MTFCA Forum

Hello all,
Getting close to mounting the the remote reservoir on the Sure Stop disk brakes. Instructions mentioned firewall and under the seat. Please post some pics of the various mounting ideas you have chosen. Mine is a 26 Touring. Also, large or small reservoir preferred?
Thanks,
Mike

When mounting on the firewall be sure it will clear the hood when closed. Mount it where it is east to visually check the level of fluid. I have never had to add fluid since aI mounted the system 5 years ago. If it not leaking you won't have to add.

As you can see I mounted it on the firewall outboard of the steering column.

I also used DOT 5 brake fluid and recommend it highly for this application.

Disc brakes were added to my ‘26 RPU by previous owner - work really well.

I used the large resv as you can see, tried Dot 5 fluid but could not keep it from leaking around the bleeder screws..using Dot 3 w/no issues.

I didn't have any room on the engine side of my tiny '16 firewall, so I mounted the reservoir inside the cab on the firewall to the left of the coil box. The coil box mostly hides it, but it's still visible to check the fluid level without needing to open the hood.

What would be the benefit of the larger reservoir having only rear brakes ?

RajoRacer wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 01, 2021 12:21 pm

What would be the benefit of the larger reservoir having only rear brakes ?

C’mon Steve. we all know that bigger or more expensive is always better.

Given the small volume of the caliper cylinders, the larger reservoir doesn’t really add much value, other than needing more fluid if you ever do a system flush. I doubt that removing the pads altogether would drain the big tank completely. And the low duty cycle and operating temps, there isn’t much justification for DOT 5 fluid either.

Keep crankin’
Eric

Thanks Eric - I agree - bigger is better !

I mounted the remote reservoir under the front seat at the end of the gas tank, mounted to the seat riser. Out of the way and not seen when looking in the engine compartment or potential damage by the hood or engine removal.

All great input. I'm leaning towards under the seat. Really hate to drill any holes, though. Maybe make a bracket that screws into the wood under the seat?

My 15 has a tool box under the front seat behind the gas tank, which is where I mounted my reservoir. I like that it is less noticeable, but it did make bleeding the brakes trickier.

With the 26 Touring having a cowl tank, there's lots of room under the seat. I ordered some stainless steel L brackets and will see if I can mount to the wooden board below the seat at the bottom of the compartment.

ewdysar wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 01, 2021 7:36 pm

RajoRacer wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 01, 2021 12:21 pm

What would be the benefit of the larger reservoir having only rear brakes ?

And the low duty cycle and operating temps, there isn’t much justification for DOT 5 fluid either.

The justification for DOT 5 is that it doesn't matter where you spill it.

well, won't fit under the seat. It looks like it might rub the hood on the firewall. Not too keen on the long bracket idea either. Thoughts?

Mikey1968 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 15, 2021 3:02 pm

well, won't fit under the seat. It looks like it might rub the hood on the firewall. Not too keen on the long bracket idea either. Thoughts?

Maybe try clamping it on to the firewall as low as you can get to dry fit. Throw the hood on and see if you've got clearance.

I was able to reach across the engine with drivers side hood closed and hold it there. Plenty of room. Just wish it didn't stick out like a sore thumb. Rather not drill holes either. Sighhh! Not today...need to think on it a bit but looks like I'll have to get used to the idea. Thought for sure I had room under the seat!

FWIW it gets better after you're used to it. Ultimately I made the decision to put it there because I'm lazy and if I put it under the seat or floor somewhere I would never check it. This way, I check it every time I take the car out.

And if you think about it, when you're showing off the car that's not the side of the hood you open; you open the side with the carb and manifolds and generator. I've never had someone notice it, but they almost ALWAYS notice the massive rotor and caliper on the rear hub.

As my uncle used to say, "nobody misses a slice off a cut loaf."

You could fabricate your own reservoir from brass, copper or steel to blend into an area. Might need a dipstick to check the level or add a slight glass to it.

Why not use this one [ All in one ]
Toon

Toon, and it is clean too.

Andre
Belgium

Thanks Scott. Since I probably will go that route, that makes me feel better.

Pat, I wish I had that kind of fab skills but I sure don't. I'm a good shade tree mechanic, though.

I like that, Toon but will it fit with the Sure Stop kit? There's not much room under the floorboards either. Sure Stop kit comes with a master cylinder and remote reservoir kit.

