C3 Power Brake Booster Replacement on a 4 speed Car
All,
I recently rebuilt/replaced the power brake booster on my 73 convertible 4speed and thought I would share a few lessons learned. Prior to doing the job, I read many articles/posts regarding this seemingly awful job. If the interior is completely out (dash, gauges, etc) of your car then task is relatively simple. For those of us with an intact interior, the job is a little more difficult because of the upper left nut on the brake booster. Here are the steps I followed:
1. Remove the master cylinder/brake lines
2. Remove the driver's seat. I am 6' 190lbs...this was essential in order to lay under the dash without totally screaming.
3. Lay a large white towel down on the driver's side floor. This makes it easy to find the screws, nuts, or clips you might drop during the job!
4. Unhook the clutch rod from the clutch cross shaft and the clutch pedal. Push the rod through the fire wall so it is out of the way (you don't need to push it all of the way through the firewall)
5. Remove the clip and pin that attach the brake booster clevis to the brake pedal (use a long flat blade screw driver to spread the clip apart...makes it easy for both removal and installation)
6. Remove the neutral safety switch from the clutch pedal (use a 3/8" deep socket 1/4" drive and remove the small clip that holds the linkage rod so that switch can be moved aside). To reinstall the screw that holds the switch, simply put a little poly butal (aka "dumb dumb" on the screw head to hold it firmly in the socket). Also a small set of needle nose pliers make reinstalling the clip on neutral safety switch rod a snap...no pun intended.
7. Use an 18" extension, universal swivel, a medium depth 9/16" socket, and a stubby ratchet wrench to remove or install the brake booster nuts. You can use a 3/8" or 1/2" drive ratchet/socket..they both fit into the space. Also if your universal is loose, wrap some blue painters tape around it...this will stiffen it up, but still allow you to turn it with the ratchet. To reinstall the nuts, again use a little "dumb dumb" to hold the nuts in the socket.
That's it...job done.
Power Brake Conversion: After doing my 73, a buddy of mine asked him to help him with a power brake conversion on his 71. The directions that came with the kit fell short on describing the difficulties of installing the booster in a 4speed car. The show stopper...the metal tabs that hold the carriage bolts in place for the manual brake master cylinder (these tabs are unique to the clutch/brake pedal housing on a manual brake car...a power brake car does not have these tabs). Once you remove the neutral safety switch, you will find a metal tab in your way of installing the upper left brake booster nut. Simply hook a long box wrench on the tab and pull it down to bend it out of the way (I also used a long flat blade screw driver to bend the tab flat against the firewall) .
The other issue with converting a C3 manual brake car to power brakes is that the brake light switch bracket and brake booster clevis need to reverse positions on the brake pedal arm. The brake light switch bracket needs to be installed in the top hole of the brake pedal arm (this is best done with a 2nd set of hands...one in the car and the other helping hold the bracket in place through the hole in the firewall prior to installing the brake booster). The brake booster clevis pin will not fit in the bottom hole of the brake pedal arm on a manual brake car...the hole in the brake pedal arm is too small. You cannot drill the brake pedal arm in place so I simply turned the clevis pin down in a lathe (I could not find any info on the net as to buying a smaller diameter pin for doing the conversion job). The rest of the install is the same as I described above.
I hope this helps anyone removing/reinstalling their power brake booster or tackling a power brake conversation on their beloved C3 4 speed vette. I am certainly no expert, but glad to help!
Note: You do not need to remove any electrical connectors, hoses, or drop the steering column to do this job. A little patience, standard tools, and a good "oldies" station on the radio is all that is required. In the case of a manual brake to power brake conversation job, a 6 pack of beer may be required!!
Best Regards,
John Means
I recently rebuilt/replaced the power brake booster on my 73 convertible 4speed and thought I would share a few lessons learned. Prior to doing the job, I read many articles/posts regarding this seemingly awful job. If the interior is completely out (dash, gauges, etc) of your car then task is relatively simple. For those of us with an intact interior, the job is a little more difficult because of the upper left nut on the brake booster. Here are the steps I followed:
1. Remove the master cylinder/brake lines
2. Remove the driver's seat. I am 6' 190lbs...this was essential in order to lay under the dash without totally screaming.
3. Lay a large white towel down on the driver's side floor. This makes it easy to find the screws, nuts, or clips you might drop during the job!
4. Unhook the clutch rod from the clutch cross shaft and the clutch pedal. Push the rod through the fire wall so it is out of the way (you don't need to push it all of the way through the firewall)
5. Remove the clip and pin that attach the brake booster clevis to the brake pedal (use a long flat blade screw driver to spread the clip apart...makes it easy for both removal and installation)
6. Remove the neutral safety switch from the clutch pedal (use a 3/8" deep socket 1/4" drive and remove the small clip that holds the linkage rod so that switch can be moved aside). To reinstall the screw that holds the switch, simply put a little poly butal (aka "dumb dumb" on the screw head to hold it firmly in the socket). Also a small set of needle nose pliers make reinstalling the clip on neutral safety switch rod a snap...no pun intended.
7. Use an 18" extension, universal swivel, a medium depth 9/16" socket, and a stubby ratchet wrench to remove or install the brake booster nuts. You can use a 3/8" or 1/2" drive ratchet/socket..they both fit into the space. Also if your universal is loose, wrap some blue painters tape around it...this will stiffen it up, but still allow you to turn it with the ratchet. To reinstall the nuts, again use a little "dumb dumb" to hold the nuts in the socket.
That's it...job done.
Power Brake Conversion: After doing my 73, a buddy of mine asked him to help him with a power brake conversion on his 71. The directions that came with the kit fell short on describing the difficulties of installing the booster in a 4speed car. The show stopper...the metal tabs that hold the carriage bolts in place for the manual brake master cylinder (these tabs are unique to the clutch/brake pedal housing on a manual brake car...a power brake car does not have these tabs). Once you remove the neutral safety switch, you will find a metal tab in your way of installing the upper left brake booster nut. Simply hook a long box wrench on the tab and pull it down to bend it out of the way (I also used a long flat blade screw driver to bend the tab flat against the firewall) .
The other issue with converting a C3 manual brake car to power brakes is that the brake light switch bracket and brake booster clevis need to reverse positions on the brake pedal arm. The brake light switch bracket needs to be installed in the top hole of the brake pedal arm (this is best done with a 2nd set of hands...one in the car and the other helping hold the bracket in place through the hole in the firewall prior to installing the brake booster). The brake booster clevis pin will not fit in the bottom hole of the brake pedal arm on a manual brake car...the hole in the brake pedal arm is too small. You cannot drill the brake pedal arm in place so I simply turned the clevis pin down in a lathe (I could not find any info on the net as to buying a smaller diameter pin for doing the conversion job). The rest of the install is the same as I described above.
I hope this helps anyone removing/reinstalling their power brake booster or tackling a power brake conversation on their beloved C3 4 speed vette. I am certainly no expert, but glad to help!
Note: You do not need to remove any electrical connectors, hoses, or drop the steering column to do this job. A little patience, standard tools, and a good "oldies" station on the radio is all that is required. In the case of a manual brake to power brake conversation job, a 6 pack of beer may be required!!
Best Regards,
John Means
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