Brakes: Hydroboost vs Vacuum

gnetic86

Member
Staff member
Joined
Jan 17, 2007
Pros and cons of each - GO!

(Consider it to be for a mostly street-driven but street/strip build)
 
I went to Hydroboost a few summers ago. Great stopping power and I can hold a lot more boost than I could with my aging Powermaster.

Parts aren't that expensive and I did the swap myself in about 2 days. That said, the swap was a pain in the butt (my first big job on the car) in my small garage.

There's a good walkthrough on this board and also on another one. I can dig out links and a parts list if you need them.

All said, I'd do it again. Great results.
 
A link would be cool if you can dig it up. I think I see my brake light flickering once in a while; not sure how long they last but either my new (~10yrs old) accumulator is shot or the entire system is finally shot. Also got a new pump motor a few years ago.
 
My GN is strictly a street car . After several close calls with sudden failed PM's I went with a vacuum conversion . Got all the parts for under 100 bucks. Simple 4 hr conversion. parts cheap and plentiful. brakes work every bit as good as the PM if not better and without the fear factor.
 
Here is a more comprehensive list of the how-to articles I used:

http://www.cedarcrestspeedlab.com/techarticles.html?col7=open#CollapsiblePanel7
http://www.ihadav8.com/forum/index.php?topic=4228.0
http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/threads/powermaster-to-hydroboost-conversion.307690/

My Parts List:

Push-On Hose Tee
DORMAN 493031 (55108) 1 @ $4.35​
Oil Cooler Line (People recommend 4-5 feet; this is two 3 foot sections)
GATES 27057 2 @ $8.57​
Hose Clamps (pack of 10)
GATES 32006 10 @ $0.73​
Master Cylinder
A-1 CARDONE 101984 (10-1984) 1 @ $26.79​
Power Brake Booster
A-1 CARDONE 527211 (52-7211) 1 @ $129.99​
Power Steering Pressure Hose
EDELMANN 71187 1 @ $13.54​
Power Steering Pressure Hose
EDELMANN 91660 1 @ $21.79​

(I'm including the core charges here. If you return the cores you'll get $25 back. However, I think Kirban might still buy PowerMaster cores from people for a better price. I also might pick up a flare wrench and some Brake Line Forming Pliers to make my life a little easier.)

Final notes, make sure to bleed the systems (master cylinder & power steering pump) very thoroughly. For me, the hardest part of the job was connecting the master cylinder to the firewall; lots of twisting around under the dash. You'll want a helper to hold things during this part.
 
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