Disc brake master with copper cap

    <img src=images/icon_smile_question.gif border=0 align=middle>hope someone out there can help with this one. Im putting disc brakes on my car and ive been useing nothing but orginal parts as i can get my hands on. I know the car is too early (10 k 64) for them, but i what them on there. I have a disc brake master that has a copper plated cap. The cap is not useable its missing both clips and the tabs on one side are broke off, so i cant just put the clips back on it. I have another cap that has normal colored plating on it. Now heres the question. When,where and what did ford use this these copper plated caps on. Its a neat change from the normal and i dont think it looks bad at all. If some one can enlighten me on subject. I would be thankfully

    The gold zinc dichromate caps were supplied as stock items and were either left natural or painted black, depending on who the supplier was at the time.

    The seal has bendix on the under side of the cap. On the caps you were talking about, do any of them look like they are copper plated? the cap that i have is completely copper color inside and out. It looks like the bottom of a new revere ware copper bottom pot.<img src=images/icon_smile_question.gif border=0 align=middle>

    First off 10/64 is not too early for disc brakes - as far as I know they were an option from almost the start of production. Plus Shelby was building Fastbacks at this point and they HAD the disc brakes.


    I'd be surprised if anyone can tell when this cap was used, but I doubt it came that way from Ford. Copper is used as a base plating metal becasue it is soft and easily polished and other things stick to it really well. Besides it is highly reactive and will corrode very quickly. I'm surprised it is not tarnished green already. I've never seen raw copper used on auto applications beyond the electrical system. But then again you never know with Ford!

    The cap is metal under the copper. I did find two nos screw on caps that are nos on ebay and they look to be copper plated. Did ford put disc brakes on something else that used the same master as a mustang before ford started putting this system on the mustang.

    Agree with others - what you likely looking at is a zinc dichromate plating that has a "copper" look to it. Normally the area under the seal is in better condition that the top of the cap


    Easy way to confirm.... touch a magnet to the cap

    The magnet sticks to it. I looked under the seal and its just as copper colored as the top. I am starting to think maybe bendix painted black over the top of this copper plating. What year did ford start useing this type master.

    I've only seen service replacement disc brake master cylinders with copper caps.


    There are 2 types of disc brake MC's, the ones that require fittings with the brake flares and the ones with flares made in. The master cylinders with fittings were used before the others. Not sure when they were phased out, most likely sometime in early '66.


    Also, not sure how many know, but there was a recall on disc brake master cylinders during the '65 production year.

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