Brake Plumbing Questions

[Douglas Rohrer]

I have been getting a lot of good info from this forum, but this is my first post. I bought a pre-disassembled project 1969 Barbuda convertible. The car came with some new parts, including an aftermarket front disc brake conversion kit. I can't find a brand anywhere and the previous owner does not recall where he got the parts. It uses Ford Explorer rotors and Chevelle calipers. He also got a PST rebuild kit. All the hard parts seem to assemble OK on the K-frame dolly awaiting installation. I also got an all new brake line set, but they appear to be for a drum brake car, as everything plumbs into the brake switch block. The kit came with a metering valve and a residual pressure valve for the rear drums. They both require cutting and flaring the tubing, something I am uncomfortable with. Should I just buy a Mopar factory pressure metering valve and residual valve and get new lines? What about the combination valve I see in the catalogs? Would the lines work with that? I kind of have a mess here. I wish the original owner had just bought factory stuff that bolts together...

 

[famous bob]

I have been getting a lot of good info from this forum, but this is my first post. I bought a pre-disassembled project 1969 Barbuda convertible. The car came with some new parts, including an aftermarket front disc brake conversion kit. I can't find a brand anywhere and the previous owner does not recall where he got the parts. It uses Ford Explorer rotors and Chevelle calipers. He also got a PST rebuild kit. All the hard parts seem to assemble OK on the K-frame dolly awaiting installation. I also got an all new brake line set, but they appear to be for a drum brake car, as everything plumbs into the brake switch block. The kit came with a metering valve and a residual pressure valve for the rear drums. They both require cutting and flaring the tubing, something I am uncomfortable with. Should I just buy a Mopar factory pressure metering valve and residual valve and get new lines? What about the combination valve I see in the catalogs? Would the lines work with that? I kind of have a mess here. I wish the original owner had just bought factory stuff that bolts together...

get u an automotive flaring (JEGS) tool and make a few practice flairs using the double flair buttons that should come w/ it ,you`ll be comfortable doing them after a little practice.

 

[mvh]

What are you using for a master cylinder? A Mopar master cylinder for disc brakes would have a residual pressure valve built in -- there is no need to plumb one into the rear brake line. The brake switch block IS the metering valve -- what the kit probably provided was a proportioning valve (needed for disc/drum combinations). There are two options here: you could buy the combo switch block/proportioning valve used on 73-76 Mopars (IIRC) and use that instead -- the lines should hook right up. I went this way on my 67. Or, you could buy a short piece of brake line that already has all the fittings (at your auto parts store), and use that to hook up the proportioning valve they provided, bending it and the other pipe as necessary to fit it in. No cutting or flaring required.

 

[Douglas Rohrer]

What are you using for a master cylinder? A Mopar master cylinder for disc brakes would have a residual pressure valve built in -- there is no need to plumb one into the rear brake line. The brake switch block IS the metering valve -- what the kit probably provided was a proportioning valve (needed for disc/drum combinations). There are two options here: you could buy the combo switch block/proportioning valve used on 73-76 Mopars (IIRC) and use that instead -- the lines should hook right up. I went this way on my 67. Or, you could buy a short piece of brake line that already has all the fittings (at your auto parts store), and use that to hook up the proportioning valve they provided, bending it and the other pipe as necessary to fit it in. No cutting or flaring required.

The kit includes a four bolt MC that has a residual valve behind the rear line port, so that base seems to be covered. I will look to see if I could find a place to mount the prop valve from the kit and still have the lines fit. I will also look around for the combo valve since that would be the cleanest solution. Thanks.