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Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? #218783
02/09/09 02:02 PM
02/09/09 02:02 PM
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Oakley CA
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69charger440_6pa Offline OP
pro stock
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I have wanted to add a hydro-boost brake booster for some time now, but I really dont want to pay the 700-900 for a kit. Has anyone done their own? You can pick up rebuilt boosters for about $120 and possibly just have to fab up a braket or to.

So has anyone done this?


1969 Charger R/T under construction
2014 Ram 3500 Cummins
2006 Corvette Z06
2015 Corvette Z06
2014 BMW M5
Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: 69charger440_6pa] #218784
02/09/09 04:34 PM
02/09/09 04:34 PM
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,647
Houston Texas
PAINT IT BLACK Offline
Got a CHIP on my shoulder
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Ouch. I was thinking of going the hydro route with my current Bee build, but I never looked into the cost. I am running an electric pump in my Cuda and it set me back a total of around $300. For less than half or a third of the price, why would you do anything else? Mine is very quiet and works flawlessly.

Maybe the hydro way has some benefits I am unaware of?

I guess if you are starting from scratch, the price difference isn't so bad (no booster), and might be worth it considering the brakes wouldn't depend on the electrical system. Either way you have a pump or two of good brakes if the system fails...


Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: PAINT IT BLACK] #218785
02/09/09 10:14 PM
02/09/09 10:14 PM
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Oakley CA
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69charger440_6pa Offline OP
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bump


1969 Charger R/T under construction
2014 Ram 3500 Cummins
2006 Corvette Z06
2015 Corvette Z06
2014 BMW M5
Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: 69charger440_6pa] #218786
02/10/09 12:58 AM
02/10/09 12:58 AM
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A Red State
SNK-EYZ Offline
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A Red State
There's a guy I work with that's talking about going to a Hydro-Boost setup on his 81 Trans Am.
Although it's a GM, he's saying the hydro-boost off of a late model Ram (diesel) is the right part number for the conversion.

I'll see what other info he can tell me and post it.


Kayse can't keep up at all now. lol
Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: SNK-EYZ] #218787
02/10/09 03:14 AM
02/10/09 03:14 AM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 21,345
Marysville, O-H-I-O
70Cuda383 Offline
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are vehicles coming from the factory with hydroboost now?

after converting my dakota from power to manual brakes, I think an appropriately sized master cylinder on a manual set-up is perfect. never before have I had the feedback I needed on just how much brake effort I am giving. with pwoer brakes, you can't feel the system at all, no matter how hard your stopping, the pedal isn't harder to press. on a manual system, the harder you want tostop, the more the pedal will "push back" for you, which allows you to really feel just how much pressure you're putting on the brakes


**Photobucket sucks**
Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: 70Cuda383] #218788
02/10/09 05:39 AM
02/10/09 05:39 AM
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Athens, Greece
Pyper70 Offline
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Forgive my age on the subject...

What is a hydro-boost?


Family owned 1969 Charger R/T DualQuad 440/727/GVO/3.55s
Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: 69charger440_6pa] #218789
02/10/09 06:28 AM
02/10/09 06:28 AM
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Montana
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FuryUs Offline
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Hudro boost uses hydraulic pressure from the power steering pump for power brake assist instead of a vacuum booster.
Diesels come from the factory, and I think some GM SUVs also, with hydro boost.

Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: 70Cuda383] #218790
02/10/09 11:28 AM
02/10/09 11:28 AM
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Posts: 104,346
Garden Grove, CA
OzHemi Offline
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Quote:

are vehicles coming from the factory with hydroboost now?




'88 and up Chevy C3500's have hydraboost, gas or diesel.

Alot of thier other SUV's and what not do too. My '02 1500HD has it and I've seen it on a '04 Tahoe as well..

Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: OzHemi] #218791
02/10/09 12:11 PM
02/10/09 12:11 PM
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Warren, MI
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Jerry Offline
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mustangs use it as well.


Superior Design Concepts
2574 Elliott Dr
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Facebook page: Superior Design Concepts
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Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: Jerry] #218792
02/10/09 12:24 PM
02/10/09 12:24 PM
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,344
Cincinnati, OH
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6T6Cuda Offline
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my 84 caprice station wagon had it. I thought it was odd...

You use to see them everywhere, but with the high price of scrap steel, i bet most of them have been crushed...

Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: PAINT IT BLACK] #218793
02/10/09 12:26 PM
02/10/09 12:26 PM
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land of 10,000______'s
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BDS871Cuda Offline
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Go the easy way and put in the electric pump.
The Saturn Vue has a small and quiet pump
all the way back to 2002. Junk yard might even
have them for less than 1/2 of $350.


