DIY Stopping Power

The original four-lug drum brakes on our Mustang had to go. So what did we do? Give Stainless Steel Brakes a call, that's what.

The pads are retained with these stainless steel clips and small bolts. A little antiseize on the threads will help prevent thread galling.

The kit comes with new, rubber, flexible lines and requires this adapter between the original hard lines and the new hoses.

Moore only had to loosen the factory clamps to make the new fittings line up with the original factory hard lines.

Next, Moore removed the original master cylinder. This also required removing the clip from the brake pedal. Our Mustang had manual brakes, so we were able to reuse the original brake rod in the new master cylinder.

The proper way to install a new master cylinder is to bench-bleed it before bolting it on. The SSB kit comes with the pieces necessary to do this job. Moore had his own adapters, which circulate the brake fluid back into the reservoir. Just make sure to keep the lines well below the fluid surface so all the air is purged from the master. This may require several full plunges on the piston to ensure all the air is removed from the circuit.

Once the master cylinder is bolted back up to the firewall and the pushrod has been clipped back into the brake pedal, one adapter is needed to connect the stock hard lines to the new master cylinder.