72 brake master cylinder
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2nd Gear
Joined: Nov 2013
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72 brake master cylinder
I am using a 1972 master cylinder in my street rod. I was told by the folks who I bought it from that the front reservoir is for the front brakes. that seems odd to me. is that correct? my issue is that I have firm pedal but it is only about an inch from the floor.
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Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Mission Viejo CA
The larger reservoir chamber is for the front brakes, since the front caliper pistons are larger than rear caliper pistons, and front brake pads typically wear faster than rear brake pads.
Regarding your 1 inch clearance to the floor of your street rod, does the piston in the master cyl. move with only a very small movement of your brake pedal? Watch for this piston movement by looking thru the vent port in the bottom of your master cyl. reservoir. You should also see a spurt of fluid from this port as soon as you press the brake pedal. This confirms you don't have excess movement of the pedal (good). If this check is okay, you'll need to change the brake pedal ratio by lengthening the short arm of your pedal. An alternative would be a larger bore m/c, but lengthening the short arm may be a better answer.
I'm presuming you don't have excessive play in your drum brake adjustment (if you have rear drum brakes).
Regarding your 1 inch clearance to the floor of your street rod, does the piston in the master cyl. move with only a very small movement of your brake pedal? Watch for this piston movement by looking thru the vent port in the bottom of your master cyl. reservoir. You should also see a spurt of fluid from this port as soon as you press the brake pedal. This confirms you don't have excess movement of the pedal (good). If this check is okay, you'll need to change the brake pedal ratio by lengthening the short arm of your pedal. An alternative would be a larger bore m/c, but lengthening the short arm may be a better answer.
I'm presuming you don't have excessive play in your drum brake adjustment (if you have rear drum brakes).
Last edited by Hot Rod Roy; Dec 12, 2013 at 05:42 PM.
