One noticeable difference between hitting the brakes on a late-model car and an old Chevy is the under-floor-mounted master cylinder of the earlier car. After driving a car with swing pedals for so many years, it can feel a little awkward to apply the brakes in a car with through-the-floor pedals.
If you're looking to improve the driving experience of your '49-54 Chevy and aren't worried about completely smoothing the firewall, then Walton Fabrication might have just what you're looking for. Their new Firewall Mounted Power Brake Assembly can easily be installed in an afternoon including running some new brake lines. We recently dropped by as they were fitting one on a customer's '49 Chevy and shot a few photos for you.
The new Walton `49-54 Chevy...
The new Walton `49-54 Chevy firewall mount power brake assembly comes with a new booster, master cylinder, and pedal assembly.
We started by removing these...
We started by removing these two braces that run from behind the dash (above the steering column) to the backside of the firewall. The new pedal assembly will provide the bracing.
The bracket for the pedal...
The bracket for the pedal assembly was bolted in using the existing holes.
The new firewall plate simply...
The new firewall plate simply replaces the old one using the sheetmetal screws.
The supplied bolt and nyloc...
The supplied bolt and nyloc nut was then used to secure the new pedal assembly support to the dash bracket.
Here's where you'll need to...
Here's where you'll need to find a friend to help tighten the nuts under the dash. The front of the pedal assembly was bolted to the firewall plate using the upper two holes. The 8-inch single-diaphragm vacuum power booster was then installed using the lower four holes. The unit is now bolted together to form a solid mount.
The pedal was installed using...
The pedal was installed using the supplied hardware at its pivot point at the top of the bracket. The adjustable booster pushrod was then bolted to the pedal.
Here's the final pedal assembly--all...
Here's the final pedal assembly--all we need to do is tighten some fasteners.