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04-03-2024, 08:25 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Peabody, MA
Posts: 471
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1957 T-Bird Power Brakes
How difficult is it to convert non power brakes to power brakes?
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04-03-2024, 09:28 PM | #2 |
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Kent, WA. Tucson, AZ
Posts: 1,426
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Re: 1957 T-Bird Power Brakes
Pretty simple, if you’re talking oem drums and single master. I picked Larry’s as I’m more familiar with their site, others have it.
https://www.larrystbird.com/product/...tallation-kit/ Stil down first, it’s not cheap. |
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04-03-2024, 10:35 PM | #3 |
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Re: 1957 T-Bird Power Brakes
T Bird vacuum canisters are specific to T Birds
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04-03-2024, 10:57 PM | #4 |
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Re: 1957 T-Bird Power Brakes
Question oldmics2. Are the replacements they sell now not correct as a restoration? I haven’t bought one of those since 1999, and wasn’t much concerned then.
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04-04-2024, 07:52 PM | #5 | |
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Re: 1957 T-Bird Power Brakes
Quote:
The T Bird replacements are as original factory units and proper for restoration. Passenger car tanks will fit on Baby Birds but the plumbing is a bit different |
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04-04-2024, 08:39 PM | #6 |
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Re: 1957 T-Bird Power Brakes
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04-05-2024, 09:31 AM | #7 | |
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Re: 1957 T-Bird Power Brakes
Quote:
The large-ish C shaped vacuum pipe attached to the breather can be either vertical or horizontal. I have a faded memory of reading somewhere (the big red CTCI restoration manual I have?) that both styles were used on Baby Birds depending on the year. . Last edited by dmsfrr; 04-05-2024 at 09:45 AM. |
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04-05-2024, 10:03 AM | #8 | |
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Re: 1957 T-Bird Power Brakes
Quote:
__________________
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- WANNA SEE A GOOD CAR WRECK? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oO226PgSkg KULTULZ - HAS MOVED ON TO THE HAPPY PROVING GROUNDS |
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04-05-2024, 10:20 AM | #9 |
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Location: Abq, NM
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Re: 1957 T-Bird Power Brakes
So based on the "S" (Thunderbird) designation it seems '55 Birds used one style and '56 / '57 Birds used the other.
With the '55 version being the same as used in '54 to '56 full-sized cars. . Last edited by dmsfrr; 04-05-2024 at 10:30 AM. |
04-04-2024, 10:12 AM | #10 |
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Location: Abq, NM
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Re: 1957 T-Bird Power Brakes
I've got a '55 Bird that uses the same brake booster. I had heard they don't really 'boost' or change the pedal feel all that much.
After about a year driving it around the (original 68 yr old ?) booster failed and vacuum drained all the brake fluid from the master cylinder, Oops! I removed and 'temporarily' bypassed the booster as there were places to go & things to do that day. For whatever reason I noticed no difference in the brake pedal effort. The brakes still work fine, no problem there. Maybe it was going bad the whole time, wasn't really boosting and finally completely quit I don't know. But it did put enough question in my mind to put off the expense of having the booster rebuilt and adding a booster to another Bird here that didn't have one. . Last edited by dmsfrr; 04-05-2024 at 09:35 AM. |
04-04-2024, 01:11 PM | #11 |
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Location: Kent, WA. Tucson, AZ
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Re: 1957 T-Bird Power Brakes
Those boosters didn’t provide near as much boost as the later model units most of us are used to, let alone what the Chrysler units did in the day. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t notice a difference, but not shocked.
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