Just bought my first cougar, it’s a 1968 with manual front disc rear drum. Is this a factory option or did a previous owner do it? I’m trying to buy a new master cyl. and all new lines. Thanks
Front disc was an option.
Manual or was it only power disc/drum? Guy at wccc said it was ‘custom’ and to ask on here. He wasnt very helpful.
1967 offered power drum or manual 4 wheel drum brakes, and power disc brakes (4 piston Kelsey-Hayes).
1968 and later, only offered 4 wheel manual drum brakes or power disc brakes (single piston calipers).
Hmm… ok. Well I guess I have to get a booster and master cyl. for disc/drum. Guy I bought it from had it over 20 years and never drove it. Hopefully i can find an orignal booster instead of buying new.
If you want to know what options the car originally had you should check out Marti Auto for a report.
Just looked into that, had vin and body tag decoded but only gave me so much info.
Is there a place for a vacuum line to go at the master cylinder? Is it disconnected or malfunctioning if it’s there? Does your engine have a big cam and low vacuum?
It’s also possible that someone mixed and matched parts to get manual disk brakes with the drum brake master cylinder.
I’ve got manual disc/drums on my '68, but it is definitely a custom setup. There was never a manual setup offered, just power. I used a master cylinder out of a '74 (or so) Maverick. They had a manual disc/drum setup from the factory. There was another option or two out there, but that’s the one I used. Also, my discs are the '67 Kelsey Hayes style brakes. It was done that way mostly because they are a direct bolt on for the '68 drum style spindles. If your car was a manual drum brake car and you decide to go to power brakes, you’ll want to change out the brake pedal. The manual brake pedal has more leverage on it, so the power brakes would end up being pretty touchy. I’m assuming the pushrod between the brake pedal and brake booster would have to change, too.
Post photos of the disc, calipers, and master. Somebody on here might know what they’re from.
I have almost the same setup as Steve68Cougar. I have a 67 that was manual drums, I updated to 68 Cougar spindles with disc brake. When I went to the parts store I asked for a master from a 74 Granada and it has worked fine for several years. You will also need to use your original rod that goes between the master cylinder and the pedal. The original is much shorter than what will come with the new master cylinder.
Manual discs were never a factory Cougar option. But when I converted my '69 from drums to discs, I used the Maverick master cylinder w/ '70 front discs & calipers with great results. The booster really isn’t necessary, IMO.