Hello, i have a 69 firebird with factory front disk brakes and rear drums. i bought this master cylinder online and it looks different at the actuator part. does anyone know if this is a problem or if it will work ? thanks

looks like you need a new pushrod...the one in the booster should come out. i'd call'm up and ask'm about it.

thats what i was thinking but see how much longer it would need to be to bottom out like the old one, seems like a deep bore. is that normal ?

I had this same issue. I bought a new repro m/c for my 69 Bird at D&R Classic, a Camaro resto parts company (they're close to me, I needed it quick, and I could simply walk in and pick it up). They assured me (and I asked 3 times) that the Camaro master cylinder was the same as a Firebird.

That was the last time I ever bought that excuse.

After installing the new m/c, filling it up, then trying to bleed the brakes, I couldn't get anything out of the bleeders. After several attempts, and trying to be as careful as possible with the brake fluid, I finally took the master cylinder off and compared the two. Just like you show above, the Camaro m/c had a much deeper sleeve, so the Firebird booster pushrod wouldn't make contact.

I tried to return it, but they wouldn't take it back because it had fluid run through it. After finding the exact salesman that told me repeatedly that the m/c was the same on a Firebird as it was on a Camaro, I told him they had better stop trying to expand their business by claiming that all their Camaro parts fit Firebirds too.

I ended up going to CarQuest to try and find a sleeve repair kit, and the girl behind the counter asked if I wanted the entire m/c, rebuilt. I told her the issue about the sleeve, and asked her to look to see if the 69 Bird was the same part number as a 69 Camaro in their catalog. She said no, they were different.

Surprise surprise, the rebuilt one was correct, cost $15 (with core), and it's been working flawlessly on my car for 5 years now.

wow, sounds like my situation. so if i go to autozone or something, i will try to order the "69 firebird w/ power front disk brakes and rear drum" master cylinder and hope i get the right one. atleast i'll bring my old one with me so if they dont match, i wont leave the store with it...

i just checked the receipt and it sais "all refunds will be issued as store credit" ... what a crock !!! and they call themself "firebirdcentral.com" but in the "return policy" section they say "camarocentral.com"... sounds like i got scammed like you did, [censored] i hate when that happens. we should blacklist em'..... but lets see if they give me my money back first (im sure it wont be including return shipping) if at all. i'll call em and let you all know.

just called em... answering machine.... here we go...

Not to be snippy, but did you try local parts houses first? That M/C is nothing fancy. I might have a pushrod that will work for you. Measure the depth in the M/C and then pull out the old pushrod and measure it...let me know.

there is a npd parts down the street from me, i looked in their catalog but didnt see a m/c for the power disk listed so i was afraid they would try to sell me a wrong one, then i got one online from firebirdcentral.com because they claimed it was the exact one for power disk.. i thought about autozone or something but didnt think they would have one in stock or if they did that would have been sitting on the shelf for a long time.... that would be cool if you have something that works.... heres a few photos of the lengths. 67mm and 41mm
thanks

just checked the one i have and it's a hair shorter than yours. wont' work

What about a push rod extension kit from JEGS? I had to use one on my 69 with the new m/c.

so the idea would be the pushrod would extend further out into the master cylinder bore ? by about 40mm... its probably adjustable by some amount as it is, i guess ?? i'm trying to return the one they sold me. i dont want to pay an extra $50 for a kit... and i ordered one from a local parts place for $30 + core, should be in tomorrow and i will see if it looks like my old one... thanks

Before you spend too much more dough check this out. I recently bought a new m/c and I ordered the vette style double bail w/o bleeders. Point is when it came I figured it would come with the adapter if it was a deep bore. It didn't to my disappointment. But then I got to looking at the end of the pushrod from the booster and it has a bump around the end of it large enough to not to allow the rod to extend into the bore any further than the shallow bore master did. Take a real good look. You might be ok with what you have afterall.

yeah i thought about that and measured the diameter and bore hole with a caliper, the rod is smaller than the hole and so just that plastic part would be hitting the m/c piston, which if i didn't look closely, probably would have worked for a few stops and then cracked and brakes went out.... anyways i picked up one at my local parts store today for $30 with core and its the same as my old one except no bleeder screws...
anybody know the best way to bleed the system ?? thanks everybody for your help, i appreciate it !!!

Easiest way is to install it on the car with the bleeder tubes into the res and pump it slowly till all the air is out and then connect your lines and bleed the rest of the system.

i installed the new master cylinder on the vacuum booster. i used the old rubber boot that goes between the m/c and booster. that is when i noticed that the o.d. of the new master cylinder part that goes into the booster, is smaller than the old one looks similar to the original photos in this thread (atleast now though, it has the correct looking center pin). will this be a problem ? i'm thinking now my problem will be the vacuum won't seal correctly ....... i knew this seemed too easy but now its really turning into a pain.....