this was accurate as hell. i am looking to get a big brake kit so this will solve the hard pedal problem. after a couple of weeks, i have gotten accustomed to it actually lol
80 Series brake hydro booster conversion installed
- Thread starter baldilocks
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Just throwing in some of my recent experience. I also ordered a set-up from powerbrakeservice.net AKS sweeting performance. I ordered the beginning of April and he said 90 days. I thought that was quote a while to get it but decided I could wait. After it was about a month and half late I contacted him and asked why. . He said he took a week off for vacation and then two weeks to move. That only accounted for 1/2 the delay. He then said the 27th of August. That came and went, so I contacted him again via email (because of course his voicemail was full). He then said a couple of weeks. That has now come and gone as well. Contacted him today and left a somewhat stern voicemail. He called back pretty quickly this time. He claims he’s working very hard (80 hours per week) among some personal issues. Told him I’m sympathetic to his issues but he still needs to be truthful to his customers and/or not take any more orders if he can’t fulfill. I told him my items ship tomorrow or o want a full refund. He keep saying “they will ship soon” no matter how many times I told him no, and the only two options were shipping tomorrow or a full refund. He also claimed he has been truthful with me all along, yet promised shop dates have come and gone. And just in case anyone has any questions, all the communications except for today have been via email so I have proof. Well except for the initial conversation on the phone before he got over $1000 of my money, he was pretty helpful then of course.A few months ago @RFB started a thread asking about the possibility of converting a gas powered 80 from the factory vacuum brake booster to a hydraulic booster that is powered with pressurized power steering fluid. A kit from a company called Power Brake Service was referred to specifically.
Sweeting Performance - Bosch Hydro-Boost, Bosch Hydro-Max, Vacuum, and Air-Hydraulic Power Brake Systems
www.powerbrakeservice.net
I liked the idea although this conversion on an 80 had never crossed my mind. The rig I built prior to purchasing my first 80 in 2014 was fitted with a hydro booster and one ton axles which produced absolutely phenomenal braking power with 40’s and 3 tons to stop.
Since I was nearing the day I would delete the ABS system from my rig, and my prior experience with hydro boost was very good, I ordered a kit from Power Brake Service.
The kit that I received was not sitting on the shelf. Matt, at Power Brake Service had to put it together from scratch and it took 16 days to ship. The parts were packaged well and everything I needed was included and fit properly.
Along with the hydro booster, I chose a Wilwood MC with a 1.125” bore. The oem MC has a 1” bore and will not bolt up to the GM hydro booster. A bigger bore equals a shorter pedal stroke.
The pressure hoses are steel braided and route fluid power from the PS pump to the booster and then to the steering box. At the booster, banjo fittings were used and field installable JIS style fittings with metric to SAE adapter unions were used at the steering box and PS pump.
The manual proportioning valve is a Wilwood Combo proportioning valve that has two “in” ports and 3 out. There are separate pressure ports for the front calipers so a tee is not needed. This kit is put together in an ala carte manner so the MC and proportioning valve were my choice as well as the steel braided pressure hoses.
It didn’t take long to figure out that the booster would have to be installed upside down on account of the accumulator cylinder and the engine upper plenum competing for space. This is not a problem but does require more time to bleed the air from the booster because of the return line now being located on the lower instead of upper side of the booster. The upside down mounting also causes the pressure hoses to be routed down low which, IMO, makes for a cleaner install. The return hose from the booster is routed to a point where it tee’s into the system return hose about a foot or so below the reservoir.
As part of this project, I disassembled my PS reservoir and cleaned the strainer. In order to keep from ever needing do this again, I installed a Magnefine in-line fluid filter between the Tee of the booster return hose and the reservoir.
Where the factory hard brake lines were longer than necessary, I chose to make two new lines using a soft copper/nickel type of brake line that is very easy to work with, DOT approved, corrosion resistant and rated up to 4600 psi. All bends were made without a bender.
List of stuff:
-Napa Eclipse calipers
-Hawk Super Duty ferro carbon front pads
-StopTech 309 rear pads
-DOT 4 synthetic brake fluid
-25’ Copper/Nickel brake line kit from eBay that came with a generous assortment of fittings. Around $25
-Rigid brake line cutting and flaring kit #33927 $115. (Very good tool kit for the price. I chose it because I couldn’t find one negative review.)
-Magnefine fluid filter $25
-steel braided hoses for axle to caliper locations. $140.
-Complete hydro boost kit with addition of the Wilwood Combo proportioning valve $1100. I chose a brand new booster instead of rebuilt, steel braided lines were extra, I could have chosen a cheaper MC and the proportioning valve is completely optional.
Since the plumbing is now simplified, bleeding the lines is as simple as cracking the caliper bleed ports and letting gravity do the job. This was impossible before.
The booster kit comes with a set of very complete, easy to understand instructions and install was a simple straight forward affair. Making the hard lines was probably the most challenging part of the entire job. Bleeding the PS system was done exactly as outlined in the factory service manual but did require a good bit of patience which I attribute to the booster being installed upside down.
Reasons for doing this:
-after removing my abs system, the results were not what I had hoped for. (Results vary and are subjective)
-I had no knowledge of the age and condition of my vacuum booster and MC so preventive maintenance was a factor.
- brake line pressure created by a hydro booster is roughly twice that of a typical vacuum booster, so, theoretically, this would give me greater braking power hence shorter stopping distances. Greater booster power allows the use of a larger bore MC which moves more fluid per millimeter of stroke.
- my previous experience with hydro boosted brakes is positive.
- proven reliable
The end result is a high, firm pedal that delivers smooth, linear stopping power far greater than what I had before. Only the weight of my foot and leg resting on the brake pedal is necessary to remain stopped at traffic lights. I haven’t taken measurements to see exactly how many feet it takes to stop from a certain speed but I can say that my expectations have been exceeded as I was a bit skeptical due to the fact that my rotors and calipers are stock equipment. Choice of brake friction material may have considerable bearing on the final outcome. View attachment 1956784View attachment 1956785View attachment 1956786View attachment 1956787View attachment 1956788
So my advice….steer away from this company. It seems like I will likely be talking to my bank on Monday.
- Thread starter
- #143
Since this thread was created, I have posted here to order from Vanco power brakes in Downey, CA instead of Sweeting. My experience with Sweeting was mildly frustrating and nothing close to what you are going through. If I were you, I’d cancel the payment and the order and call Vanco.Just throwing in some of my recent experience. I also ordered a set-up from powerbrakeservice.net AKS sweeting performance. I ordered the beginning of April and he said 90 days. I thought that was quote a while to get it but decided I could wait. After it was about a month and half late I contacted him and asked why. . He said he took a week off for vacation and then two weeks to move. That only accounted for 1/2 the delay. He then said the 27th of August. That came and went, so I contacted him again via email (because of course his voicemail was full). He then said a couple of weeks. That has now come and gone as well. Contacted him today and left a somewhat stern voicemail. He called back pretty quickly this time. He claims he’s working very hard (80 hours per week) among some personal issues. Told him I’m sympathetic to his issues but he still needs to be truthful to his customers and/or not take any more orders if he can’t fulfill. I told him my items ship tomorrow or o want a full refund. He keep saying “they will ship soon” no matter how many times I told him no, and the only two options were shipping tomorrow or a full refund. He also claimed he has been truthful with me all along, yet promised shop dates have come and gone. And just in case anyone has any questions, all the communications except for today have been via email so I have proof. Well except for the initial conversation on the phone before he got over $1000 of my money, he was pretty helpful then of course.
So my advice….steer away from this company. It seems like I will likely be talking to my bank on Monday.
I bought a hydro boost set up from Vanco in 2012 for a 1978 Ramcharger that I was building up and they were great. I can’t tell you why I forgot about them seven years later, or whatever it was, when I decided to buy a hydro booster set up from Sweeting.
On Sweetings suggestion I bought a 1.125” bore MC which is what he was probably planning to send you. It solved the mushy pedal that nearly contacts the firewall on hard braking but the larger bore on stock calipers requires more leg input. Not a huge deal…. That Cruiser went to Cruiser heaven and now I’m building a 96 from bone stock and ordered basically the same cast iron MC in a 1” bore from Summit. I’ll report the difference in braking once I get this pig on the road. Many of you could be old and gray by that time though. HaHa…. Keep us posted.
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Azca
If there is a harder way - I will find it...
I echo the above comments, Sweeting was not easy to work with along with poor correspondence when I finally got the end product a few years ago. There has to be better options for us.
