Strange Engineering Master Cylinder

[brent flynn]

Where is the best place to source one? Napa is not showing a 7/8'', on line... i will call them tomorrow... Carquest, also...

[Richard Grant]

Since the car came with manuel drum brakes, I would go to NAPA and purchase a new stock master. Try to keep everything like it came from the factory. The drum brakes have like a 3lb. valve that keeps pressure on the lines that disk don't have. I think part or all of your problem has been intermingling drum and disk parts. Go back to the orginal setup and you should be fine. Make sure that the master is for 4 wheel drum brakes since some cars had disk on the rear and drums on the front or disk all around. None of these will work properly. Also, be carefull you don't get a master for power brakes, it won't work right either.

[brent flynn]

Richard, when I bought master from Oriellys, for manual brakes, it hasn't felt right, since. I called Napa and Carquest... they only offer 1" for that application(4 wheel drum, manual). Will that work, or should I go the Chrysler route? All wheel cylinders, lines and hardware, are new. Running Hurst line lick...far as I know, it is working fine... just don't seem to have clamping power...have bled them 3-4 times.... I know I will have to make a pushrod, for the Chrysler part...

[Richard Grant]

I would check your petal ratio. Don't assume anything without checking it. If the petal ration is correct, then to be absolutly sure on the master call Strange and ask them for the part number for a 7/8's inch drum brake manuel master.
If you can afford to, go ahead and change to 4 wheel disk. You will be glad that you did down the road. You can't properly drive the top end with drum brakes, plus the weight savings, etc. You won't have to purchase a second master later either. The disk need a 11/16 to 1 1/8 inch master.
I run Areospace disk and they work well for the price.
When you get your brake pressure guage you will learn a lot about your bakes and if they are working properly. Again check everything, don't assume anything. LOL

[brent flynn]

Thanks Richard! I will have to wait a year or two, before i can switch brake systems... If i can get it to run some sort of #, then, i will start on that kind of stuff... would love to have discs, on the front , atleast. Eventually, discs, all the way around, would be the ticket. My goal, is to make this the best car it can be, not necessarily the fastest...because , the latter costs alot more! hehe

[Run to Rund]

For my 1966 A body with drums, I use Centric 130.62024 from andreotti@ottsfrictionsupply.com and I believe it is spec'ed to have a 1" bore. They also have Abex quality shoes that hold well and don't glaze stopping from 118 mph.

[Jim Kaekel]

Don't waste your money on disc brakes at this point. Drum brakes work good and are treated like Rodney Dangerfield, "no respect". I pull my drums off every few races, clean and inspect them. Use premium, riveted shoes and good drums. I've run them for years on all fours with very little issues. I've found that car weight makes quite a difference. When I ran my car in E/SA or F/SA, I could smell that the brakes were hot, but that was roughly 3800 lbs. @ 120 MPH. Since I switched to D/SA and I'm weighing in at 3540 lbs., I don't smell them getting hot at all, even after braking from as high as 124 MPH. I wouldn't even think about using aluminum drums unless you enjoy playing Russian roulette. My .02.

[brent flynn]

Originally Posted by Jim Kaekel

Don't waste your money on disc brakes at this point. Drum brakes work good and are treated like Rodney Dangerfield, "no respect". I pull my drums off every few races, clean and inspect them. Use premium, riveted shoes and good drums. I've run them for years on all fours with very little issues. I've found that car weight makes quite a difference. When I ran my car in E/SA or F/SA, I could smell that the brakes were hot, but that was roughly 3800 lbs. @ 120 MPH. Since I switched to D/SA and I'm weighing in at 3540 lbs., I don't smell them getting hot at all, even after braking from as high as 124 MPH. I wouldn't even think about using aluminum drums unless you enjoy playing Russian roulette. My .02.

Yea, i dont have any problem stopping, from 120, at this point. Everything is new. We ran 130, in my Dad's Bird(3000lb bracket car) with drum/drum, and had no probs, whatsoever... I will get a different master cyl(this one was never right, its about 1 1/2 yrs old), and go from there... then a new line lock, if that doesnt pan out...