1954 dodge with newer power brakes How do you ensure your master clyinder will serve the 6 brake cylinders?

I have a hard petal that will not stop the car when the vacuum is disconnected and a soft petal going close to the floor when the vacuum is on. On the vacuum it says Bendex 12305 and on the master cylinder it has 1534 and R14. There is no adjustment on the petal rod.I bleed and bleed and bleed the lines so there is no air.


My question is how do you tell if the master cylinder is large enough to service the brake cylinders? I have 6 brake cylinders, 2 on each of the back drums and 1 each on the front. How do I find the right power brake unit to do the job? All brakes are shoes. The unit that is on it when I bought it is a benix 12305 vsacuum and a 1534 or R14 2 cylinder master brake . Petal is soft when applied with vacuum attached but hard with out. Without it will not stop the truck. Help!!


Terry


Nanaimo B.C,

1954 dodge with newer power brakes How do you ensure your master clyinder will serve the 6 brake cylinders?
Neat ride...





Personally, I would go ahead and see how expensive it would be to do a complete upgrade to at least disc fronts. I am not very familiar with the old Dodges, but I know the older Fords with twin I-beam front ends can be upgraded to disc front brakes by finding a newer donor truck (typically from the mid 70s through the early 90s)





If I remember right the Dodges stayed with the solid axle front end for quite a while, so there may be later model trucks with disc brakes on a solid I-beam axle, but you would probably need the spindles, the newer rear brakes, the master cyl and booster, and the metering block off the donor.





Again, I must say that I am not familiar with older Dodges, as I owned GMs and Fords. I do know that there are many aftermarket companies that can help you. Check out the following sites for more info:


http://www.customclassictrucks.com/featu...


http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/archive/...





Good luck!
Reply:I can't answer your question,but I have a few. Your power booster unit is mounted on the frame or on the master cylinder on the fire wall? Are all brakes adjusted properly? What is the condition of the brake hoses? Are your front wheel bearings adjusted?. What condition are the shoes in and are they mounted on the backing plates properly? Are any of the contact points on the brake adjusters and Wheel cylinders angled and if so are the angles matching up?