79 308gts master cylinder change out

I was reading the service manual and it says that you should replace the whole unit (servo and cylinder) if it needs to be replaced. Has anyone switched out just the master cylinder and had any trouble? Master cylinders are fairly cheap compared to the 1500+ for the whole unit. Any tips and suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

I have a 79 308 and noticed a problem when I stopped at red lights the pedal would slowly push to floor. I needed a new Master cylinder. I took the advice of many knowledgable sources to also have booster done while going to the trouble of removing all. I sent MC and booster to White Post Restorations in VA. You can Google them. The entire rebuild for both units and reassembly was about $470 if I rememmber correctly. Parts are restored and refinished to new. I had it back inside a week with shipping time. It isn't that hard to change with patience. The only trouble spots are the two bolts that hold the booster that are inside the pedal box (you must go by feel as you can't see them) and then the pin that connects the rod to the brake pedal mechanism. If I'm not mistaken a new MC alone is over $300. I was told it's not easy to tell if the booster is on it's way out and decided to redo both pieces and not worry about it. Taking it off and back on took about an hour each. Brakes should be bled afterwards.
Good luck and if you need any other info just PM me. Bob

 

Appreciate the info Bob...as soon as I get my car back from this shop (that clearly doesn't know what they are doing) I'll just send off the whole unit to VA. I originally was going to rebuild it but I couldn't find anyone locally who would touch it so thats what got me thinking about just putting on a new one but might as well just send it off and do the whole thing as you mentioned.

 

I heard that White Post does not do the MC overhauls anymore. Can anyone confirm this?

 

I just talked to them and they said they still do it...in fact they said they do it all the time. They are sending me the form for the Ferrari cylinder I'll scan it if anybody wants it. It comes with pricing and everything.