Congrats and glad you're here larryk. Your car is almost a twin to mine. Mine is a '53 Corsair Deluxe in pea****** blue (picture attached) with the same upholstery. Saber Jet blue is a gorgeous color too. Regarding the brakes on your car, even when working HJ brakes are not like modern brakes when it comes to stopping power but they do and will work. The master cylinder is a pain to get at on the Henry J - not a lot of thought went into maintenance when it was designed! If you lift the carpet in it, there are two panels around the clutch and brake pedal that can be removed for partial access. If the cover on it comes off, you can fill it by removing the driver's side front wheel and reaching down behind the frame. If you need to replace / rebuild it, the bolts are a pain to remove but it can be done and when you have everything working, you will have a fun and unique car which for the most part is pretty easy to maintain. The '53 J has all Delco Remy components so the points, rotor, condenser, cap etc. are readily available.
