Power brakes or not on my EM

[mjhcobra]

I just resumed the construction on my EM car, after coaching my daughters softball team for 10 years amoung other family duties, and now find that EM has gone to a brake and clutch assembly that uses a power brake booster and master cylinders with plastic reservoirs. I have always tried to keep the original look and am interested to hear pros and cons about power brakes and the use of plastic reservoirs. Also, is there a universal pedal setup that is used and found to work well? The EM setup has the gas pedal incorporated into the pedal box which appears to be a nice feature.

[priobe]

mjhcobra,

I am completing the build of an EM older generation with your simular setup. I am using manual brakes and have no complaints.

If you need any help let me know.

I am using the EM pedal with Wilwood 4 piston caliper on all 4 corners with Tilton / Wilwood masters.

[mjhcobra]

Which pedal assembly are you using, with or without the intergal gas pedal? Any pictures?

[A Cobra guy]

I built my EM about 12 years ago so it is likely similar to what you have MJ. It came with the dual master cylinder setup so the brakes are manual. After a good deal of tinkering I now have brakes I am happy with. To address your issue the plastic resivoirs have never been an issue. the dual MC's allow the brakes to be balanced nicely.
What I did notice was the pedal always felt spongey. I finaly figured out the entire front of the foot box was flexing. The entire pedal assembly is bolted to the fiberglass. I reenforced the front of the footbox with some steel. the f-box no longer flexes and the pedal feels much better.

On a seperate brake issue I ordered my frame with the 11" granada rotors and the single piston calipers on the front. They were terrible! I found a brake kit with aluminum hubs, 11.5" rotors and 4 piston wilwood calipers. This new setup is great.

[Tommy]

mjhcobra,
My EM Cobra was built around 1995 by a previous owner, but I took it apart and rebuilt it in 2004. My car has 1987 Corvette suspension and brakes. The brake pedal/clutch assembly is one piece with adjustable front/rear brake bias. The gas pedal is separate. The original master cylinders were Tilton manual pieces in aluminum. I developed a leak due to poor alignment of the rods from the brake pedal to the master cylinder wearing on the aluminum, so I replaced them with CNC brand steel master cylinders with good results. I have mounted CNC remote aluminum reservoirs on the fender well to make it easier to change brake fluid before track events. I have nothing against plastic reservoirs in general, but I have seen some two piece plastic reservoirs that seem very prone to leaks where the pieces mate together. The other thing to consider is the effect of heat from your exhaust on the master cylinders and reservoirs. ... As far as manual brakes go, I like mine. I have driven my car very hard on tracks where hard braking is required and the manual brakes worked fine.

[mjhcobra]

It appears that EM only offers the 3 pedal setup with power brakes. Any ideas since the 3 pedal setup is designed for a booster/mc for the brakes and an mc for the clutch? Is there a generic pedal assembly from say, Wilwood to use and what would I do aboult a gas pedal?

[Tommy]

Here's a link to the Tilton brake/clutch/master cylinder setup similar to mine. There are some good installation drawings that show how it would be mounted to a firewall. You need to make sure the firewall is strong enough, the pedals would be properly placed in the footwell and that there's room for the master cylinders and reservoirs in the engine compartment. I didn't notice any throttle assemblies on the Tilton site, but I'm sure other manufacturers sell something that would work.

http://www.tiltonracing.com/content....list2&id=4&m=b

[mjhcobra]

I reviewed the manual I got from EM and they require holes cut in the top of the foot box. I think this was a custom set of pedals and mc's. I have looked at the Tilton and Wilwood pedals and it looks like both mount to the top of the box and holes are cut in the front of the box for the mc's. Do you have any pictures of your pedals mounted in the footbox and how they are connected to the box?

[Tommy]

Here are photos of pedals and engine compartment in my car. Yes, the pedals are mounted to both the front and top of the firewall.

[mjhcobra]

Great pictures-they help alot. Looks like your pedal assembly changed a little from the one in the manual as they used to come thru the top of the foot box. I think I am going to use a Wilwood pedal setup and look for a gas pedal. Why the remote mc's? Looks like they are easier to get to. Do you use a hydraulic throw out bearing? Thats what EM suggested so thats what I got. Does your gas pedal use a cable or linkage? Originally, EM was using the Mustang II cable.
Thanks again. Martin

[Tommy]

First, my throttle consists of a cable that exits the top of the foot box and arcs around to connect to the linkage on my Holley carb. The first photo shows the cable exiting the foot box. The second photo show the cable connecting to the carb.





Second, I mounted my brake fluid reservoirs where the could be easily accessed because I built the car for use at the track. I change the brake fluid before each track event to minimize the possibility of boling the fluid and losing braking effectiveness.

Third, my car had a McLeod hydraulic throw out bearing when I bought it, but it gave me nothing but problems. After the third clutch change due to a leaking TOB, I converted to an external hydraulic slave cylinder mounted on a bracket I fabricated. From what I've read here on the forum, a properly installed hydraulic TOB is a wonderful thing. BUT, if you have problems with it, you have to pull the transmission to fix it. External slave clylinders don't require as much work when they need attention.

[mjhcobra]

Your comments and pictures have provided alot of info for my pedal setup. Thanks for taking the time to take the pictures and answer my questions. M

[Tommy]

I'm happy to help. Good luck finishing your long delayed car.