403 Master Cylinder Remote Tank ?

[peter dowdle]

I find it difficult to fill or check the fluid in the brake master cylinder. I am considering fitting a remote tank on the fire wall. Any thoughts please.

[Stefan]

My late model 1955 403 Was fitted from new
with a reservoir low on the bulkhead next to the steering column.
Connected By a metal brake pipe to the master cylinder filler nut. The reservoir is a common 50s part, same as my 80” Land Rover. I think the filler nut connection is too, though not difficult to tinker one up.
Makes bleeding easier. Nice.

[peter dowdle]

Thanks Stefan .

My 403 is a late car with remote gear shift and lights on the top of the guards yet no tank. Would love a photo to get it right.

[Stefan]

Alas- car sold many years ago. I’ll see if I can find anything, but maybe others have this version themselves.

[mikebro]

Please find attached two photographs of my installation. As you can see, the engine etc. is out of the car, and the floors are out. But as I've only recently rebuilt the entire brake system, it's a good chance to see the brake fluid reservoir installation. I have just rebuilt this, as it was when I found it, but with a new piece of rubber hose. To my knowledge, no 403s had the remote reservoir as they left the factory. But this was a very common modification. In the case of my 403, I suspect this was done when the car went back to the factory in 1958 to have a disc brake conversion done on the front brakes. This included a servo, which I have replaced with a modern equivalent, as I was unable to find replacement seals for the original. You will see this in one of the photos. The Enots reservoir and the Electrical Control Box are in their "as designed" positions.

Back to the brake fluid reservoir:- the cap on the master cylinder had been drilled, and a fitting welded on which provided a short length of steel tube over which the rubber hose tightly pushes. The reservoir itself is, as a previous poster says, a common part from the '50s, in fact very similar to the one on my 1956 Austin-Healey 100. It would not have needed modification, as it would have been designed with a fitting to take a copper tube with with a compression olive. One other point - the 403's identification plate on mine has been moved to the offside end of the firewall to make room for the brake fluid reservoir.

Hope that helps. I would appreciate your letting me know if it does.

Mike
403-1402

[peter dowdle]

Thank You Mike Exactly What I Was After.

What Has Been Done On Your Car Is Basically What I Had In Mind.using An Austin Healey Type Tank To Obtain A Period Look But I Think I Will Go For A Copper Line.

Interested To Note The Original Banjo Bolt Fitting On The Front Of The Master Cylinderhas Been Replaced. I Note Your Outlet Pipe Heads Off To The Front Of The Car I Guess To Go To The Power Booster. Where Has It Been Mounted?

I Am In The Process Of Fitting A Booster To My Car And Am Concidering Fitting It In Near The Grille And Tapping Into The Front Brake Lines. Interested In Your Thoughts.

Peter Dowdle

[mikebro]

Not quite. Blow up the picture that shows both the reservoir and the master cylinder. The servo (booster) is there in the bottom LH corner, with the neck end with its outlet banjo pointing right. The master cylinder outlet is fitted with a 7/16 to 3/8 reducer to fit the 3/16 tube that goes to the servo inlet. The servo outlet has a banjo to convert to 1/4 tube, with which the rest of the system is run. The servo outlet is what goes to the back of the car, to the first three way header on the under floor cross member. The servo body pokes into the RHS under wing area. Bristol Cars cut a big piece out of the finned engine compartment side panel. They then fabricated an aluminium cover box which they pop riveted to what was left of the side panel and to the air intake duct, under the RH wing. Quite a crude job actually. The servo neck is bolted under a clamp whose body is riveted to the top face of the RH chassis rail. This is the only support for the servo.

Cheers

Mike

[peter dowdle]

Sorry I didnt look close enough.It seems an odd way to mount the booster. Most of the cars in Australia have the booster mounted on the left hand side of the engine near the firewall. My car though has an oil cooler mounted in that position that is why I am looking at the idea of mounting it in front of the radiator.

[mikebro]

That is "RHS sitting in the driver's seat", not "RHS looking at the front of the car". Maybe we're at cross purposes?

Mike

[peter dowdle]

No They Are Mounted On Passengers Side

[412usa]

This the set-up I used on my Arnolt. The Master Cylinder is for a Jaguar XK120 early type and the cap includes the threaded portion. The Lockheed reservoirs are harder to find than the Girling ones. They are identified by the cap having a hex nut. They both work.

[peter dowdle]

This is a photo of my remote tank. I didnt have to drill holes in the firewall rather I removed one of the bolts that holds the floor boards in and replaced it with a longer bolt of the same style which has been used to hold the tank in place.I have used brake line and brake fittings and tapped a thread in the original lid of the master cylinder. The remote tank makes life a little easier.

[mikebro]

Originally Posted by peter dowdle

This is a photo of my remote tank. I didnt have to drill holes in the firewall rather I removed one of the bolts that holds the floor boards in and replaced it with a longer bolt of the same style which has been used to hold the tank in place.I have used brake line and brake fittings and tapped a thread in the original lid of the master cylinder. The remote tank makes life a little easier.

Nice job, and no need to move the nameplate like on mine.

Mike