Brake Booster Replacement

[tjl2244]

Hi, Guys,

This question relates to obtaining a replacement brake booster for a '63. I've got this wreck of an Avanti taken apart, right down to the chassis, and the restoration is beginning. One of the first projects is the brakes. No one seems to have a booster rebuild kit and frankly I would have no idea how to approach the job anyway, so I decided to send it to Booster Dewey for a rebuild. He called me today to tell me that inside the booster is a bakelite/plastic funnel and somehow the one in my booster was broken. He is unsure where to get a replacement and is pretty sure they are rare and pricey. This was confirmed by various vendors who sell rebuilt boosters, all of whom refused to sell me a replacement without a good booster in exchange. This, of course begged the question, "If I had a decent booster, what do I need you for?"

Anyway, the question has two parts:

First, is there a source for these boosters that does not require an exchange? Second, regardless of the answer to the first part, is there another booster that can be swapped in cheaply and conveniently? Stan Gundry mentions a Chrysler unit, but does not specify which one, and there's some chatter on the SDC forum about a Chevy unit that might work in a Lark.

Any thoughts from people who know more than I do are appreciated.

Tom

[Gunslinger]

You have to be careful with parts that may simply "bolt-on". Just because they fit doesn't mean they're the correct application. The internal valving, etc., may not be correct for an Avanti. Not to say it won't work fine, but there's always the chance it will cause a problem such as too much or too little boost for the application.

What you might do is look at Summit Racing or a Jeg's catalog. They have many different brake boosters that will fit...maybe with a bit of adapting the bolt patterns...but they will still require some engineering knowledge to make sure they will function with going to a custom master cylinder, adjustable proportioning valve, etc. There's a lot of custom cars out there with updated brake systems such as these and someone had to figure out which was correct for the size and weight of the vehicle, caliper capacity, etc. Go to a custom speed shop and see what they say. There has to be a formula to figure it out.

Also...sent you a PM regarding this.

[rbk]

Old thread but worth repeating.

Have had excellent booster repairs from these folks in the past..

http://theshopmag.com/features/midwest-remanufacturing-demonstrates-ability-please-customers-while-diversifying

Robert Kapteyn

Edited February 21, 2016 by rbk