The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Brake Booster

Two questions:

Is the brake booster necessary?

If I have a vacuum system that sucks (but not literally!) is there any other way to boost brakes?

A brake booster is a good idea if you go fast or haul a lot of weight.

I have a 52 1 ton that did not have a booster, I drove it everyday for a few years with out problems. You do learn to anticipate your stops and slow down early.

As far as boosters, I can't say enough about hydroboosters. I have installed them on all of my trucks and will on any trucks I get in the future.
I think that vacuum boosters suck compared to hydroboosters. A hydrobooster works off of the power steering pump pressure. One can be installed even of you don't want or have power steering, but you will need a pump.

Grigg

The brake booster is most definitely needed for a 1 1/2, & 2 ton truck. I noticed you have a '55 6400 series 2 ton. Is this the truck in question.

Grigg, when are you going to start marketing Hydro-Vac mounting adapters?

All I can say for certain is that with just the MC pushing by brakes, it was a real bear to get it stopped if I needed to do it quickly. Lot's of pumping & swearing involved. The boosters push more fluid than the MC as well, so help more than just how hard to have to push the brake.
Something you might do is mount a vac resivior tank under the cab (thinkin of doin this one myself actualy) and if the engine isn't doin it well enough you could get either belt driven or electric vac pumps to keep the booster ready to go.

starkweatherr,
I have actually seen adapters for sale that mount the hydrobooster on the frame and then run a long push rod back to it from the brake peddle. I did not think of doing it this way when I did my truck, but it is probably easier.
I'll see if I can find the link for the kit, but there is one out there for the AD trucks to use a hydrobooster.

Grigg

I don't think this is the kit I first saw, but it is one that should work.
http://www.performanceonline.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=18228&cat=1057&page=1

Starkweatherr,
If you look through the building of my 56 5100 you will find that I used a hydro-boost with a bracket that uses the stock through the floor peddles. I got it from ABS Power Brake INC. It came complete with the bracket, power booster, master cylinder and remote reservoir. The bracket mounts to the stock master cylinder mount and the guys at ABS sized the master cylinder to the 2 ton's brakes. ABS is located in Orange, CA. and can be reached at
(714)771-6549 they have a very nice web site however my computer crashed so I don't have the link you may want to try a few variations of their name and see if it works.

nodaknick

I would use some kind of booster and be sure the brakes are tip top. Sheet metal for the big bolts can be hard to find and others will be greatfull too.

Heavy Hauler,
Is this the link you were looking for?

http://www.abspowerbrake.com/

That's who made the kit I was trying to find.
http://www.abspowerbrake.com/4754chevytruck.html
near the bottom.
Should be simple enough, and you don't need the pedal assembly they offer, as you can use your old one.

Grigg

Yeah, my neighbor was telling about the hydrobooster, but the problem is there is no power steering. I suppose I could mount a pump. I noticed in one of the replies that there are electric ones? That might be something to look into!!

Thanks a lot! I've got lots of links to look into.

Holy crap!! The dang hydrobooster is as much as the truck cost!! I suppose - in the name of stopping that huge chunk of iron!!

Every single part I bought for my 52 cost more than the truck did.....

You can buy a used hydrobooster and master cylinder at a junk yard for much much less.
Always buy the newest one you can find. They are almost identical outside for the last 10 or 20 years, but inside they get better and better every year.
I have a 2004 booster on one truck, and it feels much better than a used early 90's one I just installed in another truck.

Grigg

nodaknick,
I got the mount, booster, master cylinder, and remote reservoir, for $600 you will have more into license and insurance than that and it will go a long way toward keeping you from having to put a claim on your insurance.

heavy hauler,
Did you run it off the power steering or did you rig up a pump? Now this question is from my newbie standing: if I had to put a hydraulic pump, would I put a double crank pulley and mount one to run off of it, and what type of pump?

Super55,
You will need a power steering pump to run the booster no matter what.
The option you will then have is converting to a power steering gear box instead of the manual. The thinking is you will have the pump for the booster, so may as well use it for power steering while you are at it.

The Power steering pump can be run from a second grove on the crank pulley if you can find one, or there are many other options.
Check my pictures for one, and I can sell the bracket I made, as I don't need it any more.
Grigg

Grigg,
I was looking through your pics. Just making sure, but it looks like you mounted the powersteering pump on the generator, and I would have to find a power steering gear box, and a double pulley. That sounds like a good idea, but I would have to ask a lot of questions on fabricating that up. What pump would work, and would it be hard to find the pulley and gearbox?

Super55,
Yes, I mounted the pump to the generator and ran it off of a second grove on a generator pulley.
I recommend using a Saginaw P series pump, used on almost every GM and IHC car and truck from about 60's till at least 80's.
The double pulley I used is a standard alternator pulley. You will need to also find an alternator fan that fits, remove your old pulley fan assembly, and the woodruff key. Install the alternator fan and pulley in place of them, reuse the old nut.
Are you sure you want to switch to power steering too? It gets a bit more involved, with cutting off the original steering column, some machine work, and finding or buying a steering shaft and u-joints. Then mounting the new gearbox too. I used the box from a 78 IHC Scout II. It will not work as easy with the stock front axle as will the 70's 2wd Chevy truck box most people use. I used the Scout box because I also swapped the entire front axle, and it worked great with the steering linkage that was on that axle.

Grigg

Super55,
Grigg covered your question well if you still have more or wish to go this way you should take a look through my pictures as well. I used the same box as Grigg but kept the same axle. It's all explained in the truck build thread for my 56 I tried the 70's 2wd box rout first and found there is not enough room on the big bolts the tire hits the box in a right hand turn.