Disc brakes are not subject to fade from heat or water. Disc brakes also do not drift out of adjustment.
Single-piston calipers are now the standard. They are much more reliable since there's only one piston which could possibly leak...not four.
Yes.
You will need at least 1000 psi to the front wheels.
No, for two reasons. First – you will not have enough pressure or volume, and second – the drum brake master will have a residual valve that will cause the disc brakes to drag.
Yes. The bore size of the master can not be larger than 1" and your leverage at the pedal has to be greater than power brakes.
Yes. The addition of a proportioning valve is a must. Without it your braking system will not operate properly.
No. You must use a disc/drum valve.
Check the bleeder screw orientation on the calipers. The bleeder screw must be on top in the 12:00 position. If it is not, you will not be able to remove all the air from the system.
A drum brake master will differ from a disc brake master in two ways. The amount of fluid that a drum brake master has to move is less than disc brake. Drum brake masters have 10 lb residual valves at the outlet to keep a residual pressure on the drums. If you use a drum brake master for disc brakes you would move an insufficient volume of fluid and the disc brakes would drag because of the residual valves.
You will have a spongy pedal and you'll have to pump the pedal to get good brakes.
Check the bore size of your master. If it is larger than 1", then you will have a very hard pedal.
If you use anything larger than 1", then you will have an extremely hard pedal. The smaller the bore, the more pressure that is output to the wheels.
A power brake master will have a larger bore diameter than a manual master.
No. The piston hole must be deep so the manual push rod does not fall out.
Yes.
Usually not. The bore size will be too large giving a hard pedal, and the piston hole will be shallow allowing the push rod to fall out.
As disc brake pads wear the caliper, pistons will move outward. The fluid level in the master will drop more rapidly than the drum portion so you need more reserve.
Always try to use a new master. Rebuilts tend to have a high failure rate. The best way to rebuild a master is to stainless steel sleeve it.
Usually not. For 4 wheel disc brakes to function properly you will need a master that has a longer stroke.
You will have very spongy brakes. Also when you hold your foot on the brake pedal, it will sink slowly toward the floor.
Safety. By going to a split system, the possibility of a complete brake failure is virtually eliminated.
Yes, but you must have the correct rebuilding kit. Also, check the bore to be sure it is not pitted or corroded.
Probably yes. Many aftermarket replacement masters will have a different casting look but be the same internally.
No. Although a power booster gives a good pedal feel, manual brakes work fine.
A bad power booster will give a very hard pedal, it will feel like you need two feet to stop the car.
A power booster helps assist pushing the master cylinder piston when you apply the brakes.
Typically, you should expect about 1000 psi. to the wheels for a disc brake system. A disc brake system requires this amount of pressure, so be careful when using a smaller 7" booster that puts out only 900 psi pressure. Use Master Power Brakes AC2004K Pressure Tester Kit to get a pressure reading at any point in the braking system.
For lighter weight vehicles like street rods, a 7" booster will work fine for disc/drum set ups. For a 4-wheel disc system, a 7" booster will not give enough assist. An 8" dual diaphragm booster is the ticket for 4-wheel disc.
If you can mount the booster properly and link it to the pedal, then any booster can be used on any type of car.
For a power booster to function properly you will need at least 18" of vacuum at idle in park. Anything lower will give you a hard pedal.
Yes. Just be sure to use a disc brake master cylinder.
If your vacuum level is too low, you will experience a hard pedal and it will feel like the vehicle won't stop. Install Master Power Brakes AC9001K Electric Vacuum Pump to maintain a constant 20" of vacuum.
Yes. Master Power Brakes offers the AC9001K Electric Vacuum Pump that works off the 12 volt system and gives a constant 20" vacuum.
Somewhat, but usually they will only show a moderate increase in braking performance since the engine doesn't really get to a sufficient vacuum level on a constant basis. You really need a constant 18" at least.
Not many. Without the supplemental pump the only choice is to eliminate the booster and go to manual brakes.
A bad booster will give a very hard pedal and it will feel like the vehicle will not stop.
Shut off the engine. Depress the brake pedal a few times to evacuate the booster. Apply a steady pressure to the pedal and start the engine. The pedal should fall slightly.
Yes. By using a dual diaphragm design booster you can maintain a high level of assist while keeping a small size. MP offers an 8" dual diaphragm booster that fits most street rod and GM applications.
Master Power Brakes offers an 8" dual diaphragm booster that will work for most GM and Ford applications.
The main consideration with 4-wheel disc brakes is that you have plenty of power assist. Don't undersize your booster with a 4-wheel disc set up.
One of the causes of this is a mismatch between the booster pin length and the depth of the master cylinder piston hole. Be sure the hole is not too deep for the booster pin.
Again this can be due to a mismatch between the booster pin and the master cylinder piston. Too long a pin will cause this.
There are two attachment points on the brake pedal. For power brakes you need to use the lower attachment hole. Using the upper hole will make the brakes too sensitive.
You are probably getting corrosive vapors back into the booster. Install a vapor trap and that should eliminate the problem.
This is not a good idea. There are many parts inside the booster that will require special tools to assemble and re-assemble.
A proportioning valve is used in the rear to decrease the rate of pressure rise to the drums relative to the pedal force as weight is shifted to the front during braking. This prevents the rear from locking up under hard braking conditions.
If your prop valve has gone bad, your rear wheels will lock up easily, especially on wet surfaces.
A metering valve or "hold off valve" is used in the disc portion of a disc/drum system to hold off the application of the front discs slightly allowing the slower reacting rears to catch up. This provides rear stability on wet surfaces and reduces excessive pad wear.
Your car will nose dive and the front pads will wear too fast.
There are two different uses for residual valves. The 10 lb valve is used to hold a residual pressure to the drum brakes to keep the shoes out close to the drums, giving a higher firmer pedal. The 2 lb valve is used in the disc when the master cylinder is lower than the calipers to prevent back siphoning of the fluid from the master.
The brakes will be very spongy and you will need to pump the pedal to get good brakes.
A combination valve incorporates metering and proportioning into one valve providing all necessary valving for disc/drum systems.
Not if you can help it. The adjustable valve will only provide the proportioning function and not the metering that is needed.