Stock front end on the '54 F100 needs brakes. After getting back from a 500 mile trip, pedal was getting a little low. Topped off MC started to adjust front shoes. Holy S*#% !, passenger side drum is broken in half! shoes are only 1/2 worn. Gulp.... Lucky?
Youngest daughters wedding (there goes the truck fund) rules out disc conversion for forseeable future . Got drums & shoes (stock)lined up but would like to replace the original MC with a later 2 stage type.
I can fab a bracket & get the lines hooked up, just wondering what might be the best choice for a 2 stage MC? Mustang? Year? Bore Diameter? Brakes = needs to be correct.

Happy New Year to All

54at50

 

I would like to know what will fit also, the cheaper the better as long as it works right (im a poor person, i think i am rich when i get 5 bucks in a birthday card )

 

This must be a '54 problem. Every 8 weeks I have to bleed the brakes to get the pedal up. Haven't found the extreme problem that you encountered... but brakes are tops on my list of redo's. Am hoping that I get another commission in the spring... this would pay for front discs... a beautiful dream. Standing by for input on the m/c. himmelberg

 

Himmelberg, Maybe you need residual valves to help keep the fluid from draining back to the master cylinder, with out them you would expeience the same problem that you are. I believe you need the 10 lb ones.

 

Pete,

If you're going to convert to discs eventually, it will be a waste of time and money to change the MC now. A dual chamber MC for use with discs/drums will not work with drums/drums. Just keep your old MC and redo the original brakes until you can afford to make the complete conversion.

 

Okay here we go again.....

The thing with the brakes is this....1st know your budget and then decide on how long you want to wait to drive safe or be guessing when the master cylinder goes out.....MY EXAMPLE...

I just purchased a new master cylinder (original) due to the fact that my pedal was not coming up after being mashed on...so the return spring was good, fluid was good so it had to be the MC....The wife wants disc but we see that is something way down the road...Truck is only going to be a nice cruiser to work sometimes and really on the weekends....MY RECOMMENDATION...

Know where you want to go and figure how to get there without killing your $$$$$$...My thing is if some of you wanted these trucks, why are you putting car crap on them to make it drive like a car....should have bought a car instead of a classic truck...nothing wrong with dropping it and stuff but all these car parts on trucks dont do it for me....it is like going to a FORD dealership and asking them to put a corvette front end and rear on the F150 Lightening to make it drive, steer and feel like a car.....NO WAY!!!! That is why i only deal with FORD products on my truck except the steering (Toyota P/S Conversion {it came from a truck though})

Disc brakes are awesome to install on these old trucks but the question is how much do you want to put in.....rotor sizes, size of your wheels, proportioning valves, lines, brackets....there are some good kits starting about $325 and going crazy to the $800s....the main thing would be to think safety first......

James
54 Ford F100 302/AOD
01 Ford Supercrew 5.4L Triton/AOD
03 Mazda Tribute 4cyl/5 spd (hers)

 

Peter,

Does the loss of pedal occur if you don't drive your truck for awhile? Mine sat for 4 months while helping 2 friends build shops. When I went to fire it off and circulate oil , I had no pedal. Is Zuki correct about the residual valve? I may have read or dreamed that the vehicles with the MC under the floor needed the valves because they tended to leak down.

Bubba

 

I drove the truck every day, Bubba. That is, until I foolishly removed my cast aluminum step plates (see which in another post). My brakes have a problem somewhere, but bleeding and topping off the mc seems to keep me in good stead for 2 months.
On my schoolteacher's pay... and, yes, we are a single income household... I am watching the budget and long term planning carefully, James. Safety is my number one priority after driving through downtown Midland after school one day and finding out that I was brakeless. This summer will see new brakes on this thing. In the meantime, I've got to get my tailpipe carb figured out so that the thing will run. Stoppable. himmelberg

 

Peter,
My shop manual indicates a periodic adjustment of the shoes is common. No self adjustment on these old trucks. The parts & illustration books show an internal valve in the MC that would act as a check/residual valve to retain line pressure. I have not experienced any problems with hydraulics in my system, just this broken drum thing. Had a problem with my 72 Dogge truck (manual 4 wheel drums) like you described. Rebuilt the MC , pedal stays firm after 2+ months of non use.
Vern is probably right, but the added security (even if its only in my mind) might be worth the few $$ investment in a newer MC.
54at50

 

Pete,

All master cylinders made for drum brakes come with an internal residual valve, so no external inline valve would normally be necessary. Only when using a disc/drum MC under the floor would you have to be concerned with an external residual valve. If the MC is mounted on the firewall you don't need one either...

If you wanted to go to the trouble, you might get away with using a disc/drum MC on drum/drum brakes by inserting a 10 lb residual valve going to the front only and then remove it when you convert to discs. Remember, however, that front reservoirs in disc/drum master cylinders are often much smaller than the rear, so fluid volume might be a problem.

One other alternative would be to go with a dual compartment drum/drum MC. I don't remember what applications these are, but the dual reservoir MC was available in some vehicles with all drum brakes. The problem with this MC is that it has internal residual valves in both comparments and when you converted to discs, the MC would have to be dissassembled to remove the internal valve in the front compartment and a 2 lb residual valve added inline to the front brakes.