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How To Install a Power Brake BoosterMaster Power's Power-Brake Conversion Can Be Used With Stock Drum Brakes, Stock Disc Brakes, Or MP's Disc-Brake Conversion Setup From the September, 2008 issue of Mustang Monthly By Miles Cook Photography by Miles Cook
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Installing front disc brakes is one of the most popular upgrades for vintage Mustangs. We've covered the subject several times throughout the years and with good reason. From a pure safety standpoint, converting to front disc brakes is about the single-best improvement for your older vehicle. Several companies offer drum-to-disc conversion packages. This month, we're touching on a Master Power system being installed on a '70 Mustang. However, this time we're closely detailing the MP conversion to power brakes. The Master Power brake-booster... The Master Power brake-booster package is complete. The assembled master cylinder and booster are ready to install and the vacuum hose kit and power-brake pedal are also included, as well as a proportioning valve, required lines, and a bottle of brake fluid. While installing the whole setup at once is a great way to go, keep in mind that there are several options. If your '67-'73 Mustang already has manual front disc brakes, you can install the booster and corresponding master cylinder we're showing here. Conversely, if you have manual drum brakes and want to do the power-brake conversion first, that's also possible, although putting in the discs first is probably a better idea should you need to budget the project over time. The power booster will work equally well with either drum brakes or front discs. For '65-'66s that came with manual drum, power drum, or manual disc, Master Power also offers complete power disc kits that are great for updating these cars. For the installation, we turned to our friends at Marlo's Frame and Alignment, who supplied the extensive installation knowledge for our project. Also note that while the power brake booster and master cylinder is an excellent upgrade and works beautifully in our '70 Mustang subject car, it's not easy to install, mainly due to the fact that the brake pedal must be changed. With two experienced techs working on the car, it took about 10 hours to do the conversion. Working at home, figure on a full weekend to install the booster and master cylinder. The results are definitely worth the effort.  Begin by removing the driver-side...  Begin by removing the driver-side strut brace to access the master-cylinder area; it will give you the working room you'll need to do the installation. You can also remove the hood, if desired, to gain even more access to this area against the firewall.  Unbolt the brake lines from...  Unbolt the brake lines from the stock brake booster. Use line wrenches to be sure you don't damage the line nuts on the car's factory brake lines, some of which will be reused.  This cotter pin located under...  This cotter pin located under the dashboard holds the master cylinder's pushrod to the brake pedal. Take it off to allow removal of the master cylinder from the car. A pair of needle-nose pliers will be the best tool to remove the pin, which will also release the taillight brake switch at the same time.  Back underhood, the master...  Back underhood, the master is easily removed by undoing the two bolts that hold it in place. Carefully pull the master away from the firewall while at the same time bringing the pushrod out along with the master.  On our '70, the stock junction...  On our '70, the stock junction block is attached to the inner fender with two nuts. With the left-side wheel removed, unbolt the block from the inner fender and remove it from the car. Also disconnect the dash brake-light switch wire.  The pedal support must be...  The pedal support must be removed before installing the booster and new pedal. To remove it, the steering column also has to come out, which is done here by detaching the bolts that hold it in place in the dashboard. Also, disconnect the column from the steering box underhood by loosening the nut in the rag joint that holds the column's steering shaft and steering box together.  The bolts that hold the pedal...  The bolts that hold the pedal support in place to the firewall are removed from underhood.  With everything disconnected...  With everything disconnected and the wiring harnesses unplugged, the steering column can be removed.  We further determined that...  We further determined that to access and remove the various fasteners that hold the pedal support in place, we also had to remove the gauge cluster, and in turn, the dashpad. As we've said, this is a fairly involved procedure, but if you want power brakes, you have to change the pedal with the Master Power system. Here, the dashpad and gauge cluster are already out and the final bolts that hold the pedal support in place are removed. For this work, consider removing the driver seat to make it more comfortable to access underneath the dashboard.  