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Corvettes"how-to-install"
hydrobooster dial-up beware

71'AirStrike
Senior
Member

61 posts [100%]
Glendale AZ

"how-to-install"
hydrobooster dial-up beware

1:26
PM 9/23/2002

I’m writing this post as a way to contribute to
other members and I hope it helps. I by no means know
everything. I am a simple weekend mechanic with faults. If
there are any gross technical errors I hope some of the gurus
will chime in to correct me. Fear not I have my flame suit on!

I purchased the hydratech braking system to solve my soft
braking issue. My system is as follows: new vacuum and Master
Cylinder from Ecklers (8 months old), Rebuild factory calipers
w/ meticallic brake pads (8 months old), New plane jane disks
from napa (8 months old), new rubber brake lines (8 months
old).

The brakes would still work and lock up if the pedal went
to the floorboard. Otherwise they felt mushy like my waist
line.

1: First things first. Jack up the car (I use 4 stands on
the frame, and then use the jack itself on the front cross
bar. This helps to support the weight of the motor from
tweaking the frame). Be Safe, Be Smart.

2: Do a no-BS inspection of your braking and Power steering
system. If either one is not up to par the Hydrobooster will
not help. Look for leaks, drips, or something that is
“just-not-right”. This is an excellent high performance
braking system. If you have something wrong with the brakes to
start, adding a hydrobooster could amplify the problem.

In my situation I gravity bled all brakes. I did this for 2
reasons, A: to make sure there are no air bubbles in the
system. B: to use fresh clean fluid. In hind sight I should
have used this opportunity to change over to a DOT 4 brake
fluid as the directions suggested.

3: Drain the fluid out of the Power Steering (PS) pump by
removing the high pressure line. It is the one located towards
the bottom of the pump. Let drip for a while.

The prior owner had used ATF (Automatic Transmition Fluid
nasty smelling red crap!) fluid for the PS system. ATF does
not play nice with the Hydroboost, so I decided to completely
flush the entire PS system and will use good quality PS fluid.
One trick I did was to aim the hose removed from the PS pump
to the drain pan. Then I moved the steering arm back and forth
several times to purge the evil red fluid.
WARNING: move
the steering arm very slowly! If you go to fast it will squirt
out like Old Yeller. Trust me, ATF stings like hell when it
gets into your eyes and it tastes worst than 3 day old taco
bell food.

4: Remove the Master Cylinder (MC) from the Vacuum Assist
Unit (PoS). Carefully move the MC about 6 inches away from the
PoS. Be mindful not to crimp or tweak the hard lines from the
MC to the distribution point.

Use this time to inspect the PoS for any unusual
fluid or crud collecting from the MC. Remember if the MC is
not at 100%, you are begging for problems.

5: Remove the drivers seat. This is not a must. If you
enjoy pain, S&M bondage, or spending money at a
Chiropractors office by ALL means leave it in. Go ahead, I
dare ya!

5a: Removing the Steering Column (SC). This is your
judgment call if you want to pull it. It will make the job
easier to get access to the 4 nuts holding the PoS in place.
Crawl underneath the dash and determine if you can get the
nuts you need to get to with the SC in place. Pulling the SC
is about a 10 min job if you have done it before. If you
haven’t done it before it will take about 30 minutes (22 of
those minutes will be “Dammit what the hell blocking this
*cursed thing?” *= insert your own 4 letter word here)
The
procedure I list is for my car. Yours might be a little
different (extra nut, bolt or spring thingy) be observant, and
use this as a guide.

5b: Remove the 3 screws that hold the plastic plate
underneath the SC.

5c: Remove the 12point bolt located on the Rag joint that
secures the SC spine to the rag joint. I recommend moving the
steering wheel so the 12point bolt is facing up and thereby
easy-pezy to remove.

5d: Remove the 2 ½ in bolts that are located at the 9 and 5
o’clock position on the Cab side floorboard. Right where the
SC goes through the floorboard.

5e: Remove the plate that is on the Firewall (engine) side
of the SC. One of the bolts should come out to ease in the
removal process. This is what the plate will look like when
out.

5f: Disconnect the battery. Bummer there goes your radio
station presets.

5g: Unscrew the 2 support bolts. The SC
will drop a few inches but that’s ok. Be gentle tho.

5h: Disconnect the 3 electrical plugs from the
SC. One is thin, black, with 12 or so wires and, simple to get
to (you can see it in above picture).
Look above the SC ad
you can see the other 2 electrical plugs.

Writers Note: I added the dust to help earn NRCS
points. If you want I sell Official Corvette Dust, Dirt, and
Grime for $120 per ounce. Just IM me.

5i: Gently pull out the SC. Be care full not to snag wires
and vacuum hoses. Do not worry the SC is not heavy. Take your
time.

