Master Cylinder

On the original VW, the fluid canister was NOT mounted directly to the master cylinder. It was up in the trunk and had blue cloth-covered rubber hoses connecting it to the plastic hose nipples on the master cylinder.

Um, I think you meant to say the fluid reservoir is mounted directly on the master cylinder.

@Michael McKelvey posted:

Um, I think you meant to say the fluid reservoir is mounted directly on the master cylinder.

On early spilt window buses the fluid reservoir is mounted directly on the master cylinder. ,

on  most bugs the fluid reservoir is mounted  up in the "Frunk" the one pictured  above f is mounted on the quarter panel,

and yes the original used the blue hose that was made for brake fluid.

One question I have has anyone found  found  a cap that has  an electric "float" in the cap that turns on a dash light when the fluid is low ?  I think early 80s BMWs had something like that

Thanks

Thanks so much for the quick responses. I obviously need to learn more about early VW’s.

Examples:

OK, so let’s “Edumacate” you.

Most VW Beetle master cylinders had a separate reservoir mounted in the Frunk, with feed hoses going down to the master cylinder.  @Alan Merklin has built up the occasional Speedster replica with the reservoir mounted directly on top of the master cylinder, much like yours.  It requires a different reservoir that is the same, IIRC, as one from a Volvo, that fits right onto the top of the M/C - Alan may know better.

But that’s not what you want.  You want the little nozzles and grommets that fit onto the top of the M/C so you can run clear vinyl hoses from the M/C up to the reservoir in the frunk.

So get two of these:

https://www.jbugs.com/product/...5EAQYAyABEgKRAfD_BwE

And two of these:

https://www.jbugs.com/product/211611817A.html

And one of these:

https://www.jbugs.com/product/113611301L.html

You’ll need to fabricate a reservoir mounting bracket.  I used a piece of Aluminum angle stock to hold the reservoir and screw it into the body.  Plus a few feet of clear vinyl tubing along with some tiny hose clamps and that should do it.  You don’t need the fancy, cloth braided brake fluid tubing that VW used 50 years ago.  The right size clear vinyl tubing is just fine.

Everything should fit under the gas tank with easy access to the reservoir up in the frunk, mounted off to one side or up on the ‘firewall’ - Where-ever looks good.

So you get to leave your existing M/C in place, pop the reservoir off the top ( Be careful to catch all of the fluid that’s gonna spill out when you pop the reservoir off or try sucking it out of the reservoir with a turkey baster and piece of hose), press the little hose nipples into the grommets and then press the grommets into the M/C.  That will make your M/C look like the one in Wolfgang’s post.  then, mount your remote reservoir where-ever you want and run the hoses to it, clamp the ends and fill it with new fluid.  

I’m being redundant, all of your inputs are great. I really didn’t expect this level of support. Thanks!

maybe Carey knows .....

there are a  couple  master cylinders for a stock bug

lets say a drum brake 1970 bug ' with 4 wheel drum brakes,

a 1970 Karmann Ghis with front disc brakes front , drums rear

and a  "special" with  disc front brakes and disc rear brakes ( like a Porsche 914)

I assume you need to match your master cylinder to the combination of brakes on your car ,

So a drum/ drum , or   disc/ drums are a stock VW part , what do you use for a disc/disc ?

Thanks for the info

When I bought my rear disc brakes from SoCal I also bought a master cylinder from them.

The 4-wheel disc brake MCs have a part number that ends in DD. The ones with the single D will work but the pedal throw is uncomfortably long.

@edsnova posted:

The 4-wheel disc brake MCs have a part number that ends in DD. The ones with the single D will work but the pedal throw is uncomfortably long.

Just FYI, they changed part numbers again. I;d have to look but most retailers don;t have the DD master any longer.  They sell what appears to be (and for all intents and purposes, is) the same master, just different part number.

Keeping us on our toes. PNs aside, what you want is a 20.6 mm bore MC.

Hello again, sorry that I haven't posted an update. All of your input was so appreciated. everything is working well except for one item. I purchased the nozzles and grommets per the links provided. They seemed to fit well but, the grommets are leaking quite badly. When I push them down to ensure that they are seated, the leak is greater. I'm assuming that they are the wrong grommet but, don't know which one to order to resolve the issue. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks, Chuck

We found that all of the new plastic nipples have a heavy casting line in them (flashing) that is not being cleaned off by the manufacturer and they leak from the hose and the rubber grommet if not addressed.  Not sure if this is your issue, but take a look at  them and see if they have this casting line, and if so, shave it off and then sand the nipple smooth and that will stop your leak.  If it is your actual grommet that is leaking, I have not experienced this and have no solution without knowing the exact fitment issue...

This sounds exactly right. Brake fluid REALLY likes to find leaks. It doesn't take much.

I had a leak on Tilton MCs on another car. The plastic Tilton reservoirs or remote reservoir nipples go over the master and clamp with a wire clamp. A tiny area that isn't smooth makes a leak.

Thanks for the input. I’ll drain and remove the nozzles.

I was hoping not to be back on this issue. All new grommets and nozzles. The leaks are at the interface of the grommet to the MC. They seem to be very tight going in but, still leaking. Assume that any type of sealant would be a waste of time and potentially contaminate the fluid? Read somewhere that the German made grommets are superior to ones made in Brazil?? Would be wonderful if there was a MC that had screw in connections rather then the push in grommets. Any such thing? Thanks again, Chuck

Bit late to the party but when I updated to a dual circuit Super Beetle M/C and hydraulic clutch, here’s what I did:

Tilton reservoirs from Summit Racing, running through the bulkhead to the reservoirs (with proper blue cloth braided metric brake hose, thank you Gordon ), mounted to the bulkhead with a trimmed piece of aluminum angle to keep the reservoirs perpendicular to the ground.

Nice, clean installation.