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Electric Brakes????

WhalePirot

Well-known member
Joined
May 9, 2002
Messages
2,945
Location
SoCA
Corvette
1984 White Z-51/ZF6-40/Shinoda body
Well, the new hydraulic pump is driven by one, anyway. It's similar to the new system GM is putting in trucks and a few cars. No longer do I need vacuum, nor bleed from the PS pump. it turns on (with IGn on) at 1000psi and off at 1950. Uses an accumulator (GM part) for storage, plus reserve of 23 applications.

More later, as this is not an easy install.

BTW, the pros I talked with claim the stock PS pump will run a hydroboost system with no loss of steering assist, nor brakes. I wonder how the guys who bought the system on the special are making out.

Any news??
 
Gads, what a project!

I found a great location for the pump/accumulator assembly, as my battery is inside the car. I made a mounting bracket, cleaned up and painted things, and have the unit Loctited in, just forward of the driver door, behind the left 'gill'.

I have to figure out how to post photos, here, once again.

The wiring should be simple, as the nearby relays use HOT and IGN sources. I doubt that soldering splices into those sources will overload the existing wiring.

The metric brake tube fittings have been a problem requiring many trips to the specialty shop for fittings, and now, a purchase of a double flare tool. This brake tubing is quite hard and not prone to cooperate.

I have the cruise control diaphram reinstalled, plus one relay. I am cleaning up the appearance of the whole area. I have expected to finish, however, each day this week.

I doubt that mounting a HydroBoost unit is much easier, due to the need to cut or replace existing tubing. The '84 has individual 3/16" lines, with two metric thread fittings on the master cylinder for the front, and one 1/4" metric thread line for the rear. The lines are supposedly standard size, but those fittings!!! the new unit is US thread.

Am I getting the full benefit of the $600 savings from self installation??
 
I made the flares. Not rocket science, but it'd have been nice to have found the directions(on the outside, bottom) of the case, before finishing the flares. So far, no leaks.
BUT>>>>> I now have 'Lake Brake FLuid' in my garage, after trying to bleed the unit, in the 'dark'. I understood that these systems were different, and a lot easier to bleed, using pump pressure and requiring no assistant. A call to the 'pros', indicates the need to bleed the old way, without the pump running. The puddle is from reservoir overflow while trying MY method, the night before the call. You see, the unit came with NO directions, save the wire labels.

I also found arcing in wires below the firewall, driver side. Grrrrr! Probably from breakdown of the insulation due to header heat.

Sometime it is frustrating to be a 'pioneer'.
 
Not a pioneer? Name another who has this system on his Vette! :)

Got the fronts bled; sucked them free of bubbles. I'll get the rear soon, as I spent much of the day doing brakes and other stuff on my 5-seater Vette: the BMW. At least I now have pedal!

BTW, I was told the hydroboost takes a bit of work, as a 'T' and high pressure and return lines are involved.

Sure like to hear from someone who installed that 'other' system.
 
Film at 11

OMG, does this car STOP! I almost wish I had anti-locks!

While instructions are slim for this unit, it fits nicely into the old battery spot. I got compliments from the guys who do this for a living, which was quite nice.

The required, small relay attached to the firewall just above the master cylinder.

'Hot' battery lead connected to the plug for the overdive, as did the switched lead.

The ground wire found a home at the small grounding strap on the frame, just below the master cylinder.

The metric nuts on the brake lines were removed and replaced with SAE thread, plus a tee for the front brakes (the stock master had two ports for the front). The steel lines were easily rebent and slightly shortened to fit.

ALL IN ALL, pricey, but VERY EFFECTIVE! (and a clean, stock appearance)

There are whole other thoughts on what these PROS had to say about Corvette brake boosters; using larger rotors, etc., but that is for another thread.

