My 67 is getting much closer to coming home, and I am back on the hunt for upgrade parts- I posted a picture on here a while ago for some ‘cores’ that I have been carrying around for years, but……I price checked the cost of a new booster, as I want to add power brakes to the car. I found a majority cost for a booster at around 400 dollars. Seems rather high, even for 2026 pricing.
If your car has manual brakes now, then 100% stay with manual brakes. I converted my power to manual last year and will never go back. Power work great when everything is 100% working perfectly. But troubleshooting them and getting pusrods to match and everything to work right is in no way worth the swap. Spend the money on good pads instead (EBC, Porterfield R4S, etc.).
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It came with 4 wheel drum, and the motor going back in the car, should be much stouter than the one that came out- I have a 67 disc brake set up for it- and a power brake pedal, for the 4 speed, that will be going in, also.
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Even better, swap the front drums for the discs, get a 15/16” bore master and roll on. Mine with disc/drum and manual brakes will throw you into the steering wheel when necessary.
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WCCC charges $399 for a rebuild exchange but I bet they would rebuild your booster cheaper. Worth a call. https://secure.cougarpartscatalog.com/16899/30968/brake-booster-power-bendix-premium-rebuilt-1969-mercury-cougar-/-1969-ford-mustang.html
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I’d consider that- do you know one that is a direct fit, or will it require fabbing brake lines at the master?
Here is a link to a VMF thread where we have been discussing it. - Manual Brake Info
Post #43 by W427 gives the info you need on what to buy. But a 1975-1977 Ford Maverick should have the ports you need for a direct swap of your current master.
You would switch master cylinders as your drum/drum master cylinder right now should have a residual pressure valve (RPV) in the front and rear ports. You do not want an RPV the the front brakes if you are swapping to discs as it would hold pressure and drag the brakes. So a Maverick master cylinder will have the correct 15/16” bore as well as the RPV only going to the rear drums.
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Excellent! Thanks for posting this! I’m not opposed to not changing everything that goes with the upgrade, and this would help the car “look” original. The engine going in, has flowtek heads, and a Comp cam, at .500/.500, with a 3.55 rear gear. This sounds like the best of all worlds.
Maybe it’s just me but I don’t mind a “hard” brake pedal. I have manual disc drum set up in my Ranchero and it is fine. Manual steering, on the other hand, is a pain. Too heavy when you are parking, and to many turns lock to lock when you are driving.
I just stopped in at O’reilly’s on the way home, and none of the available listings for Maverick, with 302 V8, manual or power, showed a listing with 15/16 bore. However, Reading further in the thread, this master came up-https://www.kentuckymustang.com/chassis/brakes/brake-master-cylinders-power-boosters/dual-reservoir-master-cylinder-non-power-disc-drum-1964-1-2-1973.html
For the money, this seems like the right thing.
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I don’t mind the hard pedal as long as a drum brake doesn’t lock up at one of the corners when you stomp on it. I know many prefer manual steering too, although I am not one of them. Manual steering with the rim blow horn makes for a noisy parking experience!
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I got distracted (squirrel!) by this option, and then remembered I already have a rollerized 4 speed clutch pedal assembly with the power brake pedal installed- so I will have to wait to hear back from west coast-
West coast isn’t currently rebuilding brake boosters- they gave me a reference for Harmon brakes, in Georgia. Are there any commonly available booster/ master combos to avoid?
The Stainless Steel Brakes master cylinder booster is a bad setup. I would rebuild an original before I would use one of those.
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Is Booster Dewey/Steve still in business?
Thought SS Brakes was out of business
It appears they’re still in business.
They should not be in business for the quality they sell.