1955 or '56 Ford F100

[Orange Krate]

Bias plys look better on old trucks anyway, unless you've got a pretty drastic static drop to hide the radials a little...

word

 

[supermanotorious]

got the front end off, will pull motor and trans soon, then exchange cores for rebuilds with warranties

 

[supermanotorious]

I believe the odometer said 37,000+ but the title shows 1200 A

Just curious, how many miles were on it before?

 

[supermanotorious]

I would be interested in the emblem

I didn't catch that you might be towing with it when I said 302. Been meaning to post this pic I took at the show I took my '70 to. I've got that V8 emblem somewhere if you need one.

 

[supermanotorious]

my main focus is to start driving the truck, so drive train, brakes, and steering are the immediate goals. Is a brake booster and master cylinder something you can pull from a scrap yard?

 

[Bluethunder3320]

you could take them from a scrap yard but i'd buy new or rebuild one, 'cause you have no idea how worn out they are, or how long theyve been sitting. IMO

 

[newrider3]

RockAuto lists master cylinder rebuild kits for $12, I'm sure your local Napa would have them for a similiar price. It's a hell of a lot cheaper to rebuild your own, and you have the satisfaction of knowing you did it right yourself, rather than wondering if the kid in China did it right...

 

[supermanotorious]

can I rebuild the current cylinder and simply add a booster to it?

 

[machinist@large]

can I rebuild the current cylinder and simply add a booster to it?

It's been quite some time since I followed the street rod/ truck scene, but if my memory isn't totally shot, there were several companies that had turn key kit's for this very swap. Might be cheaper and easier than trying to re-invent the wheel; at the very least, they might be able to give you some pointers.

 

[newrider3]

Maybe I'm just a traditionalist, but manual drums have always worked above and beyond what I've needed of them... Unless you are physically unable to operate them, I would keep them.

 

[supermanotorious]

so is it ok to use the brake booster/ master cylinder combo 910-31409 with power brake pedal assembly 910-31972 from Speedway Motors 2012 catalog?

would this be suitable for all 4 drums and make stopping easy, say for the wife to drive?

 

[newrider3]

One thing to remember about drums is that they are self-energizing, meaning that unlike manual discs they don't require exponentially higher pedal pressure to get more braking. My mom and grandma have both driven my F100 with manual brakes with no issues.
Although I will revise my earlier statement and say it would be wise to switch from a single reservoir MC to a dual reservoir model, for safety in the event of a line failure.

From what I can see the Speedway MC is designed for front disc, rear drum apps, and won't work for a drum/drum application. Discs and drums require different fluid volumes as well as different residual valves (may or may not be built in to the MC).

 

[supermanotorious]

so go with dual and would I still want to add a booster? I've heard w/o it you'd need approx 60 lbs of foot pressure to apply brakes

 

[anderkart]

I drove my 56 F100 with stock brakes for well over 10 years. My truck has a high performance engine/Top loader 4-speed and 390 rear-end gears. I was a pretty crazy driver back then, I drove my truck in heavy traffic here in Phoenix at very high speeds, and discovered the stock brakes pretty much suck no mater how well they're maintained...

The problem with the stock brakes on a 53-56 F100 is:

The brake shoes/drums are extremely narrow! (plus fairly small diamiter) They work alright when they're cool, but they will very quickly heat up causing severe brake-fade when trying to quickly stop from higher speeds. And simply adding a booster (and/or a modern 2-stage master cylinder/proportioning-valve) wont do very much to help this simple fact... Once the shoes/drums heat-up past a certain point, they simply cant get a grip to each other, no mater what!

I've now bought another strait axle, that the previous owner had installed large rotors/calipers, from a late 70's-era Ford LTD. Plus I've bought a 9" Ford rear end (with larger/wider shoes/drums, 350-gears & posi track) I'm planning on installing, along with a dual master cylinder/booster and proportioning valve from a late-70's era Ford 1/2 ton truck.

I like using all-Ford components on my Fords, (and all chevy components on my chevys, etcetera). I'm thinking about trying to find a 9" rear end out of a (77-80) Lincoln Versailles, because they came with factory rear disk brakes. I havent double checked if the width is compatible with an F100 yet, but I was thinking one of these rear ends would be a cool way to achieve 4-wheel disk brakes, using all genuine Ford components, and at a fairly reasonable cost from a wrecking yard or someone parting one out...

Heres what those a 9" Lincoln Versailles rear ends look like:

 

[carter]

I like using all-Ford components on my Fords, (and all chevy components on my chevys, etcetera).[/IMG]

I can understand this, When I bought my truck it had one of those big plastic fans, which I'm pretty sure is a ford thing. Went to the scrap and took a big metal fan out, used my clutch on it.