1955 Ford Disc Brake upgrade

S

steve fritz

Well-known member
Has anybody used a 65-67 Ford Mustang Power disc brake master cylinder on a 55/56 Ford conversion ? The original 55/56 master cylinder is a single bowl , 4 bolt mounting pattern , whereas the later Mustang disc brake master cylinder is a two bolt mount. Do I need an adapter to mate this Mustang master to my firewall ?? I wanted to keep this conversion NON - POWER disc brakes , so I will not have the power booster unit in use.
Anybody done this conversion ?
Thanks,
Steve
 
I have not done the conversion on a 55/56 Ford but have done several conversions to disc front drum rear and front and never used a power brake booster with good results. You may want to consider a non power master if that is an option. The power master usually has a larger piston and may cause slightly more foot pressure. As a general rule a smaller bore gives a little more pedal travel and larger will have less travel but more pressure. I've had good luck with a 1" bore.
 
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I didn't do it on my 55 but I did it on my 70 Chevy 50 Merc. and model A Ford 55 Che** and a couple other friends 62-65 Fords. I have used Mustang 2 Masters,Che** truck, and C 3 Corv**** cylinders for the most part.I did use the 69 Mustang on an earlier 60's Ford and it worked well. With the 1" bore. About 1/2 pedal but very firm. The Merc. has small bore master Che** calipers and a very solid 1/2 pedal. There is or was an outfit in N. Carolina that specializes in brake conversions. I think they were called Master Power Brake. Hope this helps.
 
I have done a non power disc conversion on my 57 Ranchero and 56 T-Bird, I used a manual disc/drum master cylinder for a mid seventy's maverick on both of them. It bolts to the factory holes on the firewall with two bolts, they work great and has plenty of stopping power with normal foot pressure. You will also need to install a proportioning valve I used one off of a maverick and a Granada in a local wrecking yard.
 
steve fritz said:
Has anybody used a 65-67 Ford Mustang Power disc brake master cylinder on a 55/56 Ford conversion ? The original 55/56 master cylinder is a single bowl , 4 bolt mounting pattern , whereas the later Mustang disc brake master cylinder is a two bolt mount. Do I need an adapter to mate this Mustang master to my firewall ?? I wanted to keep this conversion NON - POWER disc brakes , so I will not have the power booster unit in use.
Anybody done this conversion ?
Thanks,
Steve
Click to expand...
The four bolts secure the clutch & brake pedal bracket to the firewall when you install the new master you will use the bottom two bolts and reinstall the top ones. This video is a good guide to what is involved since early Mustangs still used the single pot masters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzmVp41GyC8&feature=emb_title You can pick up a few tips here also. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tonight-i-am-not-happy.1103171/#post-12515347
 
cb and JeffB2....thanks for your input. The video was great and I think I am good to go now on how to proceed. I was wrong on the 4 bolt vrs two bolt, sorry for my mistake.
Steve
 
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