Almost ran a red light... need ABS brakes.

[68gmsee]

Is there a way to install ABS (auto braking system) on older vehicles? Sure could have used them the other day.

Some city traffic engineer decided a traffic light on one side of an overpass was a good idea. Problem is, it's obstructed by the overpass for drivers driving in the opposite direction.

I had no time to pump the brakes so I locked all four tires. And since it was quitting time there were a lot of vehicles. The loud screeching of the tires and the truck sliding to a stop scared everyone half to death (I guess some of the younger drivers don't hear that too often these days). Not to mention how embarrassing it was to have everyone staring at you.

[MrDude_1]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

Is there a way to install ABS (auto braking system) on older vehicles? Sure could have used them the other day.

Some city traffic engineer decided a traffic light on one side of an overpass was a good idea. Problem is, it's obstructed by the overpass for drivers driving in the opposite direction.

I had no time to pump the brakes so I locked all four tires. And since it was quitting time there were a lot of vehicles. The loud screeching of the tires and the truck sliding to a stop scared everyone half to death (I guess some of the younger drivers don't hear that too often these days). Not to mention how embarrassing it was to have everyone staring at you.

yes, its actually easier then most people think it would be.
you need to retrofit the basic components from a donor system.
a cheap choice to start would be from a S10 newer is better...


step 1 is the hardware...

you need reluctor wheels on each hub. this is nothing more then a "gear" with a specific number of teeth on it.
you can press the ones off of the S10 hubs, or have someone make you some.
you then need to solidly mount the reluctor wheel sensor just above the teeth of the gear.
this is the only hard fabrication on the project.

after that, you need to just mount your ABS box... and run the lines..1 to each wheel, and two from the master directly to the ABS box.

step 2
take the stock S10 wiring...de-loom it, and take out the ABS system... this is just the wheel sensors, and some power wires. theres a error fault wire, and a communication wire.. you can hook them upto your brake light (now your ABS warning light) and CAN bus if you have one.... fuse the power wires.. orange is constant, red is ignition.

step 3.
bleed the system. on a older style one, you can do this with bleeder valves on the ABS block.. if you dont have bleeders there, you may need a device like the tech2 to help you bleed the system fully. for the tech2, it only needs ground, power and that one communication wire.. just wire it up to an ODBII plug. you can cut the one off the donor truck.



thats it.. obviously its not a step by step, but thats the basics of installing ABS into an older vehicle.

before someone says it.. NO, this type of ABS is NOT dependent upon the vehicle it is in.. its not tuned like an engine. it works off of the tire speed change (delta) independently of whatever car its in.

[ChevLoRay]

I remember seeing an article in a magazine (don't remember which mag) about some kind of device that was supposed to be like an antilock brake on a non-ABS vehicle. I know it attached to the brake line at the master cylinder. Don't know if there was anything else that was part of the "system" or not. It seems that there was some testing done, but I don't remember the outcome.

My thinking is that had it been a reasonable, viable product...we'd be able to get one w/o having to search the web.

Glad your "event" wasn't any more traumatic than you described. Besides, heariing screeching tires is rare-enough nowadays that it will get the attention of a lot of folks.

[treveiger]

If it ever happens again an you get the looks like from people again just roll down your window and say in a hick voice "ant to bad for a old truck".

[MrDude_1]

Originally Posted by ChevLoRay

I remember seeing an article in a magazine (don't remember which mag) about some kind of device that was supposed to be like an antilock brake on a non-ABS vehicle. I know it attached to the brake line at the master cylinder. Don't know if there was anything else that was part of the "system" or not. It seems that there was some testing done, but I don't remember the outcome.

My thinking is that had it been a reasonable, viable product...we'd be able to get one w/o having to search the web.

Glad your "event" wasn't any more traumatic than you described. Besides, heariing screeching tires is rare-enough nowadays that it will get the attention of a lot of folks.

you're thinking of the "lock resistant brake system".. its a type of valve that goes inline before the rear brakes, and dampens the sharp pressure spike that occurs when you slam on the pedal.


heres a few links i stole off a quick google search:
http://www.73-87.com/7387garage/chas...ension/lbs.htm
http://www.dpiracingproducts.com/sto...tem-p-112.html

[cdowns]

ABS is not really much if any advantage compared to a brake system in good condtion and a driver that knows how to work the brakes properly

[MrDude_1]

Originally Posted by cdowns

ABS is not really much if any advantage compared to a brake system in good condtion and a driver that knows how to work the brakes properly

the primary reason for ABS is actually not shorter stopping distance... rather, its the ability to steer, while still doing near maximum braking.

[stich626]

Originally Posted by cdowns

ABS is not really much if any advantage compared to a brake system in good condtion and a driver that knows how to work the brakes properly

x2
it only does what a good drive would. feather the brakes.

[68gmsee]

Originally Posted by stich626

x2
it only does what a good drive would. feather the brakes.

I agree except for these instances that have happened to me. I've been driving since 1957 so I've encountered all sorts of braking problems.

