Adding brake booster to 67 Coronet with manual drums

[DAH]

Has anyone added a power brake booster to a car with manual drum brakes?

I have been told that to do this all you need to do is disconnect the master cylinder from the firewall, mount the booster, attach the master cylinder to the booster and add a vacuum line to the booster. i'm just wanting to know if this is true and would appreciate input from someone who has actually did it.

Thanks

 

[A383Wing]

no..you need the "Z" bar assembly under the dash from pedal to booster...you also will need the correct power brake firewall plate to attach booster to firewall

after all of this is done, you will need to relocate your brake switch because pedal is lower than manual brakes.

It's not as simple as "adding" a booster

 

[sleepar]

You need to study it well because between manual drum and power drum and power disc and manual disc there is a bunch of specific parts.... I fell into the SSBC kit not realizing the fabrication involved power drum to power disc mancini would have been cheaper better.... ram man videos on you tube are great.

 

[Mogre]

^^^^ What he said!

 

[DAH]

Thanks for the info. I knew it sounded too simple. It doesn't sound too complex but how easy is it to get these extra parts?

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks sleepar. I'll take a look.

- - - Updated - - -

The answers from the member of this site sure makes me happy that I found it.

 

[A383Wing]

just find someone with a power brake drum car and get all the parts needed...if you have everything, it's a direct bolt in swap...you even use the original master cylinder you have now.....the only thing you will have to modify is you will have to slightly bend the 2 master cylinder brake lines a little forward

if you are going to disc brakes, that's an entirely different swap....but I thought you were staying with drums

 

[DAH]

I do want to stay with drums. I just don't know where to find a car to get the parts from. None of the scrap yards in this area have any vintage Mopars.

 

[sleepar]

The pedal is different or needs to be a hole drilled the brackets that hold the z bar and attaching bolts it's similar in theory to an auto Column to console shift swap I pulled my steering column out of the way first and then the seat to get in there for starters.

 

[twecomm]

Brake booster

I did the same change you are describing in my 66 Charger. I elected to use a re-man Cardone booster and dual pot MC instead of single pot. The Cardone re-man booster is what I believe is actually a Kelsy Hayes brand unit. Its not as thick as the Bendix brand unit which tends to be deeper off the firewall and is more cone shaped where the MC mounts. Both brands are what the Mopars of that 60's generation used from the factory. With either of these specific boosters you will indeed need the pedal linkage shown as well as different mount plate on the firewall. I after installation I needed to un-bolt the MC to adjust the push rod to get the correct pedal travel and MC stroke to move the proper amount of fluid. You don't need to break the fluid lines to remove the MC from the booster to do this adjustment, just be careful of the brake lines. If you don't already have a dual pot, you will need to use a different distro block, or plug the rear line port of the distro block and barrel the fwd pot line to rear brake line where it previously connected to the distro block. The rear pot services the front brakes. Certainly there are other offerings in a booster, but I wanted to look correct for the year of the car. Going this route was also far less $$ than other possibilities. Of the 2 pics, one shows the stock manual brake petal linkage, the B & W drawing shows the pedal linkage you will need. Others comments are also valid including the brake lamp switch needing to be modified or changed out. Good luck with the project, hopw this helps.. Terry

 

[sleepar]

A good set of shoes will gain more than power.... I would try a spring from the pedal to the firewall strong enough to help with pedal pressure but weak enough to allow the pedal to come Back for a few bucks once you get not mopar brakes it's diving into an empty swimming pool

 

[A383Wing]

The pedal is different or needs to be a hole drilled

no, it's not different on a 67...pedal is the same for both power & manual brakes

he also does not have to change distribution block for this booster addition either

 

[Zancat]

You may also need the reinforcement plate that goes between the booster and the firewall.

Z

 

[A383Wing]

You may also need the reinforcement plate that goes between the booster and the firewall.

Z

see reply #2

 

[DAH]

Thanks for all the information guys. I am currently looking for a donor car where I can get the original power drum setup. In this area that is harder to do than it sounds. The scrap yards have been cleaned of the 60 and 70 Mopar cars. Is that the case in other parts of the U.S. or am I just unlucky?

 

[AR67GTX]

no, it's not different on a 67...pedal is the same for both power & manual brakes

he also does not have to change distribution block for this booster addition either

Another confirmation that the pedal arm does not have to be changed. I converted my 67 GTX and except for the linkage and the firewall reinforcement plate I don't recall much else involved. I must have done something to adjust the brake light switch bracket but I don't recall what it was.

 

[TekHousE]

You need to study it well because between manual drum and power drum and power disc and manual disc there is a bunch of specific parts.... I fell into the SSBC kit not realizing the fabrication involved power drum to power disc mancini would have been cheaper better.... ram man videos on you tube are great.

It's not 'ram man'..


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClgGAxkZ5Bo_HF-6dxEBPFg

 

[Buzz]

Man, that's a lot of trouble to go with power drum. Any reason you want to stay with drums? for the safety factor alone, I would go with manual disk. More responsive road feel and WAY better stopping power that won't fade down a long steep hill... I followed Rick Ehrenberg's old Disc-o-Tech article from Mopar Action Magazine and put the 11.75 cop car disks on my bee. It's dirt cheap, easy as pie, done with all factory original parts and spent about $350 total. Also went with the modern lightweight master cylinder and Willwood front proportioning valve while I was at it, but that kills the stock look. Also you gotta run 15" wheels. Still, I like the insurance and I'm not big into brakes that die when the engine does.:headbang:

 

[DAH]

Sounds like it would be easier to build up my leg muscles so I can push harder!!!

 

[gtx6970]

All you need is the booster, the firewall bracket, and underdash linkage. And the fitting in the intake for the vacuum line

 

[DAH]

I made this change to my 74 Nova (yeah I know it isn't a Dodge but had it before I found my Coronet). It made a world of difference in stopping power. Now I can look at the brake pedal and it stops.