I'm thinking about buying a '53 half-ton and wanted to get some opinions from this board first. The body's pretty rough, but it runs/drives. The master cylinder's bad, so no brakes. Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned, but I don't normally work on 50 year old cars. I've done a little web searching, and it doesn't look like I can just walk into Autozone and get parts. Is repair/replacement of the stock master cylinder possible or do I have to retro-fit a later model unit? (Would probably do the front disk brake conversion kit either way.) Don't want to spend a bunch of time and money on IFS, replacement axles, and such. Just want to get it safe & reasonably reliable.

This is a 352 (according to the owner) with a 3 speed manual, both of which seem pretty decent. Not original, right?

 

good news, you can buy everything you need for the 53. from radical aftermarket
to complete original. if you want it buy it. anyone here can direct you to part suppliers
my 53 was missing everything even half of the sheetmetal. good luck..

 

I find 50 year old cars and trucks much easier to work on than 10 year cars and trucks. It's pretty straightforward underneath the hood. You would be surprised how many original parts are available for these old trucks. If Autozone doesn't have them, then NAPA may.

Since you mention conversion to disc brakes, then I assume your plan is to make a rod out of this truck. In that case, the original MC is not what you want anyway. A conversion to disc brakes will require a newer MC. As far as spending a bunch of time and money, you may as well pass on the truck since that's all you will do is spend time and money on it. However, in my opinion that is time and money well spent. I can't think of anything else I'd rather spend my time and money on. If you want the truck reliable and safe you should look hard at an IFS and later rear end. Disc brakes is just the first step toward that end. If you buy the truck you can get a lot of good advice on how to restore or rod here right here.

The 352 is not the original engine. The 53 came with a flathead V8 or 6 originally...

Vern

 

Well, it's at least reassuring that the replacement parts are out there. I've done some 70's muscle car projects where it did get very difficult to find the right parts in some cases and don't want to end up stuck with something that I can't fix with the money I have availible.

Yeah, I'd like to do some kind of a hot rod, definately not going for an all-original restoration. I'd like something that I can just drive around if I want -- no high-end show car stuff here. This is a project, so I would expect to dedicate a fair amount of time and money to it. However, were I to buy this truck, I'd want to get it at least drivable fairly cheaply then start thinking about fancier upgrades as budget & workload permit. I don't have the space or patience to disassemble the whole thing and reassemble months or years later when I've collected all the parts for the upgrades I'd like to do. After reading the suspension options sticky at the top of this forum, it seems like the stock suspension/axles are at least workable.

What would I need to do in terms of the master cylinder if I upgrade to disc brakes? I've found several disc brake kits that seem fairly straight forward; are there master cylinder kits out there as well? May as well go with power brakes while I'm at it.

 

You can purchase aftermarket power brake boosters, pedals, etc. for frame mount or firewall mount with swing pedals. Vendors such as Total Cost Involved and others offer complete or partial setups. Just depends on how much you want to spend. Also several guys here have used salvage yard swing pedal setups from Mustangs and other vechicles. I'm sure they will be glad to offer advise on what booster and MC they used.

 

LDH,

Yeah, the stock suspension is workable as long as you don't mind the rough ride and miserable handling of a 50 year old truck, but remember it probably needs some attention too like new king pins and bushings or tie rod ends, etc., and any money spent toward fixing up the original suspension is lost if you are going with an IFS eventually. Also, any disc brake kit would be unnecessary if you convert to an IFS now as most IFSs already have disc brakes.

If you do decide on a kit, make a decision on what rear end you will use first because you will want to match the bolt pattern. There are kits with 5 on 5.5 (original pattern) and there are kits for 5 on 4.5 (later Ford/Mopar) and 5 on 4.75 (GM).

If you are building on a budget, I suggest you use the Chrysler torsion bar IFS suspension which will eliminate the need for a disc brake kit altogether. It is easy to find, easy to install, and you can use the complete brake system including the pedal assembly, MC, and booster. The money you would spend for the disc brake kit alone would be enough to buy a donor vehicle for your suspension. I paid $200 for my 87 Chrysler donor and got $50 back in parts sold, so my IFS only cost me $150. I'll have to spend some additional money for new parts for the suspension, but I think I will have less than $500 in the whole thing by the time I'm done.

Vern