im looking for the smallest power drum/drum brake booster.is there a difference or are they all huge?what have you used?i only have a napa out here and they want $200 for a new one from a 70 f150.i know that's not allot of money but it looked huge in the pic.any help is always appreciated.
You didn't say if it was firewall mounted or frame mounted. I used one off of a late 60's or early 70's Buick firewall in my 38 Chevy. It was about 9". You can also buy the aftermarket units in 7 or 8" sizes. Just make sure you buy the duel stage units. They are all over Ebay.
I got the booster, brake pedal, and master cylinder. For a little over $200.00 The booster is a dual style about 7 inches around. Or they have a single booster that is a little smaller if you like. I believe the company name is gearhead industries out of iowa. They advertise the setup as a 32 ford style, but it is mostly universal and mounts under the floor board...ghost
well it could be mounted anywhere really.i like the under floor mount i will look gearhead ind up sounds like a good deal for the whole set-up which i need.thanks for the quick replies.
i just tried to google gearhead ind but it came up with a foreign repair shop???? do you have a email address or phone # for them?
Try this waterlootire company Item #390019826020 $149.00 description 32 ford st rod 7"dual booster pedal assembly 32 1-563-823-4871 this item is listed on e bay. but the buy it now price is $149.00 same one I usually buy but a lot cheaper...ghost just call them they take plastic and orders over the phone EDIT found a couple of other set ups same company part# 220334322999 $145.00 part#370137583614 $169/00 the last two that I gave you are suposed to have the corvette master cylinder with the brake line fitting on both sides they also sell the proportioning valves for either drum drum or disc to drum if you need them MAKE SURE YOU GIVE THEM THE PART # AND PRICE AND STATE THAT YOU WANT THE DUAL BOOSTER ONLY
CHECK ON 78-UP GM G-BODY CARS(MALIBU, MONTE CARLO, EL CAMINO, CUTLASS, REGAL, GRAND PRIX AND LeMANS).THEY WERE OFFERED WITH A LARGE AND A SMALL BOOSTER.I USED ONE OF A 82-84 GRAND PRIX ON A 62 WAGON AND IT WORKED FINE.
Be careful if you mount any booster under the floor on a Merc. I had mine mounted there for a while and it hung down below the frame. I got close to tearing off more than once. You could also use the right angle pedal and booster setup and mount all of that under the dash.
Before you buy one check out a site that sells hot rod (custom) brake supplies like ECi (ecihotrodbrakes.com). You need to think about the weight of your car, etc. Buy from where ever you want, but get what you need.
thanks for the input.i may just put it up on the firewall not 100% sure if i want it inside the car.78 and up gm i thought they would be all disc drum cars?
I have this under the floor unit on my Merc. check it out. http://www.mpbrakes.com/products/product-detail.cfm?product_id=561
You will probably be told by someone more informed than I, but the booster doesn't care if it's drum/drum, disk/drum or disk/disk; that's taken care of with the master cylinder. The booster only applies pressure to the master, therefore, maybe there is a pressure output that you should be concerned with, and that is a function of the size of the booster vs. the pedal ratio. I think most small boosters are based on a Vega or Chevette design, they should be available at NAPA, and should be fairly cheap.
If you are going to run a serious drop in your ride, just make sure that if you do use a floor mounted booster (which is the most straightforward to install), there are plenty of other things that will hit the road besides the booster housing, or you will tear the thing off (seen it before on a psycho-bagged 47 ford).
is the vega/chevette a dual stage unit?then i can put any mc for a drum/drum car on it? im keeping the stock susp but it has a coil cut of the springs in front by the previous owner.i was thinking of dropped spindles possibly in the future.but 1st things first.i got to get the brakes setup.then onto the motor tranny install.
I have a booster out in the shop that came off of a 1980 Cutless that is about 7" or 8" diameter. I have no idea if it's dual stage or not just that it's small and I thought it might work under the floor of my F-100. Good luck.
Don't need plenty of other things to hit the road. Just have to fabricate a bash or skid plate under the booster as I did even before I took it on the road.
my 2 cents worth here and I'm not trying to be a smart ass or a F**kin know it all stop and think PLEASE about what you want this Merc to look like and drive like when done. so far your doing the dash with airplane gauges, small power booster (under floor) and on the S-10 frame swap thread you asking about sub frame swaps. JUST STOP and LISTEN ask the Hamb member something like this hey I just got a 49-50-51 Merc and I need help in planning the build, I have some knowage of cars because I build countless Nova's but never did a Merc before. Thanks now I'll offer some help here find a Nova 69-70-71 with the steering box on the rear on the sub frame, not the front steering, other wise your steering box is in the grill. if you install the sub frame right the box and column almost line up and you fix that by dropping the column under the dash. next take out the pedals and MC - brake booster from the Nova and install that on the firewall. now with a BIG hammer beat ( very little beating is needed here) the firewall were the distributor will hit. now slip in your sbc / 350 trans. make crossmember for trans. bolt in your 10 bolt Nova rear. like I said before "I'm not being a smart ass " hope this helps
sorry I forgot the most important thing here. it's your Merc build it the way you want and enjoy it !
A Geo tracker has a very small booster and a nice aluminum master cyl with an almost 5/8 piston same size as a Vette and they are cheap, a favorite on early Falcons and almost a bolt on. yes I know its foriegn but is it? that was made when GM and Toyota were in bed together................
trust me i want your 2cents! ive decided that the front susp will remain stock except for the addition of self adjusters on the drum brakes and adding a power booster.i'm trying to win an ebay bid on this gauge instead of the "airplane" styled ones.im leaving the dash stock and not trying for an 80's monte carlo look.i want a smooth firewall but im not opposed to firerwall mount the booster,thats why smaller is better.but i dont want a 350/350 combo,instead im looking at a 351w/c4 combo that a friend has. i'm doing this by myself and have never swapped out a full front susp.im not sure if i would be able to line it up correctly since the fenders and other sheet metal is off of the car.i could just see putting the fenders on and the wheels are to far back/forward etc... and as always im open to your thoughts thats why im here looking for ideas and help.thanks!
have you been to my house? you just decribed my merc to a T. but, you forgot the clipster headers and aluminum radiator. and mine is a rear steer 68 ventura. 5150, sounds like you are struggling with the same thing i did. i don't care for the 50/51 dash either. it 's hard to put different gauges in this dash and look decent. what i did to remedy the situation, is to install a 49 merc dash. you can use the round gauges of your choice this way, but, 49 dashes are pretty pricey. as far as the master cylinder /booster problem. i used the booster from the 68 ventura. had it rebuilt at a local booster place. i used the underdash brace and pedal from a mid-eighties chevy truck and mounted the booster under the hood in a normal position. if you are going to keep your drum brakes on the front, get a proportioning valve from a big car that had 4 wheel drums. like a 67 impala for example. this way you can have a duel line master cylinder,drums and power brakes.
The smallest and cheapest would be a factory Mercury Hydroboost setup that was found on the boats of the seventies. Cheap and made for a Mercury and they work great. Here's what it looks like in an old Bronco, pretty compact unit- Here's a pretty good writeup on the install- http://classicbroncos.com/hydroboost.shtml
Hot Rods USA in Portland sells a Chrome 7 in for under $100 . Buy the Chrome not because its shiny but because break fluid eats paint . "IM STILL LOOKING FOR A QUOTE"
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