hydroboost units - $80

[zrexryder]

will they work and is this a good deal?
http://sacramento.craigslist.org/pts/1755014148.html

 

[icanfixall]

The easy answer is no but... Ask what the bolt spacing is where it mounts to the firewall. You may need to drill new holes. Also ask what length the pushrod is. The price is fair but you can easily buy the exact item for your truck in wrecking yards. If you have an auto trans then you need the brake peddle. If you have a standard trans you need the clutch & brake peddle assembly. The auto trans brake peddle is easily removed after to remove a clip on the shaft. The standard trans peddle is way differant. Thats why you remove all of it....

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

The Astro hydroboost units are pretty popular to adapt to other GM applications.

Just an FYI: you can order a bolt in brand new hydroboost for an OBS Ford for about $140 brand new. Everytime I see a SuperDuty in a boneyard (which is almost never) I look for the braking system and it's always gone.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

If you have an auto trans then you need the brake peddle. If you have a standard trans you need the clutch & brake peddle assembly. The auto trans brake peddle is easily removed after to remove a clip on the shaft. The standard trans peddle is way differant. Thats why you remove all of it....

Actually this all depends on the pedal pushrod length - I have a Suburban hydroboost with the 2" too long pushrod and never had to mess with any pedal swaps, just shim the bottom of the plate a bit more than the top and tilt the whole unit back some 15 degrees or so. In that sense a GM hydro from a Burb or fullsize truck is a much easier install than the F-Superduty hydro with its pedal swap mess. Again tho it really depends on pushrod length, longer than the our factory vacuum booster rod is fine, but shorter would be a problem that's only solved with a welder...

 

[OB_WAN]

here's a post on hydroboost that's interesting. provides some intel on astro van/GM conversions as well as where to buy a cheap setup for your vehicle.

http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?t=27234&highlight=chevy+astro

If you go to the pick-n-pull you'll probably find several astro vans with the boosters in them. At least I did last time I was there.

 

[Alex S]

Hmmm I garbed HB from a 92 F-450 and it bolted directly into my 91 f350 pushrod was the right size.

However i did put a hydro boost from a astro van in my scout, it was easy as well, just drilled some holes in the firewall and used the chevy pushrod. it was to long so i had to cut 1/2" out of it and welded it back together. Simple if ther was a problem with the chevy push rods eye the wrong size just cut it off and weld the ford one in place.

Note... i did pick up an astro van HB for $40 there are tons of them out there

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Alex, the issue with the F-Superduty pushrod is not the length of it, but rather the angle at which it sits with the pedal pushed down hard - apparently the linkage binds in that position, which is solvable by either relocating the puhrod pivot pin further up on the pedal, or possibly by spacing out the bottom of the hydroboost mounting bracket away from the firewall some and thus tilting the whole unit back and down making for a more straight shot from the pedal in. I have my hydroboost tilted like that (it's a Suburban unit), works just fine...

 

[RLDSL]

Actually this all depends on the pedal pushrod length - I have a Suburban hydroboost with the 2" too long pushrod and never had to mess with any pedal swaps, just shim the bottom of the plate a bit more than the top and tilt the whole unit back some 15 degrees or so. In that sense a GM hydro from a Burb or fullsize truck is a much easier install than the F-Superduty hydro with its pedal swap mess. Again tho it really depends on pushrod length, longer than the our factory vacuum booster rod is fine, but shorter would be a problem that's only solved with a welder...

THis has my attention. I was digging through the upullit and the only truck I could find with HB was a GMC 3500 and I stared at that thing for the longest time wondering if that would be a doable swap
By the sound of things, it would.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Sure thing Rob, I did it in my driveway in just a few hours, and that's taking my sweet time playing with different pedal heights - basically the GM pushrod is 2-1/2" or so too long, so you have to make some sort of a spacer that is that thick to fit between the hydroboost mounting plate and the truck firewall, bolt patters are virtually the same tho so no drilling new holes is needed. By varying the overall thickness of that spacer you essentially adjust your pedal height (I ended up about an ninch higher than factory IIRC), and my having different thickness between the top and the bottom end you vary your pushrod angle. You can use pressure hoses for your year F-Superduty truck to make the whole thing work.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Sure thing Rob, I did it in my driveway in just a few hours, and that's taking my sweet time playing with different pedal heights - basically the GM pushrod is 2-1/2" or so too long, so you have to make some sort of a spacer that is that thick to fit between the hydroboost mounting plate and the truck firewall, bolt patters are virtually the same tho so no drilling new holes is needed. By varying the overall thickness of that spacer you essentially adjust your pedal height (I ended up about an ninch higher than factory IIRC), and my having different thickness between the top and the bottom end you vary your pushrod angle. You can use pressure hoses for your year F-Superduty truck to make the whole thing work.

This is something I keep pushing onto the back-burner as more pressing matters take my time and money (it doesn't take a very expensive matter ).


Can you show some pictures or drawings of this spacer business ??


When I do get around to this, I will have to sort of "hybrid" the conversion, what with me having Ford steering-gear and fire-wall and a Dodge/Cummins power-steering-pump.

Thanks.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

No pics of the spacer thing, can't see anything decent anyways but it's basically two pieces of 2"x1" square tubing shoved between the booster mounting plate and the firewall with some washers to shim the bottom end out a bit.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

No pics of the spacer thing, can't see anything decent anyways but it's basically two pieces of 2"x1" square tubing shoved between the booster mounting plate and the firewall with some washers to shim the bottom end out a bit.

Thanks.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Forgot to mention, the hydroboost mounting studs ain't long enough to go through 2" of spacer, but they can easily be removed from the plate (beat them out with a hammer like you do with wheel studs), then you just use long 3/8" Grade-8 bolts and washers and locknuts. It's a bit tricky doing the bolts ad nuts thing by yourself, but you can wedge a box-end wrench against the hydroboost body and then you only have the nuts on the inside of the firewall to tighten down. The greatest part is that this whole spacer thing allows you to adjust your pedal height, I think I ended up about 1" higher than factory cause that's what's most comfortable for me.

Oh, and just to clarify - if I take pics of the thing (assuming I actually do find my camera) nothing can be seen on them as the whole thing is painted black and so is the spacer and the firewall, and on top of that I have sprayed expanding foam between the two square tubing spacer rails to seal off the engine bay from the firewall and that's sprayed black too - so really it's one giant black blob, lol

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

As for this longer bolts business, could I use all-thread captured with nuts/washers inside and outside the fire-wall, then slide the spacers and brake-assembly over the all-thread, just as if the all-thread were studs ??

Thanks.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Or, could I instead put coupler-nuts on the existing studs and extend their length thus ??

Thanks.