I have an opportunity to buy a 1959 F600, but the seller plainly says that it needs "a new master cylinder, and new brake shoes".

Naturally, I also suspect that the drums will be worn out (over max size) . . .

Now the local NAPA store says they can get some shoes (depends on if it has 13" or 14" brakes) and wheel cylinder rebuild kits, plus the small-parts kits, but not drums or left-side wheel cylinders.

There is a local shop that will reline the brake shoes (assuming they're not too badly damaged), but it's $50/shoe, $200/axle!

Does anyone know of a place to get new brake drums, left-hand wheel cylinders, or a good source for brake shoes?

The seller also says the heater core need replacement, but I'm less worried about that.

Thanks, Rick

 

check job lot automotive (i think that what they are called) they carry a lot of stuff for the big trucks and they have some stuff that i haven't seen anywhere else.

 

Welcome to FTE

1957/59 F600: The front shoes are 14" x 2.50" / The rear shoes are 15" x 4"

Ford did not sell brake shoes for these trucks, just the lining as a kit with the rivets.

I might be able to find it, but as you've found out, the cost to rivet the lining onto the old shoes ain't cheap, and one reason why is...not everyone has a brake lining riveter.

If you supply the lining/rivets, the price might be the same, it might not be.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1957/60 F600: There are two different master cylinders. One has a bore of 10" .. t'other is 12.75"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) B5T1125A .. Front Brake Drum-less Hub / Obsolete

TISON MOTOR CO. in Estill SC has 1 = 803-625-2551.

CARPENTER OBSOLETE PARTS in Concord NC has 3 = 704-786-8139.
------------------------------------------------------------------
2) TEAA1126A .. Rear Brake Drum-less Hub (except w/tandem axle) / Obsolete

TISON MOTOR CO. has 3.
-------------------------
1) B7T2061B .. Right Front w/Cylinder-7/8" / Obsolete

GREEN SALES CO. in Cincinnati OH has 1 = 800-543-4959.
--------------------------------------------------------
1) B7T2062B .. Left Front w/Cylinder-7/8" / Obsolete

MILLER OBSOLETE PARTS in Binghamton NY has 1 = 800-546-7278.

GREEN SALES CO has 2.
-----------------------
2) COTT2261A .. Right Rear UPPER w/Cylinder-1 1/2" / Obsolete

WILLEY INC. in Ames IA has 1 = 515-233-1913.
----------------------------------------------
2) COTT2262A .. Left Rear LOWER w/Cylinder-1 1/2" / Obsolete

BOWMAN SALES & SERVICE in Bowman ND has 2 = 701-523-3257.

MANDERBACH FORD in Temple PA has 3 = 888-225-4364.

DON SANDERSON FORD in Glendale AZ has 11 = 623-842-8762.

GREEN SALES CO. has 23.

Sanderson will prolly be the cheapest.

btw: It's joblotauto.com / They are located in Queens NY.

 

The price you got for relining brake shoes is reasonable. Doing odd sizes for old trucks can be labor intensive. Wheel cylinders are out there, but it takes much digging to find some. Wheel cylinder kits (cups, seals, etc.) and master cylinder were available from NAPA when I did mine last year. Your best bet is at a NAPA store that does business with places that repair medium and heavy trucks - they will be more familiar with your needs. Brake drums are another story. More digging, and possibly finding parts from other years that will work. I have found some items on Ebay (a set of new wheel cylinders one time), but again it takes a lot of looking.

These bigger trucks can be expensive to maintain, probably why I have found them to be cheaper to buy that pickups.

 

Thanks, guys . . . I figuree someone here would have some good ideas on where to get rare parts.

Well, the NAPA store I deal with most is on the other side of the block from three different medium-heavy truck repair places . . . the closest NAPA store is in farming country, and the other store in that franchise district is on the border between farming and logging country . . . I figure they're pretty up on medium and heavy truck stuff.

I figure the brake system will cost around a thousand, unless I get lucky and it's not what the seller thinks. The deck in the bed will probably cost around $400-500 to do properly . . . then I'll need stakesides, and I'm not sure what the posts, etc will cost.

