1967 power brakes

**Larry S.** · August 9, 2010, 03:57 PM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Timothy, I can't adress the difficulty of the installation since I've never done it, but I'll try to add something to the "worth it" part of your question. I have a '67 with PB and one without. World of difference in the stopping effort.

**Peter J.** · August 9, 2010, 04:56 PM

Re: 1967 power brakes

I did it to my 66 with all original parts and that took for ever to find them. But I wanted my car to have a correct split master cylinder for the safety factor like the 67 cars. I don't know about the scarcity of 67 boosters with part numbers and Julian dates correct for your car, but that was hardest thing for me to find.

**Joe R.** · August 10, 2010, 12:00 AM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Originally posted by Timothy Barbieri (6542)

I am thinking about installing power brakes on my 67 convertable. From my reading there seems to be differing opinions regarding weather it's worth the effort to install this option.

What's the difficulty level involved in this installation. I would want the conversion to be as factory and I am not sure that is possible. How hard is it to install rivets for the nut plate and does the rear brake line need to be changed. The front would not be a problem but the rear??

Inside the car, what changes need to be made. I read that two studs need to be knocked out and the brake return spring is not used. What else am I missing..

Also need to locate a 5867 booster and can reuse my original master cylinder..

All comments are appreciated.

Hi Tim:

I have researched this and have accumulated all the parts, but I haven't done the installation. To look factory-correct, the brake line to the rear has to be changed, which is a PIA but not impossible. The one going to the front changes too.

I searched for some time to find an original 5867 booster that was not rusty. They show up at Carlisle and on ebay, but it may take a while to find a nice one. The reproductions are pretty close and some vendors offer stamping of the 5867. The main difference I have seen is that the rivet heads on the original boosters are rounded, and on the reproductions I have seen they are flat.

You are correct that it is difficult to properly form the two rivets in the nut plate. Various schemes have been described in the archives, and I have a scheme of my own that I intend to try.

As to whether power brakes are worth the effort, I'm not sure. I move back and forth between two power-brake cars and my non-power brake Corvette. At first the difference was very disconcerting, and I resolved to add power brakes some day, which is why I began gathering the parts. In the meantime, I've adapted somewhat, and the difference doesn't bother me as much now.

I still intend to do the change eventually, since I now have all the parts ready to install. Overall, I think it will be an improvement, but not a major one. Power steering is probably a bigger improvement than power brakes, but having both makes the car drive more like a modern car.

**Gerald C.** · February 15, 2015, 07:21 PM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Tim,

Did you ever complete this project? As you know, I have the same car as you and was thinking of doing the same thing. Also, did you use the same m/c that you had?

Jerry

**Richard M.** · February 16, 2015, 07:13 AM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Jerry,

I did this on a '67. It's relatively straightforward. Because the MC moves forward, new lines are required. The MC to rear line can be a bit tricky to position it with a little bending, and the junction block at the rear is a bit tough to get installed due to proximity.

Run the line from rear to front to feed through the center crossmember, along side the rear gusset. Use a wrench to hold the junction block while using a flare wrench on the line connector.
PC220001.jpg PC220002.jpg PC220003.jpg PC220004.jpg PC220005.jpg
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The hardest part of that line is the forward most clip bolt. You need a "thin" 1/2" ATF wrench to get in between the frame and the floor.
Once that bolt is out, cut some thread length to make it easier to reinstall.
PC220019.jpg PC220020.jpg

After installation....
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While you're at it, check your pressure differential switch and remove the piston and clean it before reinstallation. It may be stuck so now is the best time so it won't be a problem later. There are small o-rings there so be careful they don't get pinched.
PC230003.jpg PC230004.jpg PC250007.jpg PC260013.jpg PC260014.jpg

When you bench bleed your MC you can include the PDS in the bleeding operation, connected to a ohm meter to ensure the internal plunger is properly balanced. As with all PDS's, when you bleed the brakes after assembly, you may need to balance the PDS by cracking a bleeder with a light pedal push on one side to balance it. I like gravity bleeding to avoid that hassle.
PC260019.jpg PC260020.jpg PC260022.jpg pc260026.jpg PC260027.jpg

Knock out the 2 studs in the pedal box with a solid blow with a hammer. They pop right out. The nut plate for the brake booster is easy with 2 people. One with a backer bar, the other with the air hammer rivet set adapter. Remove the pedal return spring on the pedal arm shaft. It's not used with PB.

P4020013.jpg

Rich

**Gerald C.** · February 16, 2015, 12:03 PM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Rich,

Thanks for this information.

Questions:

1. Can I use the non- PB m/c for this as it appears that you did.
2. I need the PB Booster which I'll find
3. Do I need just the brake line that goes to the rear wheels and the two lines that leave the m/c.
4. Anything that I'm not seeing?

Also, can you send this info along with the pictures because if I try to print it from here, I'll get all the responses.