With everything out, the pedal...  With everything out, the pedal support can finally be removed.  With the pedal support on...  With the pedal support on the bench, remove the clip that holds the manual brake pedal in place. Then remove the pedal shaft and pedal.  When upgrading to power brakes,...  When upgrading to power brakes, you have to replace the manual brake pedal with the supplied power-brake pedal. The power-brake pedal is considerably longer and mounts to the pedal support higher up, providing a little less leverage due to the power assist. While the power-brake pedal mounts higher onto the pedal support, it hangs down the same distance to the car's floor due to its longer length.  With the pedal in position,...  With the pedal in position, use the supplied bolt to secure it to the pedal support. Note that the new pedal attaches to a different hole higher up on the pedal support. Master Power's instructions note the positioning hole in the top of the support toward the front of the car; they say that most cars have this 3/8-inch diameter hole. If the hole isn't there, it will need to be drilled, which is easy to do because there's an indent where the hole needs to be. Our car's pedal support already had the hole in place.  Master Power's instructions...  Master Power's instructions say to remove three of the four clinch nuts attached to the pedal support so separate nuts can be fitted to the studs that are attached to the new power-brake booster. These studs pass through the firewall and pedal support. With the pedal support in a vice, we were able to quickly grind the clinch nuts down before knocking them out with a hammer and a punch. Using the same fasteners, the pedal support can now be reinstalled in the car.  The steering column is reinstalled...  The steering column is reinstalled and the shaft's rag joint is tapped back into place on the steering-box shaft, as shown here. Securely retighten the bolt that holds the steering-shaft rag joint to the steering box.  Several modifications are...  Several modifications are needed at the firewall. First, drill this hole in the firewall directly below the large hole where the pushrod passes through. There's a dimple in the firewall indicating hole placement. The dimple was for cars equipped with original power brakes, but the hole wasn't drilled with manual brakes.  The next task is to open up...  The next task is to open up the large hole at the top to allow the power booster to fit. We used an air-powered grinder with a small grinding bit attached. The directions and a supplied gasket or template illustrate how much material needs to be removed. The directions also say to enlarge the two smaller holes on either side of the large hole to allow the brake booster to fit. By test fitting the booster/master, we discovered that we didn't have to do this with our car.  Before installing the brake...  Before installing the brake booster and master, the supplied junction block needs to be attached to the car's existing brake lines and installed according to the Master Power instructions. Shown here are the two front brake lines joined at the rear of the block and the single rear line joined at the front of the block. The master cylinder is then joined to the junction block with the two lines installed on the right side of the block as shown.  Next, the master cylinder/brake...  Next, the master cylinder/brake booster is installed and secured to the firewall using the supplied nuts. These are installed from inside the car underneath the dashboard where the pedal support is located.  This view from under the dash...  This view from under the dash shows the new pushrod attached to the new brake pedal. Also visible are three of the four nuts that attach to the studs on the booster. All that's left to do here is reattach the brake-light switch to the new pedal using the existing clip.  While we're upgrading the...  While we're upgrading the brakes, let's also replace the factory front drum brakes with Master Power's front-disc brake package (PN DB1521B for a '70). It's complete and an ideal choice for a regularly driven vintage Mustang. The main bits include the four-piston calipers, rotors, caliper mounting brackets, brake lines, and wheel bearings. All the related installation hardware is also included. The kits for all '65-'73 Mustangs are similar to this '70 kit with slight variations depending on the year of your car.  Complete the installation...  Complete the installation by connecting the new brake lines to the master cylinder, installing the new vacuum hose for the brake booster, and bleeding the brake system. The brake booster needs a vacuum source from the engine to make it work. Master Power supplies a vacuum hose that's shortened to fit, as shown. It's a simple attachment to run the hose from the booster to a fitting on the intake manifold. If no fitting is in place, Master Power supplies one for installation on the manifold.
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