Gary Lewis Posted August 15, 2019 Share Posted August 15, 2019 Haha, best not to get involved in politics. Push rod modified. Made it longer than needed incase I need to trim the length👍 Agree on the politics. But, I love the adjustable link. Well done! So, do you have the new bracket made? In other words, how close are you to having this thing wrapped up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacktop Posted August 15, 2019 Author Share Posted August 15, 2019 Agree on the politics. But, I love the adjustable link. Well done! So, do you have the new bracket made? In other words, how close are you to having this thing wrapped up? Making the bracket now. Just two adapter plates really. Need to buy/ repair the 1 5/8" mounting nut. Hoping to install asap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacktop Posted August 16, 2019 Author Share Posted August 16, 2019 Making the bracket now. Just two adapter plates really. Need to buy/ repair the 1 5/8" mounting nut. Hoping to install asap. Welded the retaining nut and finished the adapter plates. Need to weld the bolts to the plates as wont be able to get to the back sides to stop them turning when installing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 Welded the retaining nut and finished the adapter plates. Need to weld the bolts to the plates as wont be able to get to the back sides to stop them turning when installing. Looking good! How did the retaining nut turn out? Did you install it, clamp it, and tak it? Wanting to learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacktop Posted August 16, 2019 Author Share Posted August 16, 2019 Looking good! How did the retaining nut turn out? Did you install it, clamp it, and tak it? Wanting to learn. My brother is a far better welder than me. I got him to tig weld it for me. He managed to save it without any distortion so it’s good to use again👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 My brother is a far better welder than me. I got him to tig weld it for me. He managed to save it without any distortion so it’s good to use again👍 A wise man once said "A man's got to know his limitations." And, while I can weld, when it comes to important stuff I call in a pro as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford F834 Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 A wise man once said "A man's got to know his limitations." And, while I can weld, when it comes to important stuff I call in a pro as well. Blacktop, nice job! I am always happy to see a new approach and I look forward to your report on how your set up performs. It looks great! I know this thread has taken a turn, but I did want to add a couple of notes for Gary and anyone else going for the F-450 hydroboost conversion. I don’t know where else to document this... When Jan did his conversion in his 1986 F250, he used the existing cast iron master cylinder and HD vacuum brake pedal. He was happy with the braking power, but in time the cast iron master cylinder failed. He wanted to get away from the rust that grew in the stock MC, so I ordered him a F-450 hydroboost master cylinder and reservoir (the large diameter bore). He said he had to shim the MC out about 2mm to prevent the rod from applying constant pressure to the master cylinder. He also said that the pedal feel went from nice and soft with aggressive braking to hard as a rock with a lot of force needed to stop the truck. He said it felt like manual brakes without power assist. He said it was awful. So he modified the vacuum pedal by moving the pin to the hydroboost position. He said the difference was HUGE. Night and day. It stops way better with only a fraction of the force needed. (He also said he no longer needed the 2mm or shim to prevent pressure on the MC). Great, we already knew this, *but, he says the cast iron master cylinder set up might still have had a nicer, softer, pedal feel. Our trucks don’t particularly need the large master cylinder volume because of the smaller wheel cylinders and rear drum brakes vs. discs. So is the better choice an aluminum master cylinder from a F250/350 and a smaller bore? Perhaps the higher pedal pin is to give the leverage needed for the bore size? When I set up hydroboost on my crew cab I may strongly consider using the smaller bore master cylinder. I think I might still want the hydroboost pedal to match the booster, but that might be up for debate as well. Perhaps the pedal matching the master cylinder is more appropriate? The higher pin with the F250 master might make require less force but might be too “touchy” if the resistance is too low. I don’t have answers yet, just throwing this out there since it is news to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 Blacktop, nice job! I am always happy to see a new approach and I look forward to your report on how your set up performs. It looks great! I know this thread has taken a turn, but I did want to add a couple of notes for Gary and anyone else going for the F-450 hydroboost conversion. I don’t know where else to document this... When Jan did his conversion in his 1986 F250, he used the existing cast iron master cylinder and HD vacuum brake pedal. He was happy with the braking power, but in time the cast iron master cylinder failed. He wanted to get away from the rust that grew in the stock MC, so I ordered him a F-450 hydroboost master cylinder and reservoir (the large diameter bore). He said he had to shim the MC out about 2mm to prevent the rod from applying constant pressure to the master cylinder. He also said that the pedal feel went from nice and soft with aggressive braking to hard as a rock with a lot of force needed to stop the truck. He said it felt like manual brakes without power assist. He said it was awful. So he modified the vacuum pedal by moving the pin to the hydroboost position. He said the difference was HUGE. Night and day. It stops way better with only a fraction of the force needed. (He also said he no longer needed the 2mm or shim to prevent pressure on the MC). Great, we already knew this, *but, he says the cast iron master cylinder set up might still have had a nicer, softer, pedal feel. Our trucks don’t particularly need the large master cylinder volume because of the smaller wheel cylinders and rear drum brakes vs. discs. So is the better choice an aluminum master cylinder from a F250/350 and a smaller bore? Perhaps the higher pedal pin is to give the leverage needed for the bore size? When I set up hydroboost on my crew cab I may strongly consider using the smaller bore master cylinder. I think I might still want the hydroboost pedal to match the booster, but that might be up for debate as well. Perhaps the pedal matching the master cylinder is more appropriate? The higher pin with the F250 master might make require less force but might be too “touchy” if the resistance is too low. I don’t have answers yet, just throwing this out there since it is news to me... Jonathan - That's good info and interesting speculation. I got the whole F450 hydroboost setup with master cylinder and pedal, so will give that a try. But I'll hang on to the HD pedal so I can go to a smaller master cylinder if needed. However, Big Blue will have F350 front calipers. Are those any bigger than those on 250's? (I guess I could go look, but...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 Jonathan - That's good info and interesting speculation. I got the whole F450 hydroboost setup with master cylinder and pedal, so will give that a try. But I'll hang on to the HD pedal so I can go to a smaller master cylinder if needed. However, Big Blue will have F350 front calipers. Are those any bigger than those on 250's? (I guess I could go look, but...) 250-350 same calipers. But you have the later bolt on ones, not slide clips, so I can't say how much bore is in those compared to mine. From years of modifying and racing motorcycles, I can say master/slave ratio is critical to feel and performance. The pivot point of lever to master just changes the effort required, but it can't save/change wooden or touchy brakes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford F834 Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 Jonathan - That's good info and interesting speculation. I got the whole F450 hydroboost setup with master cylinder and pedal, so will give that a try. But I'll hang on to the HD pedal so I can go to a smaller master cylinder if needed. However, Big Blue will have F350 front calipers. Are those any bigger than those on 250's? (I guess I could go look, but...) Jim said it... the F250/350 uses the same calipers and wheel cylinders. Heck, I am using the big F450 master cylinder on my single piston F150 calipers. Pedal does not move down much but I have NO complaints. I just wonder if one of the other master cylinders might be even a bit nicer? I get that pedal pin position is just leverage and won’t change braking, but Jan said moving it made a world of difference. I will probably try the hydroboost pedal with the F250 master out of the ‘89 if the stud spacing matches... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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