Thanks,

Jerry

**Richard M.** · February 16, 2015, 12:26 PM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Originally posted by Gerald Coia (11656)

Rich,

Thanks for this information.

Questions:

1. Can I use the non- PB m/c for this as it appears that you did.
2. I need the PB Booster which I'll find
3. Do I need just the brake line that goes to the rear wheels and the two lines that leave the m/c.
4. Anything that I'm not seeing?

Also, can you send this info along with the pictures because if I try to print it from here, I'll get all the responses.

Thanks,

Jerry

Jerry, I recall all '67 MC's (1" bore IIRC and DC stamp in front machined flat) are the same for STD or Power Brake, except J56 PB which uses a different bore MC.

You need the shorter front and longer rear lines. These go to the PDS so the short lines between those are the same. I chose new in those pics.

Can't think of anything else this moment, heading out for a while.

Rich

**Enzo C.** · February 16, 2015, 04:25 PM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Jerry if you are looking for an original brake booster I recomend , brake boosters inc in California... He was fair and does great work... Good luck

**Joe R.** · February 18, 2015, 06:10 PM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Originally posted by Gerald Coia (11656)

Tim,

Did you ever complete this project? As you know, I have the same car as you and was thinking of doing the same thing. Also, did you use the same m/c that you had?

Jerry

Hi Jerry:

Yes, I completed the project a few years ago and it came out fine. Richard Mozzetta has done a good job of answering the additional questions you asked. For 1967, the master cylinder is the same part for both non-power and power-brake cars.

The worst part of the job was replacing the front-to-rear brake line. Richard's photos show the tight confines between the body and frame when trying to reach the bolts that hold the clips. I'm not sure my situation was exactly the same as what Richard shows, but the basic problem was getting to those clip bolts. I recall thinking that it would help a lot if I could lift the body just 1/4 inch. In the end I got the job done without doing that, but if I were to do it again I might lift the body to make it easier to access the bolts. If you are only lifting the body 1/4 inch, it's pretty easy to loosen the body bolts on that side and get 1/4 inch lift by *carefully* using a floor jack. Just be sure to keep the shim counts the same when you put it back at the original height.

You will need to knock out a couple studs on the brake pedal assembly that are not used on the power brake configuration, and then install a "nut plate" under the cowl vent grille to receive two new bolts from the booster. To keep things looking factory-correct, you will need to duplicate the appearance of the two rivets that hold the nut plate in place. I made a little project out of that and it came out fine.

One thing I learned in this process is that for power brakes, the angle of the master cylinder changes. As a result, the clevis that connects the master cylinder pushrod to the brake pedal goes into a dufferent hole in the pedal arm. This has the effect of making the brake pedal sit slightlly lower than the clutch pedal. I'm pretty sure that this is simply the way that factory-original power-brake cars looked, but I wanted to have both pedals at the same height. I installed a longer clevis so that I could raise the brake pedal to be at the same height as the clutch pedal (as it is on a non-power-brake car).

Overall, I'm very satisfied with how the conversion came out. It makes the brakes seem more "normal" when I move back and forth between my modern cars and my Corvette.

**Timothy B.** · February 19, 2015, 04:33 PM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Jerry,

I have not installed the power brakes on my 67 car yet. I have a rebuilt booster (5867), all new steel brake lines along with a complete set of 546 calipers ready to go. I need to locate the little flag and nut/bolt that holds it to the brake pedal and the firewall mounting plate.

It's my intention to install sometime later this year, I have been busy with other projects in the house and when I get time for the car, I just want to drive.

**Gerald C.** · July 12, 2021, 06:35 PM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Thanks everyone for their feedback. I'm going to Carlisle and MAYBE I can find a booster there. I think I'm going to take the body off so that I can restore the chassis and suspension. Here's hoping

Jerry

**Gerald C.** · July 17, 2021, 06:58 PM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Enzo,
I followed your advice and contacted Mike Gibbons. He has one for me and he's restoring it. Thanks for the lead.

**Gerald C.** · July 19, 2021, 09:30 AM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Does anyone have a picture as to the routing of the vacuum hose that comes out of the "T" fitting on the intake manifold? I know the line coming out of the booster to the "T" fitting, But where does the other hose go? There is a picture in Noland Adams Book of the line coming out but the picture doesn't show where it goes.

Thanks

**Richard M.** · July 19, 2021, 12:09 PM

Re: 1967 power brakes

Originally posted by Gerald Coia (11656)

Does anyone have a picture as to the routing of the vacuum hose that comes out of the "T" fitting on the intake manifold? I know the line coming out of the booster to the "T" fitting, But where does the other hose go? There is a picture in Noland Adams Book of the line coming out but the picture doesn't show where it goes.

Thanks

Jerry, What engine? C60 or not?

Likely if only one other small nipple fitting, the hose to VAC. Could be through a pipe to another hose to VAC(as on BB).

If 2 fitting, other would go to the AC system(iirc, heater valve)

1967 power brakes

1967 power brakes

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