1964 Continental aftermarket booster and master

[biggieclark0415]

I'm looking for opinions and ideas on an aftermarket brake booster and master cylinder combo for a '64. I have upgraded to 4-wheel disc using the Baer system and want to upgrade the booster and master as well but am having a difficult time finding a booster. Baer makes a master cylinder but not sure if it would bolt up to the original booster and be enough for the upgraded system. I ordered the CPP kit a while back but its been on backorder and not as clean looking as the Baer or Wilwood.

[papawayne]

I don't know if Booster Dewey does upgrade boosters or not. But he can sure rebuild a booster. Wayne

[Lee]

I'm for keeping things as stock as possible, but it sounds like that train has already left the station. You may as just go with a full Hydroboost system.
https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/631545/10002/-1

[1Bad55Chevy]

Are you trying to put a stock looking MC on the car or do you want a bad ass aluminum unit with a screw down cap?

A 4 piston set up will need a MC with a 1 1/8" bore. As for the booster CPP uses a dual diaphragm 8" for their early 60s Continental kit. CPP was the only company I could find with a bolt on booster/master/prop set up for your car but I didn't spend any actual time looking. This will all come down to what color parts you actually want bolted to the firewall.

[biggieclark0415]

I'm not looking to keep it stock. I actually prefer the Baer ReMaster since it would match the disc brakes but I'm not sure which booster to use. I ordered the CPP kit from Summit over two months ago and have yet to receive it. I planned to use that booster/master combo kit and just remove the master and replace it with the Baer but looking for other options. I wasn't sure about the hydroboost setup considering it's the factory steering pump and still having the factory wiper system.

[TonyC]

Although I will admit to curiosity over a hydraulic booster, the problem would be in fitting it into a '64...or any clap-door, for that matter. Two problems with fitting:

(1) The pattern of the mounting studs will not match the holes in the firewall, meaning one has to drill out new holes and possibly even have to fabricate a reinforcement plate to prevent a compromise of the firewall's integrity.

(2) The Hydro-boosts are not of the same dimensions as the OE vacuum boosters, especially the pre-'65 boosters; and the engine bays of clap-door Lincolns are really no bigger than Mustangs of that decade. You may not be able to fit a Hydro-boost and a dual-tub master cylinder in there because there isn't enough space.

I could be wrong about (2), but I don't think I am. I've never heard of anybody pulling off that kind of retrofit on a clap-door. But, if anybody can prove me wrong, they're welcome to.

Oh, another thing: I may be wrong about this, other '64 owners can chime in with the real facts...but I think that '64 was the last year that Lincoln used a hydraulic brake-light switch. That was fitted into the hydraulic lines at the master cylinder, and it would trigger the brake lights by fluid pressure. By '65 they resorted to a more reliable mechanical switch mounted on the stem of the brake pedal. If you do the retrofit without keeping that in mind, you will have no brake lights (which are already pretty small), raising the risk of an anal-probe if you take the car out on regular streets. If I'm right about the hydraulic brake-light switch being used that year, that's another thing you must keep in mind during the retrofit.

---Tony

[Lee]

Somebody must have done it. There's a dedicated kit for it.
https://www.powerbrakeservice.net/19licohybrbo.html

[1Bad55Chevy]

Here is a real stupid question....

Do all passanger car master cylinders have the same mounting plate bolt spacing? When I use to work at NAPA (when I was in college) people would bring in master cylinders off classic cars and if we didn't have the correct one on the shelf I would look up the bore size/fitting sizes and sell them whatever we had on the shelf. Even the standard 2 bolt MC would bolt in place of the 4 bolt units. Only difference I ever found besides line fittings was the rod depth.

[1Bad55Chevy]

I'm not looking to keep it stock. I actually prefer the Baer ReMaster since it would match the disc brakes but I'm not sure which booster to use. I ordered the CPP kit from Summit over two months ago and have yet to receive it. I planned to use that booster/master combo kit and just remove the master and replace it with the Baer but looking for other options. I wasn't sure about the hydroboost setup considering it's the factory steering pump and still having the factory wiper system.

I hate the gold color on stock boosters and the master cylinder caps!

I have only ran Wilwood aftermarket brake components. I have learned that the MC doesn't make any difference over stock. I honestly don't think big brakes are worth the money unless you are road racing the vehicle. But I do think the big brakes look bad ass on the vehicle.

I honestly wouldn't mess with hydroboost unless your running a big ass cam. For stock to mild applications with normal vacuum levels at idle there will be nothing gained.

[Lee]

Do all passanger car master cylinders have the same mounting plate bolt spacing?

At least in the sixties, Ford spacing was 3.25”, and GM was 3.375. I had to do a little creative grinding on the Chevy dual MC I installed last year.

One definite advantage of the Hydroboost brakes is the amount of available boost to the MC. Depending on the system, you’ll see it variously quoted at between 1300 to 2000 pounds. By comparison, the theoretical maximum assist of a vacuum booster is limited to the diameter of the booster, and how much vacuum the engine will pull. Even if your motor might pull 25” of vacuum (12.2 psia over atmospheric) during deceleration, on a big 11” booster with 95 square inches of surface area, you’ll get a max of 1159 pounds of assist. And if you’re tempted to use one of the small 7” boosters I see advertised, you’ll only get 464 pounds of assist, which I think would be a little hairy with 4 non self-assisted disc brakes.

[biggieclark0415]

I hate the gold color on stock boosters and the master cylinder caps!

I have only ran Wilwood aftermarket brake components. I have learned that the MC doesn't make any difference over stock. I honestly don't think big brakes are worth the money unless you are road racing the vehicle. But I do think the big brakes look bad ass on the vehicle.

I honestly wouldn't mess with hydroboost unless your running a big ass cam. For stock to mild applications with normal vacuum levels at idle there will be nothing gained.
[/quote]

I do not care for the gold color as well but would more than likely paint it black to match.

I'm only considering a hydroboost because I'm having such a hard time finding a part number for an upgraded dual diaphragm booster that will mount.

[frasern]

Lincoln used a dual diaphragm in '66. I am not 100% on this, but I believe they were single on drum brakes, dual with front disc, and hydroboost when the Mark went to 4 wheel disc brakes.
If you are looking for a larger diameter dual diaphragm, perhaps look at a 3/4 ton truck booster.

[1Bad55Chevy]

I do not care for the gold color as well but would more than likely paint it black to match.

I'm only considering a hydroboost because I'm having such a hard time finding a part number for an upgraded dual diaphragm booster that will mount.

I hear you... I just hate the look of the hydroboost because of all the extra hoses. Being that this is a custom car have you looked at the braided line kits for PS? It's definitely a much nicer look then factory crimp lines. I am going to use those on my wife's Mark since the wipers are hydraulic and the factory lines look horrible the way they are routed!

[TonyC]

Somebody must have done it. There's a dedicated kit for it.
https://www.powerbrakeservice.net/19licohybrbo.html

Well, look at that. So I am wrong. I was under the impression that a hydraulic booster would be much bulkier; but that one should fit easily as long as the bolt pattern matches the holes in the firewall.

---Tony