5j: Remove the 4 bolts that hold the upper support bracket
for the SC.

When the SC is finally out DO NOT turn the ignition key,
rotate the steering wheel, or move the steering components
underneath the car. If you do the steering wheel will not be
centered and will be difficult to get back in place. Then your
friends and family will laugh at you.

5 SC installation: Installation is the reverse with 2 help
full tips.1 Do not tighten the 4 upper SC support bracket or
the 2 support bolts. Just get them started. Once the SC is
back in place, align the SC so the Steering wheel is parallel
to the driver. Once set then tighten up those puppy’s. 2 Grab
a friend to help guide the spine end of the SC back into the
rag joint while you hold the SC.

6: Remove the brake pedal rod and clevis pin.
[IMG]When
the SC is finally out DO NOT turn the ignition key, rotate the
steering wheel, or move the steering components underneath the
car. If you do the steering wheel will not be centered and
will be difficult to get back in place. Then your friends and
family will laugh at you.

5 SC installation: Installation is the reverse with 2 help
full tips.1 Do not tighten the 4 upper SC support bracket or
the 2 support bolts. Just get them started. Once the SC is
back in place, align the SC so the Steering wheel is parallel
to the driver. Once set then tighten up those puppy’s. 2 Grab
a friend to help guide the spine end of the SC back into the
rag joint while you hold the SC.

6: Remove the brake pedal rod and clevis pin.
[IMG]When
the SC is finally out DO NOT turn the ignition key, rotate the
steering wheel, or move the steering components underneath the
car. If you do the steering wheel will not be centered and
will be difficult to get back in place. Then your friends and
family will laugh at you.

5 SC installation: Installation is the reverse with 2 help
full tips.1 Do not tighten the 4 upper SC support bracket or
the 2 support bolts. Just get them started. Once the SC is
back in place, align the SC so the Steering wheel is parallel
to the driver. Once set then tighten up those puppy’s. 2 Grab
a friend to help guide the spine end of the SC back into the
rag joint while you hold the SC.

6: Remove the brake pedal rod and clevis pin.

6: OK here is where the “fun” begins. Remove the 4 bolts
that hold on the PoS. In my car this is the worlds most PITA
bolts to remove. It sucks, It sucks, It sucks. I hate It.

After one hour of scraped knuckles and blood
rushing to my head. I gave birth to a Vacuum Brake Booster.

I’m going to take a break and eat some Ice chips.

7: Before installing the hydrobooster into the car. I
suggest installing the High and Low pressure lines on the
unit.

8: Transfer brake pedal rod clevis from vacuum assist unit
to hydraulic assist unit. Make sure you have proper thread
engagement. The book suggests 6 threads minimum. My install
ended up being around 10 threads.

9: More fun! Install the Hydrobooster into the firewall.
The brass can should be towards the top and drivers side of
the car. The Pressure lines should be facing down. While
installing the hydrobooster the brake pedal clevis should
“interface” the brake pedal at the same time. It sucks, It
sucks, It sucks. I hate It.

Ok the hard part is done. Its all down hill from here. Take
a break.

Here is me dreaming of how great my breaks are
going to work

The hydrobooster at this stage.

10: Lube up and install clevis pin/retaining clip into the
brake pedal.

When routing the High and Low pressure lines be mindful of
the A-arms, hot exhaust, electrical connections, and movement
of the steering control valve.

11: Connect the shorter High pressure line to the bottom of
the PS pump.

12: Connect the longer High pressure line to Power Steering
Control Valve.

When all of the High pressure lines are connected you will
end up with an extra High pressure line that came with your
car originally. Don’t fret this is normal. Simply give the
extra hose to a friend as a “crazy straw” to drink soda out
of.

13: Connect all of the low pressure lines together with the
brass “T” connector. Make sure the hose clamps are secure and
tight.

14: Install the SC. The reverse of step 5.

15: Connect the MC to the Hydrobooster with the supplied
nuts.

16: Adjust your brake pedal height to your liking. Pay
attention to when the Brake light switch engages during the
brake pedal travel. Don’t forget to adjust the Brake light
engagement distance from the pedal and Tighten brake pedal rod
to clevis jam nut firmly.

OK all the goodies should be back in the car (except for
your friends “crazy straw”)
Now check your work. Look at
the details, for clearance, rubbing, lose nuts ect. Try moving
the steering wheel back and forth to vefery that there is no
rubbing.
If you are satisfied move on to priming the
system.

17: Fill the PS pump with high quality PS fluid. I suggest
you buy it in the gallon size if you drained the system
completely in step 3.

