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Has anyone installed or looked into installing power brakes in a Ford based kit?
Doesn’t seem like a lot of room for a booster.
Rob BakerI want to add a booster to my Chevy engine that seems to have manual Chevette brakes. I found one shop that told me they could move the master cylinder to make room for a power booster. I also plan to get bigger rotors and discs.
Guys?
Why do you need a power brake booster?
Why would you want one?
In a 2200-pound car?
I ran my Chevy II for many years without one. Front discs, rear drums, all-iron 350 and a Muncie under the hood. 205/70 R-14 Goodyear Eagles on steel rims. The car weighed 2900 pounds. Had the original dual circuit master cylinder from the all-drum days, and it stopped totally fine. I would press the brake pedal and the car would stop. If I pressed harder it would stop shorter. If I pressed too hard the front wheels might lock. Good pedal feel too–not the spongy nonsense and sudden grab I recorded when behind the wheel of my friend’s ’70 Monte Carlo or other cars of that, or more recent, vintage.
No vacuum worries. No extra weight or expense from a brake booster.
And certainly no headaches about “where can this big donut fit here?”
All to say that, maybe, if you guys have problems stopping these little cars they might be unrelated to your lack of a power brake booster.
edsnova2012-03-22 07:44:11
ED, I think you are on the mark my chevette powered stops as good as any with power brakes . i could net get power brakes in and behind the intake .But if you need power brakes look in to a system from a early Hyundai they there power system in the right side with a cross over system for the brakes ‘mid 80’s’ Excel Dan
I must be spoiled with my Honda S2000. It can’t weight too much more than my Fiberfab with the Chevy 283. But the S stops like a race car would, quickly and smoothly (even if I’m not using all of the 240 horse power) The 283 is enhanced, so maybe it’s giving me at least 300 hp, but stopping is just fine at slower speeds. I do not trust it like a modern braking system to stop me fast enough. The engine of the 283 will hurl me down the highway, and I want to be able to stop with equal deceleration. In order to keep my 283 monster from creeping at a stop light into the car in front of me, I have to just about stand on the brake pedal, That can tire a leg out in town pretty fast.
Making the TD stop like the S2000 might be a little spendy. (These guys do have a remote brake booster available for $800). I’ll do some research….
Meantime, at stop lights, neutral = no creeping & less leg fatigue. It’s a TD, you gotta shift it some time!:-)
edsnova2012-03-22 08:26:39
I can deal with the less then great brakes but I know the kids are going to drive it and they are certainly not use to a car without modern stopping power.
Given their complete lack of safety devices, I would not put anyone but a C.O.P.* behind the wheel of such a device as ours.
*Certified Old Person
Hmmm, I built my Duchess when I was 24
Does that mean I was C.O.P. before my time?Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Back when you built yours, Paul, most cars on the road had little better safety protection than our TDs have. Also, 18-year-olds could drink legally, meaning 16-year-olds got a pass at most bars. So everyone who could drive was pretty much drunk. And those who weren’t drunk were coked up.
Plus, the end of the world was coming any minute.
What were we talking about?
edsnova2012-03-22 23:20:11
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