68 vs 69 brake booster

we have been gathering up parts to convert my son’s 69 to front disc. I believe the 69 brake booster my brother gave me is toast. I got about a cup of rust and chunks of crap out of it including stuff that looked like pieces of approx 1/8" dia spring. he has another booster on a 68 parts car, will it work ?

Very early '69’s did use the '68 booster. There were changes to the fire wall, and my understanding is that the booster (as well as the AC and Heater connections) also changed at that time. Maybe a '69 expert will chime in. (Bob E '69XR7Vert, what say you?)

Could this be the difference between front drum & front disk equipped cars? As far as I know, all DB equipped cars ('69’s) used different pedals and MC’s/boosters than the '68 cars.

Mayhaps they finished up the '69 drum brake Cougars with '68 drum brake MC’s?

The date code on the 69 is feb 19th. I would also like to use the pedal off the 68 if possible and I’m planning on buying a new MC. my brother said he had installed a booster on a 67 that came off a 69 several years ago. he had to drill a hole or two in the firewall but other than that everything worked ok so I’m guessing this can be done I’m just looking for some of the experts to confirm.

The mgf. changed. 68 used a Midland band clamp style and the 69+ used Bendix twist lock style. The swap will work, but make sure you get the spacer w/ the Bendix unit or else you have a real problem! I’ve never seen a 69 w/ Midland, but I always put Bendix on all those I replace…The Midlands are prone to failure, the inner plastic disc cracks. Notes: rebuild the dist block/and valve. New lines and hoses make life easier. One thing to note the rear wheel cyl size changes as I recall btwn disc & drum…

Bill - my 1970 428CJ Cougar has a Midland on it now, I’ll post a picture of it soon…I think some confused soul installed it long ago…seemed to work fine, but I’m thinking of changing it out now…

IMHO you might consider differences between the two plants (suppliers)

Its not been unusual to find that a supplier got the contract to supply Dearborn and a different one for San Jose. Shocks are just one example of this

Just thought I would bring that up :wink:

Parts supply on the line and shortages will of course always be the unknown. How about the 8K tach’s installed in XR-7’s, for example.
I would change the booster to the “correct” Bendix unit on a CJ Cat, and as stated on all others I work on. Never had a return on Bendix, just Midlands…
It is easy to go “backwards” and put the Midland where a Bendix was, but the other way will be a problem, unless you get the afore mentioned spacer. Maybe order a booster “loaded” with a master cyl, then remove the junk mas cyl and install the brand new Bendix master cyl (after bench bleeding of course). Never use a rebuilt master cyl! Think about it…a rebuilt part is going to be the only device to help me stop my precious Cat? Been there ONCE!

P.S. I think master cyl # is 11378 for power disc brakes…

Seems right Bill, as afar as I can tell. Advance PN’s end with “1378” with a few different prefixs “13-” for new, “10-” for rebuilt, etc.

BTW, I am in contact with EPS-Hane and they are graciously attempting to walk me through jetting changes based on what my new Wideband O2/AF gauge is reading and the info I have provided/asked about. Thanks for the lead Bill! Would have liked to find a similar shop up here, but much easier said than done I’m afraid.

Regards,

Bob

Shortages were rare and we can often determine the supplier used at a particular time period at a specific plant by looking at a number of other vehicles assembled at the same time and plant. Just a thought :wink:

I’ve worked on so many Cats that I can say that there is no absolute w/ Ford/Mercury assembly lines and items installed on cars.

Then, respectfully, our opinions differ since plenty of others have collected data over the years and it is apparent to us that plants often used a particular supplier most of the time. Like anything with production patterns can be established, most of the time, if you have enough samples. Nice thing for Cougar owners is that their cars were not the only cars going down the same line so we can can collect data from those also.

Not looking to argue just to share what has been collected and learned over years :wink:

Just curious about what “data” you have? Is this avail to all? Seems if you have a exact knowledge on items installed and exact time frame/car, this would be invaluable for all those Mustangers that think they know everything… Could also help a few Concourse Cougars out there at national shows!

A collection of about 40 G of pictures most organized by VIN so that details and information can be compared by plant and time period. Some of that information (panel and casting dates as well as specific details have been collected on spreadsheets to make searching for patterns a bit easier for things that have come up in the past and assist in inspecting of vehicles for documentation or purchase by clients. No it has not been posted to the web at this time but the information from this effort is used all the time to assist owners in restorations and on forums such as this


Oh know those Mustangers but know more that are learning (like all of us should be IMHO) everyday from original cars that are still available

Hope we can help those since they share allot of the same details with the Mustangs and Shelby’s that have already had a fair amount of research done.

One place we discuss those sort of details and DIY hints/tips is at hhttp://www.concoursmustang.com a site we set up for such discussions and help. Have recently posted a handfull of original assembly line pictures of 68 Cougars being assembled at San Jose. Though would be happy to help and share what I can here (one of the purposes of checking in here as time allows) :wink:

Jeff, it is awesome to see you on here.

For all of you who have not had the pleasure to talk with or meet J_Speegle, he is a Concours Mustang Judge who spends most of his free time helping others figure out what is Correct on our cars. Most Cougar Enthusiasts are already aware of how similar the Cougar is to the Mustang and that they were built on the same platform and assembly line. One of his latest endeavors is compiling assembly line information and photos and sharing them with the community. You will have to register on http://www.concoursmustang.com in order to view the data and photos but it is well worth it to know that much more about your car, especially if you are building or do build Concours Quality Cars. (It is Free Registration, although Donations are accepted). He has also compiled a massive picture reference portfolio of original parts and assembly techniques. I personally consider him one of the leading experts in the field. He’s a humble man so he might not agree to that, LOL. But it is true. Andrew@ MagMustangs

I would agree that I don’t agree that I’m any form of expert - just learning all the time like we all should maybe a bit more experience (learning by doing - often the wrong way :frowning: than some but just here to help.

Thanks for the welcome