18: Disable ignition system and crank engine for 5 full
seconds. Check fluid level.
(repeat this step until the
fluid level is consistent at each 5 second cranking session)

19 : Cap PS pump reservoir, engage ignition system and
start engine. Run the engine briefly and check for fluid leaks
(60 seconds or so). DO NOT PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL. Top off
fluid if necessary. If the Pump was noisy and there are tons
of bubbles in the reserve tank when you look. Let the car sit
for 15-20 minutes. Repeat this step until the fluid level is
consistent

20: With the engine off. press the brake pedal fully a few
times to purge any air from the Nitrogen reserve tank.

21: Start the engine and let it warm up. Rotate the
steering wheel 5 full sweeps. Shut off engine. Check fluid
level. Repeat until the fluid level is consistent.

22: Start the engine and apply moderate brake pressure
slowly 5 to 6 times. Shut off engine and check fluid level.
Repeat until the fluid level is consistent.

23: Stare engine and apply full pedal pressure 2 to 3 times
to vefery system integrities.

24: lower the car (with the wheels on of course) and road
test the vehicle.
Things to look for while testing: Pump
squealing, leaving a fluid trail behind you as you drive, the
brakes actually working, leaks, Power steering working while
pressing the brake pedal.

25: let the vette sit overnight and check ALL connections
and ALL fluid levels in the morning. Look for drips.

26: Test drive and enjoy your hard work.

“With hydrobooster, now I leave skid marks on the street
instead of skid marks in my underwear”

Here are some finished Pictures of the
installation.

Final opinions:
BAD things= The hose clamps were to
small (minor). The installation directions could be written
clearer, and more detailed for the “weekend” mechanic like
myself. Include a picture diagram of the system (what goes
where ect.). Include in the directions how to loosen the Steel
braded High Pressure lines and rotate the 90 degree fittings.

GOOD things= Awesome product! I mean the brakes work great!
While road testing the car I almost kissed the steering
several times. Woo Hoo! Customer Service was phenomenal! Paul
was truly helpful with any questions that I had during the
installation (no matter how minor), and was genuinely
concerned that I was happy with his product. Everything was of
top quality. Very impressed.

I have contacted Paul the owner of http://www.hydroboost.com/ and shared with
him the bad/good things I have listed here. And he plans on
making some changes based on suggestions. It is debatable that
the price is too high for the setup. IMO I disagree. I tried
to price out buying the parts separately and for me Its worth
the extra money not to have to deal with the hassle of finding
the right hoses, fittings, and hoping that the junkyard
booster will not fail. I personally cant go cheap when it
comes to safety.

I hope this helps out the forum members or gives you the
courage to tackle this your self.

Cheers
Chad

_______

1971 BB w/ factory A/C, hardtop, 4spd, 4.11
gears, 3" flowmaster's, Elder carb & intake manfold. She
even has her own bank account! (wich is
empty)

inqbus383
Senior
Member

104 posts [100%]
Seattle WA

Re:
"how-to-install" hydrobooster dial-up beware
(71'AirStrike)

2:30
PM 9/23/2002

Very nice instructions, I think I may follow in
your footsteps. My vacuum assist isn't much help with my cam.
Thanks!!
_______

High Performance small block 405 and 4+3
transmission =
More pics and info at http://students.washington.edu/aro/index.html

Chris O'
Senior
Member

598
posts [100%]
Brisbane, Australia 1977 Coupe

Re:
"how-to-install" hydrobooster dial-up beware
(71'AirStrike)

3:33
PM 9/23/2002

Nice work - much appreciated!

flynhi
Senior
Member

2113
posts [100%]
Austin TX

Re:
"how-to-install" hydrobooster dial-up beware
(71'AirStrike)

3:54
PM 9/23/2002

71AS,
Thanks for taking the time to put this
together.
Looks like fun - think I'll try it.
Any idea
what your 45mph stopping distance was before the
hydroboost?

_______

"Every true and precious
thing worth having stands on the razor's edge of being lost
and must be fought for"
71 Black on red Conv, Lingenfelter
383, 44mm runner tpi, 52mm TB, 24# injectors,custom chip,409
BHP, 509 BTRQ, Muncie 4sp, 3.55, coated headers, mandrel pipes
w/ x crossover, 1 1/8 front, 5/8 rear stabar, fiberglass
springs front and rear, Bilsteins, 80 seats

DaBo
Senior
Member

1420 posts [100%]
This space intentionally
left blank

Re:
"how-to-install" hydrobooster dial-up beware
(flynhi)

4:20
PM 9/23/2002

Congrats on the bouncing baby booster!!!

Nice work, thanks for posting this info. Hope it goes into
the FAQ archives.
_______

DaBo
ALWAYS!
'N
==========================================================

Check out my page. Click this link.http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c3/76dabo62/

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