Will you sell just the pedal, or just the bracket?
My answer to this has always been, “Unfortunately, no.” The reason is that my kit is designed as a system. Without the bracket, the pedal doesn’t work. Without the pedal, the bracket doesn’t work. The geometry of my system is different than anything else that’s available, which is why it works so well. As such, it would be very difficult to make one piece work well without the other. So really, it’s not “unfortunate”, although perhaps its disappointing. Trust me, it will cause more headaches than its worth. Usually, the question is if I will sell just the bracket. That’s ~70% of the cost of the kit, so it wouldn’t be saving much anyway. I feel that this is one of those systems where it’s best to “Do it right the first time.” I designed this so that after you install it, you don’t think about it any more. It just works and it feels right, so that you can focus your efforts on other aspects of your build.
Which master cylinder should I choose?
Simply put, if you have an F-body master cylinder and you want to use it, go with the SSM F-Body Master Pedal Kit. Otherwise, go with an aftermarket universal master cylinder and the SSM Universal Master Pedal Kit. Even if you don’t think you need the upgraded durability, the Universal master gives you an adjstable pushrod. Some of the F-body master cyliders out there also have poor quality control on the pushrod. Where the rod end is crimped onto the pushrod can be inconsistent.
The F-body master cylinder is less expensive but it has its shortcomings. They are made of polymer and they were not intended to handle the increased spring force that comes with aftermarket clutches. That’s not to say that they can’t do it, but they may wear faster. There is also a history of them not returning the pedal quickly during a power shift. This is the reason that aftermarket master cylinders were designed for the Camaros and Firebirds in the first place. For racing applications, or those with stiffer pressure plates with the clutch, many people choose to use an aftermarket master with a metal housing. Some of those masters that were designed for F-body cars were designed with a universal master cylinder (which has been proven reliable for years) and some form of adapter bracket. When I saw that customers were using those setups with my SSM kit and I saw some of the packaging and price challenges with the setup, I decided to support the Universal Master directly. So instead of buying a $330 kit that takes a $90 Universal Master and adapts it to an F-body application, and then buying my kit that adapts an F-body master to a G-body, you can now buy the $90 Universal and bolt it directly to the SSM kit. This saves money, but it also saves valuable packaging room for headers and the upper control arm. Like everything, there are pro’s and con’s to this kit when compared to the F-body kit. Namely, the plumbing to the slave is more complicated and expensive. I give a list of appropriate fittings and hose at the bottom of the Universal Master Kit Page to help, but it may vary depending on what slave cylinder is used and what fitting needs to be used to connect to it. After all, there are aftermarket slaves, just as there are aftermarket masters.