Brake question.

I am converting a single cylinder master to a dual master.  My experience has been one cylinder of the master does the front brakes and the other does the rear.  Googling and youtubing around, one team suggests one cylinder does the front left and right rear, while the second cylinder does the opposite.

Any experience or thoughts appreciated.

Dan

Most dual cylinder setups have been crosswise for quite a while, as I understand it.  This keeps approximately equal, balanced braking if you lose a channel.

I've always taught my students that RWD tends to be Front/Back, whereas FWD tends to be diagonally split because of so much more weight up front (you still get at least one decent brake in there, the rears don't do much).

I can certainly be proven wrong.

My 924 is split across the car. Every other car I have ever owned has been split front and rear, which is a decent smattering of older european stuff, american iron, and the odd Subaru. Never owned a front wheel drive car, so can't really speak to those.

SkinnyG is pretty much right on, although the line isn't as clear as it used to be. I've recently seen light-duty pickups that are diagonal split.

I would decide in the split based on the type of brake setup (single type or mixed disc/drum). 

I'm assuming that with a single channel master you have drums all around, so I'd  go diagonal,  otherwise pair up the wheels by type (disc/drum). 

There are other considerations though, like live axle rwd cars typically have a single line to the rear with a rubber hose from the chassis to the axle, and the split occurs there. That would limit you to a front/rear split and eliminate diagonal as an option. 

Mainstream auto manufacturers tend to use diagonal split (especially in more recent decades) while race cars and supercars use a front/rear split because it opens up options for biasing by using a balance bar or changing cylinder sizes, and it's a lot easier to engineer. If you're doing anything other than swapping in a full factory dual MC setup I'd recommend going with the front/rear split.

My Volvo 140s were diagonal.....4 wheel disc.

The Datsun is front to rear. It's live axle rear with disc/drum.

Just trace the lines to see where they go.  My Mustang is front/rear split.

Oops.

Drums all around.  But TIL, you know how pulling up the e-brake handle it clicks as it moves up the ratchet?  Cadillacs don't, dead silent.

I blew a line on a '66 VW Bus after whizzing down a hill toward a toll booth.  LOTS of panic shooting through an open lane, but stopped later, uphill with a cop behind me.  I camped out behind a gas station and realized morning was Sunday, closed.  I crimped the rear line off and drove from Virginia to South Carolina like that.

Go Volvo 240.  One half does both fronts and one rear, the other half does both fronts and one rear.  Hence, two front brake hoses to each front wheel.

Ruined by that ridiculous abs junk.