In the issue at hand, we are installing a complete four-wheel disc brake conversion kit from the fine folks at Master Power Brakes of Mooresville, North Carolina, onto Wally's '56 panel .
When MP Brakes says their kit is complete, they're not kidding. Everything from new wheel bearings and grease seals to grease caps and flex hoses is included. The beauty of buying an engineered kit such as MP Brakes' is there's no guessing at which proportioning valve you need to use with which master cylinder or brake caliper. All these determinations have been figured out.
We would like to have run a before-and-after comparison test on Wally's '56 for 60-to-0 braking results, but we couldn't find a test track long enough to conduct the before portion. Once we get Wally fixed up with a set of tires that won't pop, we'll gather some stopping distance data.
As a reference point, figure that a stock Tri-Five Chevy or GMC in tip-top condition will require over 200 feet to stop from 60 mph. The average stopping distance for brand-new full-size heavy-duty pickups will run around 170 feet. For a 1500-series Sierra or Silverado, count on around 150 feet, with approximately 120 feet to stop a Chevy SS pickup in its tracks.
In the state of California it doesn't take much for politicians to pass a new law. After a Toyota pickup with a camper shell full of people fell off a freeway overpass, exterminating its many occupants, it's now illegal for anyone to ride in the bed of a pickup truck.
Since Wally isn't exactly graced with a lot of luck, he might end up plowing through a minivan packed full of people and being the guy who got classic trucks banned from our highways. What about you? Is your old truck irreplaceable or potentially the Typhoid Mary of a new ban on customized trucks? Either way, it's not a pretty thought. Please follow along as we update Wally's '56 Chevy panel and hopefully inspire others to update their '55-59 GM trucks to survive in the 21st century. After all, if you want to go fast, you have to stop fast.
Reservoir access to the original...
Reservoir access to the original '55-59 single-brake master cylinder is located in front of the brake pedal under the inspection cover in the floorboards.
We removed the stock master...
We removed the stock master cylinder by unbolting two 31/48-inch bolts that required backing up with a 91/416-inch open-end wrench on the inside of the mounting bracket attached to the frame....
...For installing Master Power...
...For installing Master Power Brakes' kit, they include two 31/48-inch 24 bolts that attach the BR1752 bracket in place of the stock master cylinder.
It was easiest to remove the...
It was easiest to remove the stock master cylinder with the brake pedal partially disassembled (looking upward). We removed the nut holding the brake pedal shaft to the brake arm attached to the master cylinder by tapping it with a 2-pound brass hammer. We removed the brake arm from the stock master cylinder by drifting its locating pin out (the pin has a zerk fitting on the end). The brake pedal assembly was reattached to the front of the BR1752 bracket after the BM1752 booster was bolted into place.
The 1/16-inch brake line supplying...
The 1/16-inch brake line supplying the front brakes and the 1/4-inch line for the rear brakes was replaced instead of bending them to fit the repositioned pickup points on the VL3350 combination valve mounted on the MP Brakes dual master cylinder.
The brake booster and master...
The brake booster and master cylinder bolted into place. Note two 91/416-inch hex-head mounting bolts beneath the brake rod. Also note the emergency brake pulley under the BR1752 bracket (we bent this bracket down slightly for clearance).