The other thing about the brakes: it's a single-circuit system, and that scares me . . . does anyone know how hard it is to convert to a dual-circuit system, especially since I apparently have to change the master cylinder anyway (I believe that's the expensive component).

Would I have to add a proportioning valve, etc?

Thanks again!

--Rick

 

Welcome to the forum, Rick! It sounds like you've got an interesting project on your hands. Changing the m/c out to a dual reservoir is not difficult, and for the obvious reasons you're already aware of, it's a highly recommended modification. The hard part will be finding one compatible with your large truck brakes. I don't have a clue on what to recommend for your application. Especially if Bill is correct about the stock master having either a 10 inch or 12 3/4 inch piston bore.

I would guess one of your truck shops you're familiar with could help you with a part that would work. Good luck, and keep us posted on if you make the buy, and how everything turns out.

 

I mixed up the diameter of the P/B booster with the bore size of the M/C.

1957/60 F500/600:

B9D2140A .. Master Cylinder-1.25" / Use with 10" diameter P/B booster / Obsolete

B7Q2140B .. Master Cylinder-1.50" / Use with 12.75" diameter P/B booster / Obsolete

 

Just a thought on converting to a dual circuit brake system. Easier said than done. F600s usually have a single frame mounted booster, so just replacing the master cylinder with a dual MC will not do it. I have seen mediums from the late 70s with single circuit brakes. And I do not know if a light truck style dual circuit MC with a dash mounted booster will have enough volume for the dual cylinder rear brakes

One way to get dual circuit brakes is to get a dual circuit MC and use it with two separate boosters as was done on some of the 70s B series school busses.

 

I made a msitake somehow . . . it's a 1966 F600.

It seems that would make it easier to find parts, but I haven't checked yet.

3414, you refer to a "single frame mounted booster" . . . I'm not sure what you mean. The component I know as a booster is the power-brake vacuum booster that sits between the master cylinder and the firewall.

The problems I'd expect with converting to a split/dual system would be in finding a dual-circuit master cylinder with two equal-sized sections . . . That would seem to be necessary to keep the pressure in both halves pretty close, which is what the system is designed around.

BTW, this truck does have power brakes.

Thanks again.

--Rick

 

On medium trucks the brake system is a little different than on cars and pickups. On a stock 66 F600, the master cylinder is mounted on the firewall. There is a line from it that goes to the brake booster assembly that is mounted to the driver side frame rail under the cab. There is a vacuum line from the intake manifold that goes to the booster, and usually a vent line from the booster to a small muffler mounted behind the seat in the cab. The vacuum part of the booster looks like the kind you are familiar with, but it has the intensifier assembly (looks sort of like a master cylinder without a fluid reservoir) bolted to it. Just crawl under the truck and have a look under the drivers side of the cab to see it.

 

Also, when you start looking at updating the master cylinder, keep in mind that you need to look at the bore, not just reservoir size. The stock MC bore is usually 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inch (depending on booster and axle end wheel cylinders) and has enough stroke to give the volume necessary for the circuit. You will need more volume for the rears than the fronts, since you probably have two wheel cylinders in each rear brake. This means that the section of the MC feeding the rears might need twice or more stroke than the section feeding the fronts.

I do not want to discourage you, just want to let you know what to look out for if you decide to do this. Keep us posted.

 

Oh.

This one (according to the pictures) has the vacuum booster between the master cylinder and the firewall . . . and it looks stock.

I'd been around either light vehicles, or heavies. The heavies all had airbrakes, of course. I wasn't aware that the mediums might be different.

Think I need to stop at the library . . . see what Chilton's and Motor's have to say.

--Rick

 

Too bad it's a '66 instead of a '59. It looks like someone might be parting out a '59 F600 on Ebay. Lots of '59 parts in Kansas and the side hood emblems say F600.

 

I had a 1979 F600 with a single master cylinder. If you do it right and just replace everything, your good to go for a looong time.

 

I just rebuilt the brake system on a '58 F600 and I have $1000 invested in it. It is probably cheaper to have the wheel cylinders sleeved ($50 each) than it is to buy new cylinders. Rear linings are expensive as you learned. Brake shoe retract springs are expensive ($27 each at NAPA). Nothing's cheap when you get to the medium and large trucks.