Disk Brake install

Get it all, including any proportioning, metering or combo valves.

Edited by billd - Oct/14/2007 at 9:26am

You will also need a master cylinder. The Big Bendix brakes use a 1-1/8" bore MC, the smaller calipers (and drum brakes) use a 1" bore MC.

It's safest to use the combo valve, even if they are calibrated for the heavier car. I've done it both ways -- with an without. On dry pavement you can't tell the difference, nor in normal driving. It's that one panic stop, maybe on a curve, on a slippery road (gravel/water/ice/snow, take your pick!), where you'll suddenly find your rear end trying to pass your front... or wrapping around a tree/post/guard rail.

If the donor is plumbed with a metering valve (both lines from MC go to combo valve, then three lines exit the valve -- two for front, one rear) you might want to pick up a generic combo valve from a rear drive GM while you're in the salvage yard. The metering valves were only used a few years on the big cars, I've never seen one on a small car. Metering holds the front brakes off until the rears are ready to operate, so all four engage at about the same time. No one used them for long. They apparently weren't worth all the extra time/cost to install. If you try to put one in you'll need a lot of brake line. Not terribly difficult, but not really necessary.  Few hot rod shops install metering valves, but there are stand-alone metering valves available.  Today anti-lock computers do most of the work.

A standard combo valve has a T in the front brake line between the combo valve and MC. The T branches off to the left front brake, the combo valve feeds the right front and rear brakes. All the combo valve is looking at is pressure, so the T isn't a problem since pressure will be equal in the lines unless there's a leak.