Car ran a redlight as I was crossing.
Deer jumps in front of vehicle.
Cattle on the road at night.
Horse startled and jumps in front of my truck.

These are just a few examples. Not time for feathering in these instances I don't care how good a driver you are.

[Zoomin]

Given enough money, it's possible. Until that happens, ease off the brakes until the tires aren't locked up and you'll stop sooner.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Keith Seymore]

I kind of prefer the squealing tires....

In the couple instances I've had it seems to be much more effective than honking the horn, and the offending drivers are usually falling all over themselves seeking forgiveness for whatever bone-headed move they just did.

My $0.01 -

K

[Longhorn Man]

i have to agee with Cdowns.
ABS has saved my hide once, but put it at risk more times than I can remember.

[Old Yeller 1970]

Does your truck have drum brakes on the front? If so, that's your real problem. I had the same issues with Old Yeller. Swapping on the disk brakes made all the difference in the world.

[QKENUF4U]

saved my A%% in my z71 twice ...

[Zoomin]

Just curious - how old are your tires? Old rubber turns hard as a hockey puck and they are fairly useless even if they have a lot of tread remaining.

I'd upgrade to a big brake kit and better tires before I tried the ABS deal.

[DANTIP]

Knowing the limitations of our trucks has led me to drive more carefully/slowly in town. I leave plenty of room in front of me knowing newer vehicles can and will stop quicker than my truck. Obviously people that drive big-trucks and busses know their vehicle cannot hope to stop as quickly as a car or motorcycle, therefore they are forced to maintain more stopping distance or risk a rear-end collision.

An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure (or something like that).

[BLACK AND BLUE 67-72]

I actually prefer non ABS any day over ABS, in our company truck on ice and snow when we were going down a steep hill, it would actually almost come to a complete stop, then the ABS motor would kick in and the truck would start sliding again faster, it did that 7 times going down that hill. Took the 72 down same hill jammed on brake pedal just to see and it slid for a little way and stopped completely! So no ABS for me!!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

I had no time to pump the brakes so I locked all four tires.....

If you have to consider "pumping your brakes" as a means to improve your stopping ability, then ABS is WAY down the list of things you need to do. You need to start by improving your system to a point that pumping them does not make them stop better. If you don't have power disc brakes, get them. If you do, fix them please....for the safety of your family and mine.

[fine69]

I hate ABS. Sucks.

I am going to unhook it in my Car Hauler.

Won't allow the brakes to get fluid fast enough to actually stop.

[ChevLoRay]

DPI Racing Products must be the one I was thinking about, when Stewart Warner was the vendor/mfr.

The fact that it is marketed as a racing item makes me think that someone, somewhere didn't think it was a good idea. The fact that SW said in their copy that proportioning valves don't work, made me curious but I don't have any proof that they do, or don't.

Thanks for the links. If you haven't read them, read the top one and then know that the lower one is just a link to the DPI site and an illustration/price. For $115, it may be a viable alternative.

[pumpkin]

ABS brakes are great for people who don't drive well and run poor quality tires. I am a licensed mechanic, and years ago I was taking an ABS course. Some time during the class the instructor ask for someone with a non ABS equipped vehicle to demonstrate how they stopped. I offered my 68 Buick GS 400 convertible up to challange the then new 98 Cadillac. Well because of my good tires, I could just stomp on the brakes without them slidding. So we wet down the parking lot, and tested both cars. Non abs stopped in half the distance from a faster speed. So in conclusion, if you want your truck to stop better, make it stick to the road better.

[jamie72]

i hate abs... more prolbems than its worth.

[snowblind]

If you can lock your wheels above 20mph then your brakes are probably as good as they're going to get. If you want to stop shorter/quieter then you need PERFORMANCE tires.

ABS is not really about stopping shorter. It is about maintaining control of steering and reducing the tendency for "tail happy" vehicles to spin. Trucks with ABS generally don't stop that well. The rear end is sooooo much more likely to lock than the front that you lose a lot of front breaking ability keeping the rears rolling.

Comparisons of a non-ABS car to a different model ABS car don't really mean anything. A better test is to test stopping of an ABS car and then pull the ABS fuse and test again (not possible in all cars). I've done this with a few cars and in the dry ABS is usually the same or a little better. In the wet/snow traditional brakes will almost always stop faster but ABS is very, very hard to get to spin and you can keep steering the whole time.

I used to drive an AWD, turbo sports coupe with ABS. I ran ABS on in rain and sun but pulled the fuse in the snow/ice.

[Billhilly]

So has anyone used/know any one who has used one of these LBS's?
I think it looks worth a try. Down here lots of the 'utes' have a lever actuated valve at the back end that alters rear braking levels as the deck height lowers. No help at all if you had air bag assist for example, where deck height would stay pretty static. But on one of our trucks you could have an additional 2500#'s or more load which is going to change braking levels quite a bit! Regardless of gross weight this might help with braking stability. Not a lot of info on the net about them though.

[MrDude_1]

I dont want to start an argument here, but i have a feeling alot of you dont know how ABS actually works.