As my son and I are getting close to completing our '65 F100 project we need to figure out the brakes. At this time I want to get the truck on the road before tackling a disc brake project. Prior to this project the front brakes were redone; however the brakes were never right. During the project we removed the single master cylinder which I think leaked and brake lines. The three flexible lines are new. At the auto parts store I purchased a dual master cylinder for a '68 (that is as far back as the computer went). The '68 type looks like it will bolt up with no problem; however I am not sure about the rod length. At the salvage yard I notice most trucks have what look like proportioning valves. To use the dual master cylinder do we need to get a proportioning valve or can a line be run from the master cylinder to the rear and another line run to a Tee and then both front brakes? Do brake lines need to be close to equal length? Is that the reason for the coiled steel lines I have seen?

If it is relatively easy and not to expensive would a power brake booster and dual master cylinder bolt up?

 

I just put disc on my 1965 F-250, and hoses and a master and a proportioning valve. And I had to modify the pedal rod too
The brake lines are coiled for keeping out air.LMS has a real nice setup for a real good price you should check them, I did.
Also insist on Ford brake fluid, it has a higher boiling point and better moister protection than others.
I did a before and after stopping test. more then half the distance of before, and their still manual.

 

I would do a drum to dics swap thats the way to go..

 

This topic has been convered many times, and in great detail - try the search and Tech articles functions!
I'l throw in a few observations here,though.

All dual master cylinders require a proportioning valve of some type. Yes, you need a proportioning valve.
The purpose of the valve is two fold, to proportion the braking power out to the two systems (front and rear) and prevent the failure of one to completely disable braking of the entire vehicle. Later ones also have the ability to alert you with a light that one of the two has failed.
Some people have installed an adjustable valve in the rear brake line to throttle the braking force down instead of using a factory proportioning valve.
As far as I have been able to tell, the drum/drum valve is different that the disc/drum type.
When you upgrade to disc brakes, you will need a disc/drum type of master cylinder, and a disc/drum type of proprotioning valve.

As for the lines being coiled, they serve the purpose of providing a flex point between the cab and the frame. Without the coil, the lines will flex at only one point, and eventually break. (Modern design has reduced the flex and therefore the need for coiled lines.)

You are correct about the '68 rod being too long; the under-dash design is very different after '66. If you decide to keep the drum/drum brakes, you will need to shorten the rod. May I suggest you check this website out:
http://www.mongrelmotorsports.homestead.com/f100discs.html

This problem is easily solved when upgrading to discs by getting a power brake booster and master cylinder from a mid-'70s truck. Be sure to get the type which has the flat bar instead of a rod. All that is necessary is to drill the new hole in the correct spot rather than cutting and shortening the master cylinder rod.

Good luck!

 

65f100project. This is easy! You plan to use drum/drum brakes and a dual chamber MC. Drum brakes will work fine for your truck and will require little maintenance to keep them that way. You will need a MC for a drum/drum system and a residual pressure valve/splitter. The chambers in the MC will be the same size. The coils in the lines allow some flexibility between the cab (mounted in rubber) and the frame. Buy a MC and residual valve for a drum/drum system and install them. Boosters will work with disk/drum or drum/drum. Find a Ford step bracket (between the firewall and the booster) if you use a booster. The step bracket will raise the booster up and away from the valve cover. I recommend you buy the catalog from www.mpbrakes.com this is actually a great how to manual in addition to a listing of there excellent products. I use drum/drum if they are in good shape and disk/drum if that is what I have to start with. The lines, brackets and rod are just minor challenges. Installing a stop light switch can be fun as well. Pretty easy stuff once you get started!

 

William pointed out something that I forgot - drum/drum brakes are not bad, they are quite adequate for the truck, they are just not as good as front discs.

You can safely drive the truck with a drum/drum setup, but you cannot drive it like a modern truck, rushing up and hitting the brakes at the last minute.

Like William said, the booster will work very well for drum/drum brakes.

Enjoy working with your truck, that's what this is all about .

 

Thanks for all the information! With all the work I have put in the truck I realize I should probably just go a head and do the disc upgrade; however there comes a point when I just need to get the truck on the road (when I post pictures I think you guys will like it as a moderate custom...), move on to other projects, and if desired do the upgrade later. That said since the existing MC is bad I want to install a dual MC. At the auto parts store the sales person just offered manual or power MC's. He did not ask if the manual was disc/drum or drum/drum so I'll have to do a little more investigation to determine what is available. Actually I was just testing the water to see how much the MC would cost versus the catalog stores and the cost was significantly less so I can return and exchange this part.

As part of the project we have converted from a standard to automatic transmission so the pedals have been swapped. While at the salvage yard I noticed the brake pedal on newer trucks was wider which I liked; however I picked up a pedal setup which had the smaller pedal; however I think the pedal assembly has the brake light switch setup. I might be confused and just retrieved the brake light switch from a newer model realizing I will probably need this item. Since I have the narrow brake pedal setup will this effect the rod length? Again I apprecate the advice!

 

65, May I offer another view.

Sometimes we can get in a hurry and miss the larger picture. IMHO I would not spend the money and effort on the brake upgrade that you are speaking of if I was considering the disc upgrade. Twice I have bought donor trucks for brake/steering upgrades (for me) sold parts that I couldn't use, and those upgrades cost me nothing. I did use the master cylinder and a couple other things as cores.

I can take a bud and do the ps pdb upgrade in a weekend. Think about it, if it takes a month longer, what is that in a lifetime?

Take your time, don't rush along and do something that you might regret.

John

 

The pedal support from the 65 will accommodate a wide pedal brake arm from a newer truck. Just pull the column and support out and mix and match the pin and bushings, saw off the excess pin support on the pedal arm, add a little grease and reinstall. Pulling these parts off and working on the bench is easier than trying to do this with the support installed and working around the steering column. Look through the technical articles about installing a mechanical stop light switch on the 65 support. If you haven't discovered the other site for slicks you should visit over there. I assemble the booster, bracket, pedal support, pedal arm and set up the brake pedal ratio in the vise on the bench. Then, install the whole assembly in the truck followed by the column.

 

i can tell you from experience...if you leave it drum, dont wait till the last minute to stop.......might need time to pump them when something pops...

thats what happened to mine. something popped, brakes let lose, so i popped someones car. of course I didnt have a choice but to hit them sort of hard, but once it broke out...that was it.

Im going to disk! period

 

Rick, It's a pretty easy swap in, ya just have to use some big tools to do it.

John