I was thinking about doing a dual chamber master cylinder upgrade on my '48 Champion, for safety reasons. I was wondering if anyone has done this upgrade on a Stude from this era, and where to get a master cylinder that fits. I have seen the remote-fill master cylinder from ECI, but I don't know if that will work on my car. Will a dual chamber master from a later Stude work on my car, or is the configuation too different?
Thank you!
doctormap
'48 Champion 4-door
Look for the link on this home page,for TURNER BRAKE.
Home of the Almostahawk
According to the Turner Brake website, the only thing they offer is a bracket to mount a master cylinder. Is that right? What master cylinder mounts on the bracket? Is it a universal mount? I have contacted them by e-mail but have not yet gotten a response. I do not want to use vacuum boosted brakes, but I guess I could.
Any information on this would be greatly appreciated.
doctormap
'48 Champion 4-door
I believe you use a Jeep MC with the Turner setup and it is strictly manual brakes no power! So it looks like what you need.
Dan White
64 R1 GT
64 R2 GT
An update for those of you who might be interested in this subject. I just got a nice e-mail from Jim Turner. He sells the bracket that mounts the dual-chamber M/C for the upgrade. The M/C is for a '76 Corvette, manual, not boosted, and is for Studes from '47 to '52. The later years use a Jeep M/C.
doctormap
'48 Champion 4-door
Just FYI I saw Jim Turner setting up his display here at Reedsville a few minutes ago, so if you don't get a reply until next week don't be offended. (I don't know if he brought a laptop with him or not.)
nate
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55 Commander Starlight
62 Daytona hardtop
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel
Jim has his laptop with him, but you have to prod him into reading the forums... Ask your questions here and I'll relay (badger) the questions to him
Jeff[8D]
DEEPNHOCK at Cox.netquote:Originally posted by N8N
Just FYI I saw Jim Turner setting up his display here at Reedsville a few minutes ago, so if you don't get a reply until next week don't be offended. (I don't know if he brought a laptop with him or not.)
nate
--
55 Commander Starlight
62 Daytona hardtop
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel
'37 Coupe Express
'37 Coupe Express Trailer
'61 Hawk
http://community.webshots.com/user/deepnhock
I have a bit more info on this subject. The '76 Corvette manual M/C is a regular dual-chamber M/C ($19.95 at AutoZone). I imagine it would be difficult, at best, to service in its location under the driver's feet. It would be nice to have a remote fill arrangement with the reservoirs located on the firewall, but I am not sure if this is available. Please let me know if you have seen anything like this. I found something similar at mpbrakes.com, but it is for disc front/drum rear, not for drum/drum.
doctormap
'48 Champion 4-door
I don't know how much floor clearance there would be (Jim Turner would, though) but if there's enough I don't see why you couldn't drill the lid of the MC for some hose fittings so you could run a remote reservoir. You could use a race-type part or if you wanted a 100% correct look, find one from a disc brake Hawk and bend some brake line to get the fluid to the MC.
nate
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55 Commander Starlight
62 Daytona hardtop
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel
A 1976 Corvette is disk/disk. I'm sure Jim Turner would know best, but I believe residual check valves for drum brakes hold a different pressure than those for disk brakes.quote:Originally posted by doctormap
I have a bit more info on this subject. The '76 Corvette manual M/C is a regular dual-chamber M/C ($19.95 at AutoZone). I imagine it would be difficult, at best, to service in its location under the driver's feet. It would be nice to have a remote fill arrangement with the reservoirs located on the firewall, but I am not sure if this is available. Please let me know if you have seen anything like this. I found something similar at mpbrakes.com, but it is for disc front/drum rear, not for drum/drum.
doctormap
'48 Champion 4-door
-Dick-
Another update on dual M/C upgrade for my '48 Champion. I found a "remote-fill" dual M/C at streetrodgarage.com for $189. Comes with the M/C, hoses, clamps, and the remote reservoir. The spacing on the mounting holes is 3 3/8". Chris at Street Rod Garage says this can be ordered for drum/drum setup. This item is also available (same thing) from mpbrakes.com, same price. Kinda pricey, I may consider drilling and tapping the Corvette M/C for a remote reservoir.
doctormap
'48 Champion 4-door
When I purchased my 51 Commander, it already had a dual master conversion with a mid-seventies Corvette unit in place. The brakes worked miserably, but nearly everyone I spoke with told me that that specific year/model were infamous for bad brakes. Finally in desperation I replaced the brake shoes, which had become glazed from never having been applied strongly enough, turned the shoes lightly (for the second time in two years), and replaced the master with a unit from a 67-72 Ford Galaxie (Bendix 11485). The Corvette unit has a 1 1/8" bore and was designed for all disks--mine had check valves front and rear. The Ford unit has a 1" bore and does not need auxiliary valves, as it is designed for all drums. Topside clearance for fluid check/add is minimal with both units. The Corvette unit is physically much larger. In hindsight, I would have preferred a remote fill, but those units are physically so much different that I don't know about bracketing, plunger rod travel adjustments, etc.
I now have brakes that I'd rate as "satisfactory or better".
For the benefit of others thinking of the 1967-76 Corvette dual master cylinder upgrade (because you want to go with front discs or simply want the safety of a dual master cylinder): Jim Turner recommends the one for that year Corvette, for all discs, no power. It's highlighted in blue text at the bottom of his Instructions page at www.turnerbrake.com. It is 1" bore, and you can get the new Raybestos M636367, among ones from other manufacturers.
1955 1/2 Ton Pickup
FWIW that *should* feel exactly like the stock brake system, as IIRC the stock under-floor MC is 1" bore as well. If you have a car with a Hydrovac and decide to go with a dual MC and no power, be aware that you will need to find a non-power-brake brake pedal as the pedal ratio is different between Hydrovac and standard cars. Using the Hydrovac pedal will provide rock hard pedal feel but significantly higher pedal effort.
nate
--
55 Commander Starlight
62 Daytona hardtop
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel
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