There is, electric. The Bosch iBooster is the new popular option. Back Bay Customs makes the adapter plate. The owner Adam has it installed on his 80 and says it works amazingly well. I bought the plate a while back just to have it on hand for a future upgrade.
Does he make other adapters? I don’t need a pre made kit or package. I’m happy to order piecemeal to do it myself. I’ll maybe look into this iBooster.
Edit: I found their site (I think) in Maine. But nothing on their website.
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It's not a full kit. He sells the adapter plate for guys going the DIY route. The common booster used is from the 2018-2020 Honda Accord. You'll need a 1.25" Baer or Wilwood MC. Then figure out how to adapt the pushrod and mount it to the firewall.
Wiring harness: https://tulayswirewerks.com/product/bosch-ibooster-gen-2-universal-wire-harness/
Yeah that’s fine, I don’t need a full “kit”. I was wondering if he sells adapters for any common hydro boost to adapt to the 80 series. I don’t see a thing on his website about ANY adapters.
Azca
If there is a harder way - I will find it...
So, you will be upgrading to electro boost? Are you running a hydro boost now? I plumbed my hydro boost and it takes up quite a bit of space with the hoses. This appears to be a nice option. Wondering what you think the pros and cons would be.
I have a failed vacuum booster now. Switching to hydro boost as I’m planning a Cummins swap over the winter.
Yeah he doesn't sell them through his website. Best thing to do is contact him on Instagram or call the shop directly. I don't think he messes with hydroboost though. His shop specializes in classics and hot rods so they've been putting the Bosch iBoosters in lots of their builds and his personal 80.
Awesome, I'm in the same situation as you.Just throwing in some of my recent experience. I also ordered a set-up from powerbrakeservice.net AKS sweeting performance. I ordered the beginning of April and he said 90 days. I thought that was quote a while to get it but decided I could wait. After it was about a month and half late I contacted him and asked why. . He said he took a week off for vacation and then two weeks to move. That only accounted for 1/2 the delay. He then said the 27th of August. That came and went, so I contacted him again via email (because of course his voicemail was full). He then said a couple of weeks. That has now come and gone as well. Contacted him today and left a somewhat stern voicemail. He called back pretty quickly this time. He claims he’s working very hard (80 hours per week) among some personal issues. Told him I’m sympathetic to his issues but he still needs to be truthful to his customers and/or not take any more orders if he can’t fulfill. I told him my items ship tomorrow or o want a full refund. He keep saying “they will ship soon” no matter how many times I told him no, and the only two options were shipping tomorrow or a full refund. He also claimed he has been truthful with me all along, yet promised shop dates have come and gone. And just in case anyone has any questions, all the communications except for today have been via email so I have proof. Well except for the initial conversation on the phone before he got over $1000 of my money, he was pretty helpful then of course.
So my advice….steer away from this company. It seems like I will likely be talking to my bank on Monday.
Ordered mine on may 10th, he is also not responding to my calls or emails.
If I don't get a legit tracking # this week I'm calling my C.Card company also.
O
Called my bank last week and had the charges reversed. I highly highly doubt you’re getting a tracking number. Just talk to your bank on Monday and dispute the charges before it’s outside the window of being able to do it. Got my money back in three days.
I had a similar experience with him. I think he tries to string you along past the timeframe where you can make a charge back. I use an Amex for these types of purchases and they had no problem instantly refunding my money. This was a few months back, and coincidently the day after Amex refunded me I got an e-mail from him saying that I'll be getting a tracking number soon. It never came of course.
I agree and get your money back but your bank/CC company might not be open as it is a banking holiday, columbus day
jjdeneen918
SILVER Star
Use VanCo in southern CA.
Will give them a call as soon as I receive my refund.
I was right at my limit with Chase bank. They got my money back a couple days after I filed the dispute. I actually got him on the phone and told him I’d give him one more day to ship or refund my money or else I’d be doing a charge back. He just kept repeating over and over that it will ship when it’s ready like a broken record. I’m like, “man, don’t you hear what I’m saying….Im only giving two options?” After 10 min of back and forth he hung up on me. Never heard about shipping or a refund so I went to my bank and took care of it. Sounds like he’s becoming what wits end was.
Hydrboost supplies a lot of pressure. I've not heard of the electric booster suppling as much.
