My car is a 70. It has the disc brakes from a newer maverick. I put new master cylinder on and got one for a 75 with manual brakes. With the pedal hooked up to the new master and rod that came with it the pedal is way to high. I checked the rod on the old Master and it is the same length as the new rod. I can't drive it with the pedal that high. Never driven car yet, been on going project and getting close to first drive so I don't know where the pedal is supposed to be. Any help? Thanks
That seems to be a problem for a lot of us. Some modification will be in order to get it to a more desirable height. Some folks get an adjustable rod from one of the Mustang houses, some folks shorten the rods they have. The safest way wud probably get the adjustable rod, unless you have some pretty gud welding skill/knowledge. There are some threads on the forum pertaining to this topic.
I read the threads but there is no conclusion to any of the threads. They all say they would shorten or buy aftermarket rod but there is no answers to what the outcome was or if it solved it.
There are different length rods, stock should be 6" as measured from tip to center opening which is what mine is and my pedal is a little too high, but is drivable... I'm planning on measuring the one in my parts car, if it's same I'm cuttin'... BTW I also have a unknown Ford rod that's approx 3/4" longer so do come in different lengths, no idea if any are shorter than stock...
I have the same problem,I bought the an ajustable rod from summit. Didn't change it yet ,to cold out.
I'm beginning to wonder if the brake pedal assembly or bracket it pivots on may be different in some years... Ain't that the truth, warmer days are coming...
Guess you didn't read them all then. LOL. I posted how I shortened the rod one time by cutting 3/8" out of the center and then welding it back together. (The rod is always in compression, never subjected shear or tensile loads so welding is easy.) Next time I had the problem I put 3/8" spacers between the firewall and the master cylinder. I read somewhere that the MC rebuilders almost always supply a longer length rod that a Mustang would use.
The rods are not the same length. Even 1/2" to 3/4" makes a huge difference in pedal height. Two options are: 1) get a shorter rod (& new retainer clip) from a '70 - '73 drum brake master cylinder. and 2) get an aftermarket adjustable rod from Summit Racing or one of the Mustang supply houses.
I cut down a stock rod, cut threads on both sides, and connected via a coupler with jam nut...essentially piecing together an adjustable rod on the cheap with a little time and effort. I was able to dial in the exact height I wanted. Super easy.
I had the same problem- I have a 75 though. Got the adjustable mustang pushrod. Works awesome-puts the pedal where ever you want it. $45 well spend in my opinion- I don't mess around with brakes, just not worth it.
I have had the same problem for about 12 years, pedal too high. It is driveable I also autocross so really it is not that bad, but now I think I will try to find an adjustable rod.
I used my original rod from my old drum-brake master cylinder when I swapped to the '74 Disc/drum master cylinder. I don't know why Ford had to keep changing stuff, but it's frustrating. I think the steering column/brake pedal bracket was different on '74-'77 models. I know for a fact the '74-'77 brake pedal geometry is different, but it doesn't fit correctly on the earlier cars because the bushings are a different size, and it used a nut & bolt rather than a clevis & clip. Even with correct-size bushings, the pedal will hang a bit crooked. The bracket won't swap to the earlier models though, because the studs don't line up with the original holes in the firewall, which makes no sense because the power-brake steering column/pedal bracket holes do line up. So yeah, rather than screwing with all that P.I.T.A. stuff, it's better to just get a shorter rod.
