Hydroboost conversion bracket..Now the astrovan unit is a true bolt on!!!!

[turboc87gn]

Well it took me long enough but i finally started doin my hydroboost conversion...I had a buddy of mine fab up a bracket to make so you wouldnt have to shorten the brake pedal rod making the astrovan unit a true bolt on...Its made using 1/4 inch mild steel all tig welded..

Its a lil overkill but my friend wants to make sure it will hold up and i dont blame him considering the speeds our cars are capable of..I always thought this was an awesome conversion but i didnt like the idea of cutting and welding the brake pedal rod..Besides the fact that if you are ever on the road away from home and the hydroboost fails you can get one anywhere...

The only thing i had to do was grind the face of the retaining nut slightly so that the snap ring would fit..

 

[turboc87gn]

More pics...

 

[turboc87gn]

My friend said he would make more if the interest was there... Hes not a buick guy but a car guy he does paint, fab work,cages, etc..Ill post more pics once its bolted into the car.....

 

[TurboBob]

My friend said he would make more if the interest was there... Hes not a buick guy but a car guy he does paint, fab work,cages, etc..Ill post more pics once its bolted into the car.....

Interested in seeing the pics.

Bob

 

[turboc87gn]

We were thinkin of closing it up and makin a removable access plate on top to keep debris out but i wasnt sure if it was necessary...Im goin up to my shop in a lil while to work on it..as long as work dosent call lol...

 

[buttonfly]

Looks good!!! I love seeing how this has evolved. Lemme ask you did he leave the tang where it slides on the hydorboost to keep the unit from rotating?? On the hydorboost rod itself I used a plastic insert to compensate for the difference in size of the brake pedal rod! Anyways great work!!! J

 

[buttonfly]

DUH I see the tang now!! That is awesome!! really

 

[buttonfly]

DUH I see the tang now!!

 

[turboc87gn]

Yeah its there lol i didnt get to turn one bolt on the gn today my driver in my second cargo van got into an accident in wisconsin this afternoon so i spent the day makin phonecalls and doin the junkyard crawl to find parts..

The van is driveable so hes bringin it home tomorrow and instead of a hydroboost party this weekend im havin a cargo van repair party My insurance deductible is $1000 its gonna take Approx $600 in parts and my labor to fix the van so guess who gets to play body man ...

Ill be workin on the gn asap and get some pics goin on... Thanx for the good words buttonfly !!!! Any input appreciated....

 

[Taylor04]

Looks awesome, get it on the car!


I want one.

 

[buickruss]

Lets see some pics of the installed hydroboost

 

[turboc87gn]

Im workin on it fellas i spent the weekend doin van repairs and ill be done today.. I hope to get it installed and more pics by the weekend...

 

[Mac in SD]

Now you're talkin'! That's great!

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

very cool stuff

 

[DonnyR]

what do i need to convert to hydroboost setup

 

[buttonfly]

what do i need to convert to hydroboost setup

there are a few ways to tackle the project. You can go forward with the hydroboost brakes. This was is using an astro van unit with the acclumator. I can help with part #'s to make your lines. The other ways guys have been doing the conversion is to go to a 84-85 set up using stock parts.

good write up on astro van
http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/br...boost-conversion-using-astro-van-hb-unit.html

good write up on 84-85
http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/br...heels/292004-hydroboost-install-question.html

both have pics. The Astro unit requires some fabrication, but really turns out well. It is one of those things that there really isnt a right or wrong way, but many ways to get the same results. Any specific question you have with the astro unit Id be happy to help. Plus with turboc87gnbracket this becomes a true bolt on. Its really awesome how this community compaired to others chooses to help each other. This mod is a perfect example. Look how it has evolved!

 

[turboc87gn]

Well good peoples its funny how everything happens sorry its been so long since ive updated this but i got the van repaired..
Now i lost an alternator on my own van then my girl gets stranded at work because the fuel pump on her alero decided to take a dump... It seemes every weekend i try to work on the gn i gotta fix everything else..

Anyway i got it mounted up and a few changes had to be made the bracket will be approx an inch wider so you can fit a wrench on the bolts...Also i had to window the front so you could also access them with a socket..I ended up mounting the bracket first then the hb unit you have to hold the snap ring and the big HB nut behind the bracket then push the brake pedal rod end thru..

I used the original grommet off my powermaster which i put in before i mounted the bracket..i had to use a pair of big channel locks and an air hammer to tighten the nut on the back.. Im not gonna sit here and tell you it was a walk in the park cause it wasnt, The snap ring was a PITA but its on there it took me about an hour including my hang time under the dash lol ...

A couple interesting things i found out..I made the dumb mistake of not looking at the year of the astrovan that i took the HB off of..I didnt need to use a nylon bushing in the brake pedal i measured the hole with a caliper and the powermaster and the astro unit were both the same size!!!!! I caught h@ll finding a master cylinder that fit i ended up with one off a 1990 chevy pickup 1500 with a 350....2wd... I made a plate out of thick sheetmetal to relocate the power steering reservoir and i plumbed my line lock in while i was at it..i still have to bleed the brakes and get my lines fabbed up...I bled the master and took my wheels off and sprayed pb blaster on my bleeder screws....heres pics

 

[turboc87gn]

Also keep in ming with mine being the prototype i got to have all the fun using a dremel and a carbide porting bit to open the holes up in the front due to the fact that my friends plasma cutter was broken at the time
(fixed now)...Any that are made in the future will be ready to go ... Does anyone have any input as to the possible differences in the
hb units? So we can figure out which one has the same brake pedal pin size.

If anyone is interested terry can make you one he wants $85 plus shipping to fab them up...he said hed rather do a few at a time because he runs a body shop full time they take a couple hours each to make...

 

[buttonfly]

Also keep in ming with mine being the prototype i got to have all the fun using a dremel and a carbide porting bit to open the holes up in the front due to the fact that my friends plasma cutter was broken at the time
(fixed now)...Any that are made in the future will be ready to go ... Does anyone have any input as to the possible differences in the
hb units? So we can figure out which one has the same brake pedal pin size.

If anyone is interested terry can make you one he wants $85 plus shipping to fab them up...he said hed rather do a few at a time because he runs a body shop full time they take a couple hours each to make...

Looks good! Keep us posted

 

[turboc87gn]

Ive noticed a lot more people doing HB conversions lately so heres an update.. we made this today for another board member.. It has a few updates that mine needed its a lil wider and it has the windows premade in the front so theres a few different ways to bolt it up...

My car still isnt done cause my conversion has turned into a full suspension front brake rebuild but the bracket is mounted along with the HB and master cylinder and i was bleeding my brakes when i found all the other issues so i know it fits and works even though the car isnt on the road..

The astrovan HB is waay more plentiful than the 84-85 unit and with this bracket you can use a parts house/junkyard unit if ur not at home and no fabbing will be required to get back running...Im not sure but id think that a unit that was designed to stop a van will have better holding power than one made for a car 10 years prior...

If anyone needs one let me know they are made one at a time to order and at this time weve only made 2 brackets my buddys a busy guy its not a next day thing but he will put care in it so ur sure to get a sturdy quality tig welded piece especially since brakes are so important.. he has a body shop and also does rollcages suspension etc ..Not in it to start a buisness just wantin to contribute to the community......:biggrin: