Hey guys
I have a 68 Cougar with a stroked 418 CID Windsor. It is setup to run Mid 10’s. My problem is stopping it because power brakes and low vacuum pressure doesn’t work. I put a vacuum canister which didn’t help much…
Are there alternatives to the Midland booster with clamp?
Is there a complete brake system available without having to sell my first born?
My brother runs a wilwood manual brake set up and has had good results. He switched from power to manual. No issues with vaccuum and works surprisingly well. Might not stop as good as some of the crazy set ups but it’s still better than anything available from the factory
If you are running mid 10s, then you must be above 110 probably close to 120.
Of course it takes a lot of brake to bring it down.
You invested a bunch in the motor, do the same in the brakes.again
I’ve had the Wilwood classic (4 piston calipers and 11.3" rotors) setup with a manual dual res master on my’68 for over a year and have no issues. As long as you use a manual master you won’t have the super hard “stepping on an oak tree feeling”. My pedal pressure is just a little harder than my wife’s '13 Fiesta, and stops just as quick if not quicker. If you’re converting to manual go ahead and get the adjustable pushrod as well.
Caleb is right. This setup works great even going manual. You also can’t go wrong with the price. I think I gave right at $625 shipped to my door. I’ve slept since then,but it wasn’t over $650.
Why don’t you run a vacuum pump? I actually have this same question with a daily. I want to run a 108 lobe center can and power brakes but would like to avoid a vacuum pump if at all possible. I was hoping a vacuum canister would be sufficient for me. Is the vacuum canister not a viable option?
My car came with manual brakes, so I just stayed manual. With the pedal pressure I get from the manual setup, I just don’t feel a need to go with a booster. Besides, when you look under the hood, it doesn’t look any different than it did back in '68. The power setup generally uses a larger diameter pushrod as the vacuum booster allows you to use a higher volume (bigger piston) master by boosting the pressure you apply. If you go with a smaller diameter piston (manual master), you are increasing the pressure as you have a smaller diameter bore/piston. This is the reason why power (vacuum boosted) brakes require so much more effort to stop if your car dies, than a manual setup does.
I would just go with a manual setup and if you don’t like the feel, you could always go with a smaller bore master cylinder.