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Brake Power Booster |
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So, I had finished the frame blasting and had been putting it back together by
putting the engine back in and the suspension lift on and was doing some research and I came across a build up
idea as to how to add more stopping power to the Jeep. Since everything I had read said that bigger tires and
drum brakes didn't mix, a brake power booster seemed the way to go to help my stopping power. At this time I
was still planning on running drum brakes all the way around, more stopping power at the pedal seemed like a
simple fix to my issues.
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Since the frame off removed everything from the tub, the old master cylinder
(which was shot anyways) was long gone. I had gotten a new brake power booster off of
eBay and it had been
sandblasted, painted, and a new master cylinder installed. It came with the mounting legs, which I have seen to
be the hardest piece of the conversion to come by. So, I bolted it on and that completed the installation since
the brake pedal assembly was not in the tub yet.
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There are three more things that have to be accounted for. When the brake pedal
assembly gets put into the tub, the connecting rod needs to be hooked up as well as the brake switch needs to be
screwed in more to make contact with the brake pedal or your taillights will be glowing since there is no contact
being made.
The last thing to hook up is the brake lines. One the old master cylinder and stock brake lines that were on
the frame, the first hole in the manual master cylinder is a different size in comparison to the power master
cylinder. This was taken care of in my case with the new "power" stainless steel brake lines. It came with the
correct size fitting. If this is not the case with your build-up, you will need to get a coupler, or get a new
line with the appropriate size fitting.
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Lessons Learned the Hard Way |
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So, my lessons learned here would have to be to get a second set of hands in
helping hold the brake power booster in place when the nuts are tightened down. It is hard to bend your arms
around the firewall to do the bolts correctly. I got it done, but an extra set of hands would have worked out
nicely.
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Conclusions |
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This is a fairly straightforward bolt on conversion. I had already ordered up
new stainless steel brake lines with the "power" fittings so they would fit the new "power" master cylinder.
This will need to be addressed if you plan on doing this conversion. Also, the manual master cylinder cannot
be used if you just get a power booster unit. You need to get a power master cylinder as it is slightly
different then that of the manual one. It allows for more fluid to travel to the brakes. Also, if your rig
didn't come equipped with a proportioning valve for power brakes, you will have to do some research into this
to see if you will need one for the rear brakes with the power upgrade. More then likely you will need to get
your hands on one to have this work properly.
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