63 brake change

[Michael G.]

I'm rebuilding one of my 63s and am now considering the brakes. In ~50 years of driving with drum brakes I've never had a significant fade problem, (well, maybe just once, after a few high speed stops during Woodward runs in the 60s), so I'm very comfortable with the original drums stopping ability. What I'm not comfortable with is the 63's single hydraulic system, as last year my blue car made an abrupt right turn, when braking from 55 MPH, when a wheel cylinder failed suddenly. Scared me about half to death...

I'll be driving this car a lot, so, I think I need a dual system, without switching to discs. Is there a standard Chevy dual master cylinder, other than the stratospherically expensive and rare Z06 part, that I can switch to without having to go to disc brakes or raising any validation concerns?

Thanks,

[Rick A.]

Re: 63 brake change

Mike

Maybe look at something like this - http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Univer...tyle,4316.html

Or try this - http://www.cssbinc.com/1963-64corvet...brakecars.aspx

[Jim L.]

Re: 63 brake change

That master cylinder from Speedway Motors has a 1" bore which, if used on a '63, will give require 30% greater pedal effort for a given braking result.

If the MC from CSSB has a 7/8" bore, it would be the better choice, of the two.

Jim

[Timothy B.]

Re: 63 brake change

I understand your concerns but if it were me I would have the original master sleeved and make sure all the brake lines/hoses, etc are new and put silicone DOT 5 fluid and be done with it. Chevy made millions of these systems and I know the dual master is a big safety improvement but it's not what was engineered for your car.

[Duke W.]

Re: 63 brake change

...agree with the above. Most failures are due to corrosion. Glycol-based fluids should be flushed every few years to purge entrained moisture that can cause corrosion. DOT 5 silicone fluid will not absorb moisture, so corrosion mechanisms are eliminated and the hydraulic components should last for decades.

If you buy new wheel cylinders, disassemble them, clean with denatured alcohol and assemble with DOT 5... same for the master. Flush new brake hoses with denatured alcohol, along with all brake pipes and thoroughly dry them. For maximum reliability/durability you want to remove every last molecule of glycol-based fluid.

Duke

[Joe R.]

Re: 63 brake change

Michael,

I can understand your feelings but if a wheel cylinder goes out the dual master cylinder will not save you! The Dual MC will give you protection as you will have half of the system braking.
Rebuilding your present system and maintaining it will give you protection from failure for the rest of your life. Then ??????

JR

[Michael G.]

Re: 63 brake change

Joe, a dual system likely might have reacted the same way if the same wheel cylinder failed, in essence, pulled to the right. Ultimately, though, with a dual system I would have been able to stop, albeit probably not gracefully. In this case, I was very lucky that more brake fluid hadn't leaked out or the car would not just have turned right, it would have had no brakes whatsoever (63 Corvette e-brakes are essentially useless).

Tim and Duke, while the rest of the brake system on my blue car had been replaced or rebuilt within 200 miles of the failure, the wheel cylinders worked fine before the restoration and had not been changed during the restoration. They likely had some deterioration from many years of sitting, deterioration likely exacerbated by the change to DOT 5 in the restoration. That's all resolved.

Regarding this car: I appreciate that millions of cars were built this way, but, dual systems were known to be safer, even when the 63 was designed. The issue was not function, it was cost. Cost is not an issue now, nor is validation. Obviously, the 63 Z06 has a redundant system, (while the Z06 pads and brake cooling apparatus are different, its basically a drum brake 63 Corvette, with a dual system) so we're not talking about an unknown, unvalidated cylinder function.

I think the risk of a single system is larger than the risk of changing to a dual system. I suppose I could afford to buy a Z06 cylinder somewhere, so I'd have a validated 63 part, but, there have to be virtually identical dual cylinders in the GM or aftermarket system...

[Stan Z.]

Re: 63 brake change

question, I am new to NRCS and judging, I just purchased a 63 split window and the MC is completely empty, the car was a Top Flight car in 1981, I see lots of discussion on MC but what about the cylinders do those have date stamps and do judges make you take the wheels off and drums to inspect the date code, can I just install new cylinders at the wheels or should I have mine rebuilt, the car has 60k original miles 340hp.
thx

[Joe R.]

Re: 63 brake change

Stan,

Judges do not ask you to remove wheels and drums so if the configuration on the back side is correct you'll be fine!
JR

[Frank D.]

Re: 63 brake change

I rebuilt my '63 brakes at all four corners, rubber hoses, shoes, all new springs and self adjuster kits and wheel cylinders from NAPA for about $235.
You have to be careful on the wheel cylinders you buy...some don't fit exactly like the originals....

[Kent S.]

Re: 63 brake change

Mike -

I just replaced the dual MC I installed about 10 years ago (same idea as you about safety) with the new correct repro '63 MC. Decided I liked the "correct" look and, as others have said, there were/are lots of cars running around with single MC - just personal preference. If I remember correctly, I believe I used one from a '67 Camaro (maybe Nova) that had a 7/8" bore from NAPA...worked great. I'm not at home now, but will try to get you a part number if you can't find it.

Kent