Bendix vs. Delco brake systems

[TrevorK]

Does anyone know if what the differences are between the Bendix and Delco brake systems on a 1963?  I'm wondering if the differences are limited to just the booster and the master cylinder or if other parts like the wheel cylinders, proportioning valve, etc. would be different.

Trevor

[dadscad]

To the best of my knowledge, the only difference was the booster and master cylinder unit. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for one car to get Bendix or Delco, same as Carter or Rochester with the carburetor. Maybe someone with more knowledge than I, will verify or correct my statement.

[Dave Shepherd]

Correct, all the other components were the same, in 63 there was no proportioning valve.

[TrevorK]

Ok, thanks for the info. I'm going to try to explain a bit of the background to my question. Some on this happened 2 or 3 years ago, so the details are a bit hazy. My car is a 63 with the Bendix set-up. A few years ago when I was getting the car safetied, the mechanic who was working in it let me test drive the car and the brakes were super sensitive, just the slightest touch and the car would lurch to a stop. I wasn't happy with the brakes, so the mechanic looked into it and said there was no adjustment. We were going to try switching out the master cylinder, but couldn't find a Bendix one, so decided to try switching the Booster to a Delco and putting on a new Delco m/c. I found a Delco booster and took it to the shop. The mechanic looked at the Delco booster and was able to take some parts from it to make the Bendix set-up adjustible, so we didn't end up changing the whole set-up.

I've never been completely satisfied with the brakes. The are a bit sensitive (but not too bad) and the don't seem to be all there. I don't think I could lock up the tires and I worry about not having enough stoping power. I've wondered about just tossing everything and going with a disc set-up, but this is an expensive option and I wonder if there is a cheaper way to get good brakes.

Does my recollection of things sound realistic? Any thoughts on what would be the best fix?

[Dave Shepherd]

I do not beleive there are any parts between boosters and master cylinders that when " swapped" would have any means of adjusting brake sensitivity.  The entire brake system should be looked at, a 59 Seville I recently worked on that was regularly driven with poor stopping power, it  had at least one rusted /frozen piston in all 4 wheel cylinders, the fluid was contaminated and I replaced all 4 wheel cylinders, flushed the system and it now stopped like a 59 Cad should.  Obviously a properly installed disc brake set up will always stop better and no fade of course.

[dadscad]

My 63 also came with the Bendix Master/Booster. The Bendix unit I have was never super sensitive, even after a couple of rebuilds. The last time I had the unit rebuilt, the master cylinder didn't last long before it started leaking into the booster. At that point I decided to go with the more available and less expensive Delco unit. I bought a rebuilt Delco booster and new Wagner brand master cylinder for it, from Advance Auto. This unit works well but it takes more pedal pressure to stop the car than the Bendix unit required.

If the Bendix unit is properly adjusted internally, inside the master cylinder and the booster push rod, it should work fine. The push rod from the booster to the master piston clearance is described in the shop manual as is the adjustment of the two pistons inside the master cylinder. The mechanic also needs to pay close attention to the directional placement of the residual valves inside the master cylinder. They can be put in backwards and cause the brakes to drag or completely lock up and not release immediately.

Super sensitive brakes could be caused by other issues than the master cylinder. Have you inspected the linings to be sure they don't have oil/brake fluid contamination and the retracting springs etc. are correct and properly installed?

Not knowing what your mechanic interchanged between the two different brands of boosters to get one to work, I would be skeptical of the results. If it were my car, I would do one of two things, either send the Bendix master cylinder and booster with the original parts to a reputable re-builder and have it completely redone or do as I did for my car, buy the rebuilt Delco booster and a new or rebuilt master cylinder for it. If after that, you still have brake issues, I would start looking at the front and rear wheels for issues with the drums and linings.