Adding power brakes

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Drummerboy

Drummerboy

20 Year 15 Year 10 Year
Joined
Sep 22, 2004
Threads
6
Messages
28
Location
Boise, ID
I've got a 1970 FJ40 that's all stock brakes.
I bought a brake booster on ebay that was off of a 1971 FJ40.

It's not a direct bolt up, there's a steel support on the firewall that won't allow the booster even close to the push pin.

I'll try and post pictures tomorrow but hopefully some one here has already done this.

Has anyone else added power brakes to their FJ40? I can't find any links or pictures on the net.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again
Andy in Idaho
 
The challenge is getting a booster in there with the F and stock carb! The spacer only makes things worse. I thought about moving the rib inside the cab but there's too much garbage to contend with.

There's a ton of resources on this site.. check the tech links.
 
I don't have an F any more, got a Chevy 350 under the hood.

Thanks for the pictures and thoughts, time to continue researching.
 
when I get to that point, my plan was to replace the driverside firewall, than it will be a direct bolt on.
 
ian said:
The challenge is getting a booster in there with the F and stock carb! The spacer only makes things worse. I thought about moving the rib inside the cab but there's too much garbage to contend with.

There's a ton of resources on this site.. check the tech links.
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What adapter, booster and master are you using? All the adapters I have seen say they work with the stock carb and aircleaner. I am going disc front soon too so I am collecting info. Thanks.
 
Actually, I haven't made the switch. To be honest, I have no qualms with the drums. What I do want is the extra goodies I'd get from minitruck swap.. the birfs and the hubs.
 
Why the need for power brakes? When I went 4 wheel disc brakes on my 70' 40 i kept manual brakes. Put a manual master from a 75' vette which is one of the only vehicles and years to put manual brakes on a car with 4 wheel discs. The master is already set for 4 wheel discs, only needs 2 holes drilled in the firewall and brakes great. It is easier to press and stop very quickly than the power brakes on my 100 series. I'm very happy with it and if/when I stall on inclines I don't loose my brakes.
 
trw said:
Why the need for power brakes? When I went 4 wheel disc brakes on my 70' 40 i kept manual brakes. Put a manual master from a 75' vette which is one of the only vehicles and years to put manual brakes on a car with 4 wheel discs. The master is already set for 4 wheel discs, only needs 2 holes drilled in the firewall and brakes great. It is easier to press and stop very quickly than the power brakes on my 100 series. I'm very happy with it and if/when I stall on inclines I don't loose my brakes.
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Oh man, I didn't even think about having no brakes if the cruiser dies on a hill. :eek:
 
I went with the vette master also, my wife drives the 40 in the hills while I am in Alaksa and was afraid of what might happen if she stalled on a hill. I still have not put on the discs in the rear and have no problems at all. It stops quickly and evenly brakes all 4 wheels. Verry happy so far. Worst problem was my brake line fittings were odball size.
 
Wow, Great timing, Guys! I was considering the Mike Smythe S10 cylinder, then saw the manual brake Vette M/C used on some rods at a show. Like you say, easy mounting. I looked it up on NAPA and it is Cheep! $23.00 with 15 buck core. It's a 1" bore - did you need to change your connection point on the pedal to get more leverage, or was the stock point good? Did it come with the pushrod, or did you use the TLC piece?
 
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I did mine the hard way. I replaced the driver's side firewall on my '66 with a '77, changed steering columns and used the Toyota booster and master cylinder. I did install an electric vaccum pump to run the booster, so stalling on trails and hills never a concern for me. as long as the ignition is on I have brakes (best $80 I ever spent)
 
with anything but the stock 1 barell the master to carb clearence might be a problem

66fj45, 1 barell aisin, old Wardens adapter, 74 fj40 boster, 90 V6 mini truck master
46689010.jpg


red66toy said:
What adapter, booster and master are you using? All the adapters I have seen say they work with the stock carb and aircleaner. I am going disc front soon too so I am collecting info. Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
Mark: New adapter looks pretty stout! I like it better than JT's.
Jim: I actually spent a good 30 minutes on the phone w/ Mike Smythe about his S10 conversion. While he didn't tell me *not* to do it, he did say if he had to do it again, he'd just replace the firewall. He had problems with the push rod coming out of the "cup" and had to do some additional tinkering to keep it from doing so (he described a sleeve he had to use). He has since switched to a Wilwood pedal assembly / masters.

I'm thrilled to hear about the Vette MC. Hadn't heard of that option before. Anyone have picture of install or possibly the bolt pattern? Is the pushrod length an issue? What about pivot point on pedal?
 
here is a pic of the vette mc. it bolts horrizontally so you have to drill 2 holes. the one on the pass side is a minor pita, but can be done and I used some big washers behind it and everything grade 8 to double up the strength. only other thing is to grind a small notch in the rib to clear the rear brake line. I paid $13 for one at a local small time parts shop with a lifetime warranty and he waved the $15 core since I buy a lot of stuff from him. The other problem for me was trying to find the adapter to for the new lines to the mc, but after digging through a big box of brass everything I found them. Might be quicker to get them from chevy dealer. bend up all new lines and reuse the toy ends on the end.
 
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couple more. one is an attempt to show the inside. I was able to reuse the lc pushrod and only needed to adjust it a little. like I said works great and I'm pleased.
 
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actually I'm forgetting to mention one more important point. I used a splitter and regulator that I pulled from a toy supra at a local p-n-p for $2. I also took all the brake line fittings off the supra to use on the new lines, just cut the lines off that went to the wheels and disconnected the lines from the master at the master and left them on the splitter so no charge. This probabaly helps with the even braking. When I lock up my brakes they all lock at almost the exact same time. you might be able to make it out in this pic
 
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ian said:
Hrm.. that's not right. After I adjusted the drums on my '64, I could lock the 31's up. IIRC it didn't require much force.

Now when they wheel cylinders were out of adjustment, I had to a.) pump the breaks and b.) stand on the damn things. After adjusting them, I had all of 1" of travel and much better pedal response.

BTW: having a dual circuit master doesn't give you any mechanical advantage over a single.. it's only there for redundancy. I wonder if later master is different bore size than original?
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I agree wiht this. When adjusted right they lock and stop great. I went to discs not really for better braking, but to stop having to adjust them all the time. Mine would need adjusting after every 100 miles or so. got really old and I'm lazy
 
Hey, trw, thanks, Great pix. That looks like the ticket. You should put together some pix and description for the tech page. Get a chance at immortality! I was about to pick up a supra MC w/o booster, rig some pushrod holder and hope, but that GM master makes a much more sano job. And that's a good tip about the supra regulator. The Wilwood one is adjustable, but also pricy. What kind of calipers do you have front - minis or the big 4runners? GMs in rear?
 
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