Yeah, you might look pretty cool doin' that smoky burnout and launching down the street at light speed. But how cool are you going to look when you wad it up at the end because you couldn't stop in time? Thankfully, brake manufacturers are catching up with all the power that's been coming from engine builders these days. It's not uncommon to go to a car show and see a Tri-Five with 500-plus hp. Now there are brakes so big they won't fit behind a stock rim, and with calipers that have more pistons than I have fingers. None of these attributes are bad; in fact, they're great. Enthusiasts are building outstanding all-around performance machines with the cool stuff that aftermarket companies are producing. Everything is working together like it's supposed to, raising the bar on fun while being safe.
Bang for your buck is what you get from ABS. From left to right is the master cylinder they come either chromed or polished, next is the electric vacuum pump, last but not least is the High Power accumulator. Like we mentioned earlier, if the worst should happen and you loose power or the system fails, the accumulator can hold enough pressure for 20 stops on the pedal. Now, what if you should use the pedal 21 times? You still have stopping power via the master cylinder.
Imagine the blacktop rocket you built has too much cam and vacuum issues, or you simply want to clean and sanitize your engine bay by hiding that big ugly booster, or you want those high-end calipers to operate at the best possible PSI.
At ABS, they have been working hard over the years to bring us innovative brake systems. One of the most recent products they've created is an Electric High Power Master Cylinder. This system has an electric vacuum pump and a high-pressure accumulator, eliminating the need for a brake booster that pulls vacuum from the engine. Not only is ABS' brand-new master cylinder good looking and effective, you can also get a remote fill unit for the master cylinder in tight spaces.
If you are having a hard time holding back your horsepower, call or stop by ABS. They have a shop full of well-trained brake specialists and a warehouse packed with innovative, hard-to-find parts to help you get as much performance from your car's binders as you do from the horsepower.
Before we got started, we found a '56 Nomad that was having a few issues with stopping. We took the Nomad out to the track to see what kind of 60-0 mph numbers it would crunch. The best we could get the Nomad to come to a halt was at 185.42 feet. After we threw on the ABS electric master cylinder, we headed back out to the track, where we shrank the 60-0 mph feet down to 174.16 feet with only a booster swap. Considering the swap is an easy way to spend the afternoon, and yields better performing results, we're going to have go ahead and say it's worth the while!
What would any install story be without the "before" picture? Here is the old booster and master cylinder. Not bad, but let's remove some of the clutter in this engine bay. | 
Once the old booster is removed, you will see the bare firewall. At some point, this Nomad the firewall had been smoothed and filled. If your firewall has been altered, you will need a mounting plate from ABS. However, if your firewall is in stock shape, none is required. | 
In the case of this '56 a mounting plate is required. All the hardware and instructions are supplied in this kit. Simply drill four holes and batten the plate down. If you want color match it to you're firewall now would be good time to paint it. |
Find a location to mount the electric booster. In our case the ABS technicians mounted it to the frame just underneath where the driver sits. The one thing we neglect to show you in this photo in the round sphere like power accumulator. It simply threads into the side of the electric booster. | 
Now that the electric booster has been mounted wiring it is the next step. The three wires that you see here are ground, hot wire and fuse box wire. It's simple enough right? | 
Now comes time for the good looking chromed master cylinder. By the time you are ready to install the master cylinder, you should have already replumbed your brake lines and are ready to hook everything right up. |
You can see that our technician has done a perfect job with matching up the new brake lines. Now it's simply a matter of tightening the threads. | 
Don't forget the new vacuum line that runs from the electric booster to the back of the new master cylinder. Once all three are attached, hook the pedal up on the other side of the firewall. You're ready to fill the reservoir up and bleed the lines. | 
We love this final parting shot of the master cylinder. It looks right at home next to the rest of the polished and chromed items that may be lurking underneath your hood. Thanks to our ABS technicians, Ricardo Luna, and Guillermo Gomez, for their help with this '56. |