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#1 |
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: New Orleans, La
Posts: 406
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Bigger Brake Booster?
I am about to add power brakes to my manual brake '68 C10. I will eventually be towing and/or carrying a slide in camper, so I am thinking of going ahead and putting in a bigger brake booster (keeping it drum/drum for now). I believe the booster and brackets I have are from a '71 (I should have the definitive answer on that shortly).
I have read quite a few threads and have some questions. Some threads say that the master cylinders are different on the trucks equipped with bigger boosters. The reseviors for the front and back brakes are reversed. Is this true? Also, are there any upgrades or changes that need to be done to the rest of the braking system once it is under a higher load? Thanks, Stephen
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#2 |
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Marianna Arkansas
Posts: 7,269
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Re: Bigger Brake Booster?
It is me again your neihbor to the north. I'll take another swing at trying to get your truck to stop real well as it is your daily and if I recall your better half drives it some as well. The res. is swapped and bigger but not because of the bigger booster but the 71 is disc brake. All disc brake M/C are swapped from the position you normally find in the M/C in a drum drum set up. The other reson for the larger one side of the res being larger is the difference in fluid it takes to operate the wheels cyl or calipers [whatever the case may be] also I think it is front on back side of the M/c and the back on the front side of the m/c on a disc brake m/c but since the drum drum take the same amount of fluid the sizes of the res is the same if that makes sense.
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#3 |
Active Member
![]() Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Centrally located between Houston, Austin and Waco. BCS area.
Posts: 7,947
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Re: Bigger Brake Booster?
The booster is strictly to aid in stopping. Has nothing to do with the master cylinder type. I installed a booster on my 68 drum/drum and used the original master cylinder that came with the truck. I just moved it forward enough to install the booster and bracket and made sure the push rod matched the master cylinder and was adjusted properly.
Just recently, my original master cylinder started leaking and I installed a disc/drum master cylinder I had from another vehicle. After bleeding everything works just like before.
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68 GMC 250/3 speed Saginaw p/b p/s 69 Chevy 350/350 currently in pieces still lookin for a cab 06 Trailblazer I just want a vehicle that I can work on, that won't talk to me, leave error msgs or keep track of how I drive... |
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#4 |
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: New Orleans, La
Posts: 406
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Re: Bigger Brake Booster?
So, if I am thinking this through correctly, I should be able to buy a booster for 3/4 ton (I have a 1/2 ton), move the master cylinder forward, slap the booster, brackets, and push rod in place, make adjustments, and go town.
This way I won't have to bleed the brakes. Sound about right?
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#5 |
I am a Referee of life.
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Greensboro N.C.
Posts: 13,993
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Re: Bigger Brake Booster?
A buddy had a one ton furd old school wrecker with a Holmes Boom.It ran good but was a bit iffy in the brake dept with a car on.He was walking thru the JY one day and spotted a Bus of the same make/model.He grabbed the booster/MC and installed that.It worked pretty well,if you didn't mind having a car up on the boom when you stopped.It actually worked very well except that the brakes were pretty touchy.After a few drives it got to where you could use it without slamming someone thru the windshield.Not an answer to your question but an example of what you can have happen if you dont match the brake components.
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#6 |
Registered User
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Eliot, Maine
Posts: 1,314
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Re: Bigger Brake Booster?
i like the big brake booster on my 72 Burb C20 and would recommend it to anyone in your position!
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#7 |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Posts: 7,717
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Re: Bigger Brake Booster?
Disc and drum brake boosters were different. Sometimes a manual master cylinder will have a different depth hole in the back compared to a power cylinder, you'll just have to try and see if it works.
The disc brake boosters are a different design than the drum boosters, but work the same way. I did a disc conversion on my '70 big block GMC and used the original drum booster with no problems. Getting ready to do a disc swap on a '69 shortie I have and will use a drum booster I have from a parts truck.
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#8 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Kalamazoo MI
Posts: 104
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Re: Bigger Brake Booster?
if you go with the dual diaphragm booster you have to use the matching master cylinder, the single diaphragm master cylinder will not work with the duel diaphragm booster.
if you go with the duel diaphragm set up you have to get the lines to swap fluid flow to the porpoising valve. |
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#9 |
Member #1049
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Troy Montana
Posts: 3,940
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Re: Bigger Brake Booster?
Any drum or disc brake (67-72) 1/2 ton booster and brackets are a "bolt on".. You can also use a 67-70 3/4 ton booster (dual diaphram) and brackets, All with your current stock master cylinder, just unbolt it from the firewall and pull it forward, bolt on the booster and brackets, plumb in the vacuum and bolt the master cylinder back on..
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