What do you guys think of this?

https://www.amazon.com/DNA-Motoring-TAN ... 54VK&psc=1

Michael - I’m with Scott. I open the passenger side of my RPU’s hood at car shows, and being a ‘26 you don’t see much past the coil box.
I find the components of the disc brake kit to be pretty well thought out and would not substitute anything unless I had a mechanical reason to.
My firewall is in red oxide primer, so a white reservoir does not bother me. If I painted the firewall black, I would put a thin piece of masking tape on the side of the reservoir that shows “ add” and “ full” and paint the reservoir and plastic bracket satin black. When it’s dry and you peel the tape off, you’ll still see the fluid level.

Heyyyyyy, now.....that's a great idea!

The 26-7 does present a challenge as to the placement of the reservoir. With my 27 Tudor the only logical place was under he hood on the firewall. The spot I wanted to use was, as others have noted, too close to the side and the hood. So I made an offset mounting from wood, painted black, which allowed me to mount on a smooth surface and shift the reservoir to the right. The hose provide reaches the master cylinder perfectly. See photos.

So the one bolt through the wood bracket is what holds it?

Mount the reservoir with one bolt through the offset, single thickness. One bolt through the double thick into the firewall. Then and one bolt through the single thickness into the firewall.. In the first picture the one bolt is not the one that I used to hold it on the firewall, used a temporary short one to take the picture during mock up. Hope that makes sense.

So, Last night I went to install the calipers. The instructions say to use a 3/8" x 1-1/4" bolt. The kit supplied 1- 3/4" bolts. 1- 3/4" is too long, 1- 1/4" is too short. So off to the hardware store this am to get some 1 1/2" bolts.

Use the washers that they supplied as spacers and stack them behind the bolt head to get the right length.

Mine custom bodied drop-side truck has the reservoir mounted on the wooden firewall.
I didn't want to see the plastic reservoir so I opted to use a metal reservoir.

While not completely period correct, it's closer than the plastic part.



Look up EZ Fill Reservoir on eBay or Google.

Looks like the price has jumped up since I bought mine. Ouch.

Heyyyyy!....I really like that! Wow! Pricey, though. I really like that. Design is well thought out too. Just might have to spring for one.

Did you have any issues with hose size? The fitting of the reservoir looks smaller than the Wilwood set up.

It's on it's way! Thanks for that great idea. It looks like a time period accessory and won't stand out. I prefer metal to plastic and it's pretty small so should mount much easier. Not a lot of room on the 26 firewall.

I don't get it! There are two great big, pig ugly disc rotors and calipers in full view behind the rear wheels but there are concerns about the hidden reservoir being seen when the hood is lifted on the wrong side.

That said, I have an upper cylinder oil reservoir with glass bowl, metal lid and copper lines which would certainly not look so out of place under the hood. It would be even more period correct than the metal one from the last couple of posts.

I can fully understand and support the efforts not to drill holes for mounting the additions we make to the cars. The next caretaker may be most appreciative.

Allan from down under.

For me, the disks are ok. I painted the calipers black to eliminate the bright Wilwood lettering. Never understood why so many hate the obvious disks. However, the big white plastic reservoir is just not happening.

We have 9 cars, most are toys. Two had all wheel drums that I converted to power front disks. It's not stock, but it's safe. I've added 3 point belts to some that had either lap belts or none. One of my early 5.0L I converted to SVO front disks. Never has anyone said to me that these were mods that weren't stock and was a terrible thing to do. The mod on my 74 Bronco would make a stock purist cringe....my mods were done 70s style, not rock crawler.

I'm trying my best to keep the T stock while still safe. It has a Ruckstell and decided against the Rockies due to safety.

To close the loop here. I didn't have to drill a hole. I replaced the steering column mounting bolt with a longer stainless one and stacked two nuts to space the bracket out for clearance on the firewall (see pics). Just need to check adjustment and bleed then done! According to the seller, the reservoir is a 1920s accessory commonly used on Chryslers. I don't know but it fits well under the hood and looks terrific!

Nice vintage look ! Wish I could find one when I install those brakes on my 27

That's about as neat as you can get! Nice result

Allan from down under.

Thanks, all. I had to use a 1/4 to 3/8 inch barbed splice fitting to adapt the hoses.

Here is one source for the reservoir: https://highway101ind.com/shop/ols/prod ... rvoir-4-oz

I got mine off eBay.

Cheers,
Mike