For the most part, the majority of us classic truckers don't have unlimited budgets and there's more than likely lots of classic pickup owners out there running stock brake systems just because of that fact. Well, thanks to the folks at Classic Performance Products, we all now have a bunch of high-quality, yet surprisingly affordable, brake options available to us. In my case, I'd already upgraded my brake system (front discs and 11-inch rear drums) while refurbishing the '57's chassis but not the master cylinder assembly. My first thought was to just upgrade to a late-model OEM Chevy dual master that I'd mount in place of the original under-floor mounting area and call it a day. But, when I was perusing my dog-eared CPP catalog I was amazed to find that they offered a complete firewall-mounted power booster/master cylinder/prop valve conversion kit (in my case, PN 5559FBB2) for disc/drum brake combos for an affordable $299! Geez, I'd imagined a kit of that sort would have been a heck of a lot more expensive than that. Having found this kit, I immediately ordered one and waited patiently for my UPS driver to drop it off a few days later.
The CPP PN 5559FBB2 firewall-mounted power brake booster kit is designed to be compact and allow for clearance of any valve cover combination. Once installed, the firewall, dash, and steering column become triangulated making the entire assembly extremely rigid. Though the factory firewall-to-dash support must be removed and replaced with the new firewall-mount bracket with pedal assembly, it was still a relatively easy installation, even for me. Aside from the new mounting bracket the kit also includes an 8-inch dual power booster, a CPP master cylinder, a proportioning valve, an assembly and all mounting hardware (the bracket is also available separately for those who've already purchased a new master). The '55-59 kit will work with factory e-brake handle assembly, too-a pleasant surprise since I hadn't thought about it beforehand. Anyway, take a look at how I completed my pickup's brake system in one weekend, and for an affordable price to boot!
