My hydroboost conversion

[Squirrelsmith]

A guy at work convinced me it was the best thing since sliced bread... here is what i have going on

keep in mind that I know very little about cars and am totally freestyling this so take it with a grain of salt i suppose. Let me know if you see anything wildly wrong with my plan haha!

went to junkyard and pulled the hydroboost unit along with the master cylinder off a astro van, I think i spent $40
got hydroboost power steering lines for a diesel 98 tahoe from rock auto $50
power steering cooler and fluid from napa $40
refurbished power steering pump for a 98 diesel tahoe from some random place online $50

still need might need some more 3/8" hose and hose clamps for running to and from the cooler.

I might get this done for under $200

Here is the problem i ran into.
the "push rod" that come through the firewall from the astro has a smaller hole and is almost exactly 1" shorter than the one off the stock vacuum booster.

So I cut off the astro one and drilled / tapped it for a m5 screw. I then cut off the stock vacuum booster one and threaded it with a m5, screwed the two together with loctite. This added the inch and got me the right hole for the connection to the pedal.

you can see where I made the splice there is a color change. I don't anticipate any more problems but I will update with the good or bad time I'm having.

 

[Shadowz Edge]

I'd like to follow this as an upgrade to the Tahoe. My only concern is with the additional stopping force if it messes with the ABS system at all.

 

[Tonyrodz]

A guy at work convinced me it was the best thing since sliced bread... here is what i have going on

keep in mind that I know very little about cars and am totally freestyling this so take it with a grain of salt i suppose. Let me know if you see anything wildly wrong with my plan haha!

went to junkyard and pulled the hydroboost unit along with the master cylinder off a astro van, I think i spent $40
got hydroboost power steering lines for a diesel 98 tahoe from rock auto $50
power steering cooler and fluid from napa $40
refurbished power steering pump for a 98 diesel tahoe from some random place online $50

still need might need some more 3/8" hose and hose clamps for running to and from the cooler.

I might get this done for under $200

Here is the problem i ran into.
the "push rod" that come through the firewall from the astro has a smaller hole and is almost exactly 1" shorter than the one off the stock vacuum booster.

So I cut off the astro one and drilled / tapped it for a m5 screw. I then cut off the stock vacuum booster one and threaded it with a m5, screwed the two together with loctite. This added the inch and got me the right hole for the connection to the pedal.

you can see where I made the splice there is a color change. I don't anticipate any more problems but I will update with the good or bad time I'm having.

View attachment 204086

Interesting.

 

[Squirrelsmith]

I finally have the booster bolted up. One click on a rachet at a time it was terrible. Should have it finished friday and i'll report back with results

 

[Squirrelsmith]

Pic of the power steering fluid cooler mounted on the ac condenser. Hope i dont have to replace the condenser any time soon. I guess you dont need to have this but it is probably a good idea.

 

[iamdub]

My solution would've been to weld the rods together, but that's because I have a welder and that's almost always my go-to solution. I am impressed by your solution and applaud your enginuity! I did a conversion on my '02 S10 and LOVED it. I used bolts through the firewall with the heads on the inside and nuts on the outside to act as studs to mount the booster to, making removal easy if needed. Also, the rod was about an inch too long so using the nut and a few extra washers spaced it perfectly. Opposite from what you needed, but just mentioning it.

 

[iamdub]

I'd like to follow this as an upgrade to the Tahoe. My only concern is with the additional stopping force if it messes with the ABS system at all.

It has no "direct" affect on ABS. It basically just multiplies your input force much more than the vacuum booster. So, you get stronger braking for a given amount of pedal travel/effort. The only affect on ABS is that it will be easier to engage it when stomping the pedal enough to lock the wheels. Braking with normal, everyday driving will feel much better. It also removed virtually all of the "slack" in the pedal travel in my case, something I consider significant with a GM truck since it seems they all have soft brake pedals.

 

[Squirrelsmith]

i was originally going to weld it but for that I needed a friend to be involved. also I couldn't control the length as easily or the straightness. The length is within .005" of the original

 

[Squirrelsmith]

I'm really excited to get this done and see if it brings the braking up to a more modern standard. My wife says I don't pay attention when I drive and do what she calls "panic braking" so this will be a great upgrade for me. I would also like to do a rear disc conversion eventually.

 

[Squirrelsmith]

Got some more work done last night at 2am, sure is nice having a carport with lights! All thats left to do is run the lines to and from the cooler and bleed the fluids