Right now, I am using the stock '84 calipers and rotors to reverse the stretch marks caused by the full employ of the ponies of this 406! :D
 
We need to get you a digital camera Mike. I'd love to see this set-up. :upthumbs
 
Ken said:
We need to get you a digital camera Mike. I'd love to see this set-up. :upthumbs

ME TOO! I saw the thread from the start when you posted it. It all just seemed a little too cryptic ;) After all,whose ever even heard of such a thing, and here you guys are bantering back and forth like it's commonplace :L

C'mon Mike, surely you can afford a cheapo digital camera, and we already know you got a computer and some way to communicate with the outside world ;LOL :w
 
Hey Colin, he's a pilot too, and he ain't got no camera? :eek

Just teasin' Mike. :t
 
;) We'll give him until eleven Pacific, as stated in the thread title, unless he meant eleven o'clock in Japan or something. :L
 
Ken said:
;) We'll give him until eleven Pacific, as stated in the thread title, unless he meant eleven o'clock in Japan or something. :L

Yea,---he could be, just slightly out of reach, I suppose :r :s :L
 
I have a digital camera and have the shots on this laptop. Fact is, my digital Sony is soo old, it must be wound up!

Yup, I am in Japan and just saw a '61 that some shop is putting over a C-4 suspension. That'd be the shop with the blown SBC, at 800 hp with the most elaborate belt system I EVER saw! Also had a Dana 36 sitting on the floor collecting dust and a bright yellow SBC with bright green plug wires, lots of chrome, all of it wrapped in a Summit plastic bag.

Now, to figure out how to post the shots! It is a clean install and looks factory.
 
How I did it

These shots are taken towards the 'gill' area, former location of the battery, just forward of the left car door. Note that the unit fits inside the curved body, mounted on a simple homemade bracket, Loctite-bolted through holes that I drilled, then threaded into the small, existing body brace. A thin rubber gasket provides limited shock mounting.

The rubber brake fluid suppy line, from the optional, polished billet reservoir feeds into the unit near the car's frame, forward on the unit. The high pressure line runs behind the unit, to the aftmost hole on the master cylinder. The other two holes feed the front and rear brakes. The front lines are 'Teed' as the stock master cylinder had two feed holes to the front brakes. All existing metric fittings were cut from the lines; replaced with 'standard' fittings, on the newly double flared, and slightly shortened, stock brake lines. All lines were easily bent by hand, around various curved tools, like sockets, to prevent crimping.

This placement seems optimum, with brakes lines and required electrical sources nearby. I tapped battery 12vdc and ignition-switched 12vdc from large gauge wires supplying one of the relays. The small, lightweight relay employed by this unit is mounted on the firewall, just above. I remounted the fuel pump and overdrive relays on newly drilled holes in the body brace, near the cruise control. They are much more securely mounted than when attached to the plastic inner fender.

I had to relocate the remote oil filter from this space, to the inside of the frame, just below this space. It remains well protected from road debris and is actually easier to reach, with less spillage, when changing.

I (and the guys who do this professionally) think it all turned out quite nicely. They took pictures and were complimentary. Actually, it all looks quite factory, donut? :)

The pump triggers ON if the ignition is ON, below 1200 psi at the reservoir (which supplies about 23 brake applications w/o a pump). The pump is a bit noisy, which I find comforting, given the lack of vacuum boost I was surprised with before.

The rod length, to the brake pedal is adjusted to give minimal movement before brake application, yielding a feel similar to the brakes on large trucks. It is quite assuring and very easy to 'learn'. I do not know how this would interact with an ABS equipped Corvette.

I feel the $900, (a couple hundred for the shiny billet) is well spent, considering I did not have to shell out big bucks for ZR-1 or other calipers, a larger booster and/or any other vacuum 'supplements'. If I start to do more racing, I MAY need better cooling calipers, but this car STOPS better than ever! Force = Pressure x Area The pressure applied just climbed WAY up.
 
Very good Mike! :upthumbs

(I can see your deleted post; I'm glad your tiredness didn't get to ya and you finally figured it out.) ;)
 
Thanks, Ken. I spent quite a lot of time on that. I am glad someone is interested and hope it helps someone.
 
Well, now that you've done it once, it'll be a breeze to show pictures the next time, eh? ;)
 
WhalePirot
I just joined this forum. And the first post I read is your electric hydroboost brake upgrade. I have been wanting something like this for a long time. Where do we obtain some information about this system?
Ike
Red88Vette
 
The domain name has expired, I just found.

www.abspowerbrake.com

Their number is: 714-771-6549. I talked with them this morning and their catalog is not available, but soon will be.
 

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