How many times have you seen a restored Mopar and under the hood everything looks great but the brake master cylinder? Most likely that factory unit is leaking, rusting or both. If you’re not extra cautious, that small leak from the master cylinder will run onto the inner fender and bubble all the paint. The worst is trying to pry the cap lock off with a screw driver and when it breaks loose the cap and screwdriver go flying. (Ask us how we know.) We have been through these same scenarios just like almost every Mopar owner has too. Luckily, our friends at Baer Brakes noticed the Mopar community needed a better option. Baer applied their same level of engineering expertise in their braking systems to creating the Remaster.

For many years, Mopar enthusiasts were limited to a couple options. First, a few companies re-manufacture factory master cylinders for the enthusiast looking to stay stock. The problem is although they worked well and rebuilt, they still were subject to leaking, difficult cover removal, rusting, etc. Then if you switch to discs or increase the size of your discs, there comes other issues. Trying to get the correct size of factory master cylinder for your exact brakes can be difficult and time consuming. If you do not choose correct size your brakes might have a hard or super soft pedal. 

Above: Baer Brakes Remaster and bolt on proportioning valve ready for Orange Crush.

Switching to aftermarket brakes most enthusiasts will get pushed to using a 2-bolt adapter plate on the firewall to allow other aftermarket master cylinders. Some of them are still poorly designed, leak, have a lot of plastic parts, poor cosmetics and list goes on. One big issue we ran into with 2-bolt master cylinders were getting the right adapters for our brake line and where the lines exited the master cylinder. Some were metric, some were standard and then some had odd size tube nuts that threw everything off.

Even if you found a master cylinder that would work, you still needed to find a spot to mount a proportioning valve. As most aftermarket master cylinders require an adjustable type, this takes up more space and custom bent brakes lines to it and then to the master cylinder. We had to mount ours on the inner fender beside the master cylinder for easy access when tuning. It worked but always hated how it looked.

Above: Baer Brakes different hard line and proportioning valve setups. From left to right is General fit, stainless and banjo lines. 

Baer designed the ultimate brake master cylinder, Remaster. This unit will work in place of factory Mopar master cylinder with no adapters required. The Remaster cylinder will bolt directly to the firewall or to a factory power brake booster without any adapters. Best of all the Remaster is made right here in the USA. We were tired of all the issues with other master cylinders which made it an easy choice to go with the Remaster on the Project Orange Crush.  

As soon as we removed the Remaster from the box we could tell there would be no concerns with quality. The Remaster is designed from a solid chunk of billet aluminum. There are no plastic parts here. From the reservoir caps to the body and base, it’s all billet aluminum. We could not stop staring at the Remaster. The anodized black finished was going to be a perfect fit in the orange engine bay of Orange Crush. 

Top Left: The anodized finish and bolt on proportioning valve looks incredible. Top Right: You can see the etched Baer claw and Made In USA markings in the cap. Bottom Left: There are no plastic caps here. With the knurl sides, they are much easier to unscrew than the old factory style. Bottom Right: The body and the top are solid pieces of billet aluminum. 

Removing the knurled caps from the reservoirs, we noticed that Baer not only used the normal rubber diaphragm gaskets but also o-rings around the cap for additional sealing. There is nothing worst than dripping brake fluid on the inner fender and having all the paint peel off. Additionally, Baer thought about future maintenance and accessibility of the Remaster and made the whole top of the reservoir removable. 

Along with the Remaster, we ordered Baer’s bolt on adjustable proportioning valve. Baer offers two different proportioning valves, one designed for remote mounting and the other that bolts under the Remaster. We wanted to keep things compact and went with the bolt on proportioning valve. They offer the option of pre-bent stainless or banjo-style fittings. We decided on the stainless pre-bent lines for Orange Crush. 

Above: Showing off some of the many colors that Baer offers for their custom Remaster.

We ordered our Remaster with the lines exiting on the left side of the reservoir. Just like factory units, the lines will be away from the motor and align better with our existing brake lines. In certain instances you may need the lines to come out the right side, which Baer offers as an option at no extra charge. The pre-bent stainless lines fit perfect, connecting the Remaster to the proportioning valve. The complete unit is smaller than our previous one and way more stylish.

Another big issue for many enthusiasts, us included, is what size master cylinder they should use on their project. When looking at factory master cylinders there are a ton of sizes and trying to find exact size on some are difficult unless you have it sitting in your hand. There are formulas that you can use to figure the volume and area of your calipers and how much force is needed for certain pressure poundage but for majority of enthusiasts that is not needed. Baer understands what you want and have done the math for you. They offer a couple sizes of Remaster that full-fills about every scenario. 

Top: With just a couple screws the proportioning valve is installed. Bottom Left: The proportioning valve is marked for each line. Bottom Middle: A comfortable knob for adjusting front and rear brake bias. Bottom Right: You can see the holes that connect the proportioning valve and Remaster.

Baer offers both 15/16-inch and 1-inch bore Remaster, which works for the majority of Mopar owners. As rule of thumb the 15/16-inch bore cylinder is a great choice for manual brakes. The 15/16-inch bore has enough volume to perform on or off the track, while giving comfortable pedal feedback. It is a nice middle ground between ’70s manual and power brakes with the scale tipped slightly to the power side. We went with the manual route due to less potential of issues with a booster and do not have to worry about how much vacuum our motor produces.   

The 1-inch bore cylinder is used on power assisted brakes. The 4-bolt flange allows use of factory power boosters. When installing the Remaster on a factory booster Baer recommends to measure the depth of the Remaster and the length of the booster’s pushrod. Baer designed a very simple push rod measuring tool (#6801279) that makes measuring the Remaster and the booster very easy. If you are using a hydro-boost setup give Baer a call because you may need a 2-bolt flange and possibly a larger bore Remaster.

Above Left: Orange Crush awaiting the new Remaster. No adapters needed this time around. Above Right: We bolted on the Remaster using the factory nuts and ready to go. 

We want to note that Baer also offers a 1 1/8-inch Remaster too. This is specifically designed for use with hydroboost set up. This has become a popular option for pro touring crowd and low vacuum motors. If you are not familiar with hydroboost, it is an option for powering your brakes using the power steering pump. Hydroboost was not a factory option on classic Mopars so you may never encounter it. We mention this in case you are looking to go down that path, Baer has options for you too. 

Once you have all the mechanicals of the Remaster laid out, then it is time to decide on a color. Baer offers the Remaster in the standard black, grey and polished look. If you are wanting something a little more custom, Baer offers a custom Remaster. They offer a ton of different color options for the body of the Remaster in the custom order form. When you pick the body color then you can choose black or polished caps and top. We chose to keep it simple and choose the anodized black Remaster.

Above: All complete with our stainless lines. 

Installing the Remaster was a breeze. The 4–bolt flange lined up perfectly to the factory studs on Orange Crush. We did have to get an adjustable push rod for the factory brake pedal. We found our rod at Mancini Racing here. We checked the brake pedal positioning and made sure nothing was binding. With the Remaster and push rod installed, we were ready to get cracking on the rest of the system.

Baer Brakes Remaster is another perfect piece for the puzzle we call Orange Crush. Baer has simplified brake master cylinder buying and made it look phenomenal along the way. With a plethora of colors and options, Baer will deliver exactly what you need and want. We are excited for no more plastic caps, bubbling paint from leaking reservoirs, and more room from its compact design. Check back soon as we install Baer Brakes 14-inch Pro+ kit on the front and rear of Orange Crush. Remember Baer’s Remaster is compatible with any brake kit you have currently, so give Baer a call today about getting your Remaster.

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