " restorations " with seamed , copper brake pipes For those who don't know , copper tubing , seamed or not , must never , EVER be used on brake lines as it WILL pop one fine day , usually when a bus turns in front of you and you make a panic stop..... Installing new brake pipes is a big job for most and then they don't want to rip out the dangerous copper crap ones they paid good money for at the Hot Rod show...
That's a neat looking installation. I bought the remote reservoir and cyllinder kit from CP and with the adapter bracket it fits up pretty much like the photo. But I like being able to see the fluid level and top it up from under the hood. The instal was an easy bolt in, I just needed to make up the new lines. The shop wouldn't sell me copper when I said it was for a brake installation, they didn't know why just that's the law. So thanks Nate, now I know. Since going to the dual even with the original drums I now get twice the stop for half the effort - they've really made a huge difference. And for what it's worth, I think if you have a soft pedal, there's air somewhere in the lines.
so i took a look under the truck this weekend (finally got a little dirty) and noticed that the rear flex lines for the brakes had not been replaced. i was sure i did all four wheels, but the fact remains that the rear ones are all cracked and nasty, so that could very well be the reason for my soft pedal. as soon as i get those replaced, i'll start all over and see where we stand. also, i could only find the one slot (on the bottom) for adjusting the brakes. i have a 53 3/4 ton, and i'm pretty sure that puts me in the bendix brake realm, yeah? is that why there's only one spot to adjust em, or am i just not looking in the right places? thanks!! jon
Hucks have two, Bendix have one adjuster Huck brakes, '50 and prior years (assuming original) have 2 adjusters per wheel and they are on the slave cylinders. PITA to adjust. '51 and newer (again assuming) have Bendix brakes which have one adjuster, center of backing plate in the lower half of same. It should have a nice rubber plug that can be pulled off exposing a "star" mechanism which can be tightened or loosened, as need be, to adjust the shoes inward or outward. The most important thing about brake work is proper bleeding. IIRC, Jess brought this up earlier. You can't just pick any wheel to start bleeding. Follow the recommended sequence as outlined in your shop manual. Definitely replace your old flex lines in the back. Money well spent.
