Brake Dust

08/01/2025

Written by Cameron Parker

The 1971 XY GT Falcon Barn Find

We regularly see brake components come through our workshop off classic cars. Rarely do we see brake components come through from a ‘time capsule’. The boys at Southern Rod & Custom dropped off a box of parts from a barn find XY GT Falcon which had been parked up size 1987. A local Barn Find to us at Partswise.

The aim for this GT is to maintain its authenticity, embracing even the dirt and grease. It’s all part of the preservation class trend that’s gained popularity over the years. Particularly for a car that’s stood the test of time.

The Booster

Our Remanufacturing team took on the challenge of rebuilding the Booster, Master Cylinder, and front Calipers. All while preserving their original patina. We carefully de-crimped the Girlock Booster and were pleased to find its interior in excellent condition, free from rust or fluid. Nonetheless, we re-kitted the booster with a new diaphragm, rubber kit, control valve, and valve body. This approach aligns more with reconditioning than full remanufacturing. Unlike the process part number 62027401R goes through. This involves a complete teardown and multiple cleaning stages to restore and powder-coat the shell.

The Cylinder

The Master Cylinder was in pretty good condition, except for a bit of corrosion at the bottom of the bore. The fluid had worn away the anodizing. After polishing the bore, it was clear that the corrosion had begun to damage the alloy. To fix this, we needed to re-sleeve the cylinder with our stainless steel sleeve.

With a stainless steel sleeved bore and a new repair kit, this cylinder will be leak free and good for another 50 years!

The Calipers

On to the calipers. Considering how long they’ve been out of action, they’re actually in pretty decent shape. After taking them apart, we carefully examined each piece. We knew from the start the rubber components would need replacing, but we hoped to salvage the pistons if possible.

Initially, everything looked promising. But after a thorough cleaning and polishing, we discovered marks on the surface, and right where you don’t want them. So, we replaced the pistons with PW16168‘s. The rubbers boots and seals were of course in need of replacement made easy with K702S kits.

All the hardware was in excellent condition, so there was no need to replace the guide pins, bolt, or retraction plate—except for those pesky broken bleed screws! This posed quite a challenge. Since we were committed to preserving the originality, we couldn’t simply drill them out and install a bleeder repair kit. The team dedicated extra time to meticulously drill the bleed screws without harming the thread or seat. They then found another set of Girlock KH calipers in storage with intact bleed screws and used those as replacements. It was a small detail, but a crucial one for this project.

The owner will be showcasing the Falcon at the 20th GT Nationals 2025 along side a few other GT’s Southern Rod & Customs have built over the years. So if you’re a real GT buff or you’re restoring one yourself, there would be not better example to take notes from. So make sure you mark this event in your calendar.