Snap your neck, mega G-force launch, is all I want!
Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: BDS871Cuda] #218794
02/10/09 12:47 PM
02/10/09 12:47 PM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,523
Oakley CA
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69charger440_6pa Offline OP
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Quote:

Go the easy way and put in the electric pump.
The Saturn Vue has a small and quiet pump
all the way back to 2002. Junk yard might even
have them for less than 1/2 of $350.




not a bad idea, but I dont have a vacuume booster so that wouldnt work for me. Plus I want the hydro assist because it works better than the vacuume booster. Wonder if I could use that electric pump as a crank case evac

Last edited by 69charger440_6pa; 02/10/09 12:49 PM.

1969 Charger R/T under construction
2014 Ram 3500 Cummins
2006 Corvette Z06
2015 Corvette Z06
2014 BMW M5
Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: 69charger440_6pa] #218795
02/10/09 12:51 PM
02/10/09 12:51 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 104,346
Garden Grove, CA
OzHemi Offline
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Should not be hard...just get a wrecking yard or rebuilt booster unit, and a suitable power steering pump (a second return line on it is handy).
Modify the firewall mounts for the hydroboost, and use a master cylinder that will bolt to it.

Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: FuryUs] #218796
02/10/09 04:05 PM
02/10/09 04:05 PM
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Athens, Greece
Pyper70 Offline
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So you can't really use this hydro-boost on a vehicle that has a Vacuum booster because the cam is really lopey, runs 2 canisters AND had vacuum headlights.....right?


Family owned 1969 Charger R/T DualQuad 440/727/GVO/3.55s
Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: Pyper70] #218797
02/10/09 04:11 PM
02/10/09 04:11 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 104,346
Garden Grove, CA
OzHemi Offline
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Hydroboost is great for cars with big cams...just as long as you have power steering

Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: OzHemi] #218798
02/10/09 04:23 PM
02/10/09 04:23 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,888
Athens, Greece
Pyper70 Offline
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I guess I need to see some pictures, schematics, and installation components/procedures better educate myself on this


Family owned 1969 Charger R/T DualQuad 440/727/GVO/3.55s
Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: Pyper70] #218799
02/10/09 04:26 PM
02/10/09 04:26 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 104,346
Garden Grove, CA
OzHemi Offline
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Quote:

I guess I need to see some pictures, schematics, and installation components/procedures better educate myself on this




Next time you are in Torrance, you can check out my truck.


Basically, power steering pump to hydroboost, hydroboost to steering box. return line from each back to power steering pump. hydroboost mounts to firewall same as a brake booster would basically.

Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: OzHemi] #218800
02/10/09 04:41 PM
02/10/09 04:41 PM
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Long Island, NY USA
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BergmanAutoCraft Offline
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The old Cadillac pump that Steve is referring to was used by Volvo as well, but has not been available for years. The newer aftermarket pumps are much louder, and do not seem to have the same vacuum ability.

If you have 4 wheel disc, chances are you will need higher line pressures, which hydroboost was designed for. It is silent, and uses the power steering pump to generate pressure to operate the unit.

Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: Pyper70] #218801
02/10/09 05:07 PM
02/10/09 05:07 PM
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In the twisties
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RokketRide Offline
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Quote:

I guess I need to see some pictures, schematics, and installation components/procedures better educate myself on this





Re: Anyone made their own hydro booster kit? [Re: BergmanAutoCraft] #218802
02/11/09 12:09 AM
02/11/09 12:09 AM
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,647
Houston Texas
PAINT IT BLACK Offline
Got a CHIP on my shoulder
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Posts: 7,647
Houston Texas
Quote:

The old Cadillac pump that Steve is referring to was used by Volvo as well, but has not been available for years. The newer aftermarket pumps are much louder, and do not seem to have the same vacuum ability.

If you have 4 wheel disc, chances are you will need higher line pressures, which hydroboost was designed for. It is silent, and uses the power steering pump to generate pressure to operate the unit.




I should have given credit where it was due. Peter turned me on to that Caddy pump. My problem with that one is that I didn't mount it with insulators and it vibrated loudly. So I just bought the SSBC pump and used it. I sold the Caddy pump for what I bought it for on ebay for $65. I'm sure it would have worked fine, though the SSBC kit is more attractive if you care about that. The ssbc is VERY quiet btw. I am getting 24" of vacuum before it cuts off I think, so there is NO problem with functionality.

I haven't done the rear disk swap on my car yet, so I can't attest to the effectiveness there yet. I'll know this summer.

After some thought, I think I will still go with hydro boost myself on the next build just to do something different... plus I am swapping from manual brakes, so there really isn't that much of a price difference between the two. The biggest benefit to hydro would be the space saving aspect. I am running a crappy red top Optima so I can fit my electric pump on my battery tray since I didn't want to drill holes in my car (the tray is a repop and I can remove it to have it repainted if I go another direction in the future). With the hydro boost, its up on the firewall, out of the way...

I don't think you can lose either way.

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