Here is a short discussion of servicing the Forward Control's brake master cylinder as taken from the Forward Forum

From Jeff Herzog: Anybody have an explanation, or better yet, a picture of an easy way to check and maintain brake fluid level?

REPLIES:

Larry Johnson: My 1961 DRW has a short hose in the master cylinder cap just long enough to reach the larger hole in the dash just to the right of the master cylinder. The hose is rubber with brass ends and the breather plug just screwed into the hose. I parted out two 170's to rebuild mine and they were both the same way.

Herb Russell: Do you have a remote fill? My FC has been modified so that the fill is through a fitting mounted in the dash. I use a 2 cycle mixing syringe to top it off. Easy to fill but also easy to spill if you're not careful. The Master Cylinder cap was modified by removing the vent and brazing in a hose fitting. A/T cooler hose runs from there up to the dash fill which is another hose fitting with a pipe plug to close it off. The pipe plug has an 0.040 hole drilled in it as a vent. Since the Master Cylinder is vented to air I use Valvoline Synthetic brake fluid. A little more money but doesn't seem to absorb water like regular DOT3. Dr. Vern has a similar setup ideawise for a CJ. He used a remote resevoir off a small pickup I think. I like the idea of using a resevoir just have to find one that will work on an FC.

Ernie: My FC-150 has a funnel shaped master cyl. cap with a rubber plug in the middle and a metel cap over the hole in the dash. I reach up from under the dash and remove the rubber plug, then using a tin can with a short hose attached to bottom fill it through the hole in the dash. If I go slow and use a flash light sometimes I can fill it up without spilling any!

Kevin Banonis: Yeah, I was a bit put off too when I discovered that the access hole in the dash supposedly for master cylinder filling was indeed not directly over the master cylinder. The master cylinder fill cap on my FC-150 had been drilled and tapped by someone who came before me. There is a small pipe plug in the hole and a vent hold drilled into the plug. I have to remove the lower skirting on my dash to allow hand access and then I just remove the pipe plug, insert a funnel with a piece of hose attached to it through the dash access hole and feed it down to the hole in the top of the master cylinder cap. The hose is ever so slightly smaller than the MC cap hole so it fits snug. Then I just pour in the fluid. It always runs over a bit but I am quick with a shop rag. A little messy. I like the idea of the remote reservoir but I am somewhat of a purist when it comes to originality. Having said that however, it may be nice to fashion a permanent capped filler tube that leads from the master cylinder right up to just below the dash access hole. Maybe use an old dipstick tube. Maybe even alter the dipstick so you can use it to check the level.

Will Regan: I was wondering if anyone has tried a remote reservoir as found in a VW bug. I had a 72 bug once and it had a clear plastic remote reservoir with lines to the Master Cylinder. Being clear plastic you can see the level easily and it wasn't very large so it might fit without too much work.

Earl Zastrow: That's exactly what I did. I guess great minds think alike I made up a braket and mounted it under the radio delete plate - there is just barely enough drop for it to drain into the Master Cylinder. All I have to do to top off the fluid is take off the delete plate and fill it thru the opening in the dash.

Will Regan: Great to hear how the VW reservoir was used I'll have to try it!

Thanks everyone for this discussion!

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