Manual, Power, or Hydroboost? Help!!

[cakneller]

I've had problems with my brakes since I installed them. They are the Baer Track upfront and Sport in rear. Initially it was setup with the factory power booster and the baer 15/16" master. My motor is making about 10 inches of vacuum at idle which does not seem to be enough and also it seems I might have a defective PowerBooster. So I would definately like to go with a hydro boost setup, but the budget says no. So I'm wondering... I've read that hydroboost can generate 1400psi approx. which gives great pedal feel. Does a factory power booster provide 900psi approx? and in a manual setup using the factory manual ratio would that only provide 600psi? How much pressure do I need fo this setup to work well?

I'm just trying to decide whether to 1. try another booster and see if it's any better. 2. try manual or 3. goto buy more lotto tickets

Any info would be greatly appreciated!!!

[go-fish]

Unfortunatly I haven't had my Hydroboost under power yet but there are other hydraulicly assisted units out there that can be had from junk yards and auto parts stores. If you are enginuative you can make one of these work. There is a member on here that, in a recent post about hydroboosted brakes, explained what he used for his Mustang. He found a unit in a junkyard. I little thread search should yield the result you want. It is the best way to go from reading all the information out there. My budget allowed for Hydratech but may try the scrounging method on the wife's Dart. She says she wants it just like it came from the factory but she doesn't know best, I don't want to get the phone call when an ABS equipped Scion with an unskilled driver hits the skids in front of her. The non-power drums aren't staying.
On the other hand, with your Baers, there may be a manual set up that will do you fine. Have you called SSBC or Willwood?

[toofun]

Talk to CARL C. He has a wealth of info on how to make this junkyard system work. He has done it with much success. Here is a link to his site that not only explains this mod but also shows many other cool ideas

http://www.geocities.com/casanoc/

If you dont want to go that route. BREAK DOWN AND BUY THE HYDROBOOST UNIT!! I have STOCK fronts and REAR 11 INCH DRUMS and Ill put my car up against just about anything on the road as far as stopping goes!! Besides when you spend alot of hard work and money on your project, the last thing you want to skimp on is BRAKES!!!

Mark
TOOFUN

[130fe]

Hydroboost! I had the factory type disk/drum set up with vac booster. Stopping was good and I had plenty of vaccum but I expected more (better stopping) than the previous non power drum/drum that was on it it before. I upgraded to the hydroboost set up and i made a BIG difference in the feel. I am not too sure on the exact performance but it "felt" better in the seat of the pants aspect. If you upgrade to hydroboost, make sure you put the correct MC matched with your brake set up. Give Paul at Hydratech a call and he can point you in the right direction.

[cakneller]

I guess I need to "brake" down and get the hydroboost. I guess I'm just
surprised that Baer says nothing about this when you buy their kit.
Also, I've asked before, but I'm wondering if anyone is running manual brakes with this setup?

thanks again,
chris

[6'9"Witha69]

...but I'm wondering if anyone is running manual brakes with this setup?

With your setup, no. With Wilwood Dynalite II's on all 4 corners, yes. Manual works fine and the 15/16 master you have will work with manual. there should be a 2nd hole in your pedal arm to mount for manual brakes. Eventually I will probably go for a hydroboost, but my manual setup does VERY well for me currently. 10 in of vacuum is not enough for the power booster. Go manula now and upgrade to Hydroboost when time allows.

[bretcopsey]

I'm following CarlC's build and bought a used 2001 Cobra hydroboost unit on ebay for about $125 for my Camaro.

I also just bought a rebuilt hydroboost unit for an 88 Chevy van for my 51 truck. Another $100 or so in hoses and fittings for each and I should be good to go! Though I may need a different m/c for the truck?

This is the one I just bought and the seller currently has two other units listed.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...5353085&rd=1,1

[cakneller]

Well...... I do already have the manual pushrod so I think I'll just install it and see, at least it's cheap and easy. I'll post back after I get it installed.
Great to hear someone's running manual.
Also, I've read Carl's install before and don't know why I've been hesitating to go that way. I'm now watching ebay and will probably go that route eventually.

[JayBird]

One word.....HYDROBOOST. Once you do it, you will not go back to anything else and you'll be wondering why you took so long to do it.

[CarlC]

Been there, done that, with vacuum systems and PBR's. If you get a chance to ride in a car with a hydroboost and PBR's, you will be convinced.

[pitts64]

I'm in the same boat with my car.
I converted my 64 Bonneville to front disc brakes but since installing my new 462 I now need the Hydroboost system because of 12"-14" idle vacuum.
I noticed the 76 Eldo came with them.
My 01 3500 Chevy truck has one and its great!!!

[cakneller]

Well... for the time being I switched it over to manual brakes to see what it's like.... It's definately better than the hard pedal/good sometimes brakes with the booster that I was having. The way I brake though is very different. I am using my whole leg and not just my heel toes to brake. I like that the brake pressure is always the same and the brakes are not using a system reliant on the motor, but it takes a considerable amount of leg/foot pressure. I have a track day coming up and will run it like this and see what I think. My first guess is that I will be adding the hydroboost soon though.

thanks,
CK

[6'9"Witha69]

Yeah, the added leg input is a little tough to get used to. I got used to it though, and no longer notice the difference in pedal feel between my daily drivers and the Camaro anymore. It is all about muscle memory!