torker

This page is dedicated to my 1968 SS Camaro
Special thanks go to out to my wife Caroline who has remained extremely patient and supportive to me during the last 3 years while I have been living under the car; and to my neighbor Carl C. who on many occasions has been there to lend a helping hand.

Here is my Camaro on the cover of the September 2002 issue of Super Chevy Magazine. That's me "tuning" the carb. Also in the picture is Carl C. who is "wrenching" on a friend's motor.

Below are some before and after pictures of my car. It took me almost three years to complete my frame off restoration.

Here' s the business end of the car.
406 cubic inches of Tremec shifted sbc.

The interior was restored to stock, with the exception of the auto meter guages, and din radio / cd player.

These pictures are taken from the September 2002 Super Chevy and winter 2003 edition of Camaro Performers.

Here is the shot of the really bad black paint job from a prior owner. The quarter panels were covered with 1/2" of bondo!

Hydroboost Power Brake Swap

C4 1st Gen. Brake Swap - Front

I will be posting a photo with the specs for making your own bracket soon.

C4 1st Gen. Brake Swap - Rear

Master Cylinder for C4 Brakes

This is the same swap that has been performed my many other members on the Team Camaro Website. It consits of a 1/4" flat steel bracket to mount either 12" x .81" or 13" x 1.1" PBR C4 disk brakes. I chose to go with the heavy duty J55 13" brakes.

C4 rear caliper is taken from a 1993-97 Z28 Camaro. These calipers are hard to find rebuilt in complete form. Most rebuilders only supply the caliper housing leaving it up to the user to reuse the old basket and bracketry componets. However, I found that A1 Cardone equips their loaded rebuilds with ALL of the baskets, necessary brackets, and even pads allowing for a simple bolt in.
Cardone PN#
RH 164540
LH 164541
I bought mine from rockauto.com. they run about $136 each.

Note: You will need 2 RH calipers if your car has staggered shocks (68 or 69).

This rear brake swap is essentially very simple. It uses the PBR calipers, brackets, and rotors from a 1993-97 Z28 Camaro. No fabrication necessary. This swap will work on Camaros both with staggered shocks (1968-9) and Camaros with non-staggered shocks (1967). If you have a non staggered shock camaro (1967) then the swap is a direct bolt on. If you have staggered shocks (68 or 69) then you will need to do as I did and purchase two RH caliper assemblies and two RH brackets so that on the driverside the brake is relocated in front of the axle to avoid the rear staggered shock.

These are the 93-97 GM brackets that I used for the swap. They are about $25 each from GMpartsdirect.com
GM PN#
RH 18019858
LH 18019857

Note: You will need 2 RH brackets if your car has staggered shocks (68 or 69).

Here they are bolted up on the axle housing flange. A carefull eye will note that my rear end has 9" Ford ends welded on. This swap will work the same on both traditional c-clip rear ends and rear ends with fixed axles that have press on bearings - assuming the axle flange to housing flange measures a stock 2.91"

Note: You may need to shim the caliper with a washer to get the basket to center over the rotor.(not pictured)

Here is the finished product.

Passenger side
Caliper is to the rear of disk.

Driver Side - Caliper is relocated to front of axle by using RH Caliper & bracket.

Other Notes:
You will need to re-do the rear brake hard lines and purchase new flexible lines. I used the stock 1969 style front flexible lines on my rear brakes. They are avaible in SS braid or rubber. I would also highly recommend an adjustable proportioning valve to adjust rear brake bais. You will need to get the proper meteric banjo bolts and copper crush washers. Also you will need to purchase 4, 12mm bolts to bolt the calipers to the brackets. You may also have to slightly notch the bottom of the spring plate to get the caliper brackets to clear.

Parking Brake Cables.
I ordered my p-brake cables from Control Cables in Santa Fe Springs, CA. I will post pictures and lengths when I recieve them in a few days.

Rotors:
Rear Rotors from a 1993-1997 Z28 Camaro will work. I picked mine up at the local Napa for about $25 each. The rotors are interchangable from side to side. Even though this considered a 12" rear brake set up the rotors really measure 11.6"x.81".

On the left is the 1LE mc. On the right is the S10 mc. They both are the quick take up type and share a 15/16" bore. Notice that the ports on the 1LE are the metric bubble type and that they exit on the engine side. The S10 uses standard fitings and its ports exit on the correct fender side.

This is a picture of the rear mount that fits inside the power booster. To get it to fit in the smaller early model booster I had to turn the OD down in a lathe by about 1/8". (mc on the right has been turned down)

Here is the S10 mc bolted up to my hydrobooster. You may notice that I decided to get rid of the metering block. I now use an adjustable proportioning valve to "tune" the rear brakes.

Since my hydrobooster sticks out farther than a conventionall vacuum booster I had to trim the hood support to get the mc to clear. This was really not a big deal and is unecessary if you are not running a hydroboost. After I touched it up with a little paint it is very hard to tell that it has notched.

Here it is. A whopping 13" rotor in a 16" wheel. I had to run a 1/4" spacer to get this bad boy to fit. I would have to guess that most 16" wheel would not be able to handle a 13" rotor, so if you want 13's make sure you measure first.

The completed set up.

Note: The S10 mc comes with a different, taller style plastic reservior. I got my flatter one out of a camaro in the junk yard.

Here are my thoughts on MC�s:
When a swap is made to a C4 type PBR caliper it is necessary to also change master cylinders. C4 PBR calipers require higher line pressure and less volume than the 1969 style single piston calipers, hence the necessary change in master cylinders. After conducting a little research I found that the special edition 1989 1LE Camaro came equiped with 12" front and 12" rear C4 type PBR calipers. For the 1LE's GM factory installed a 15/16" bore quick take up master cylinder. However there are a couple issues regarding port location and fitting sizes that make the 1LE a little difficult to swap in. I subsequently learned that the 1988 manual S10 mc shared the same 15/16" quick take up bore as the 1LE but also solved the port location and fitting problems of the 1LE. Therefore for my C4 swap I decided to use the manual S10mc (with the plastic reservior from a 1980's camaro mc) but in a power brake application. I have been very happy with the results. In my opinion it is the perfect mc to use for the C4 swap. My brake pedal is firm yet easy enough to immediatly lock the brakes. Below are features and pictures of the 1LE and S10 mc's.

1989 Camaro 1LE master cylinder � 15/16� bore, shallow pushrod hole.
This mc is internally identical to the MANUAL S10 15/16� mc. The only difference is that it uses metric bubble fittings and its ports exit on the other side (engine side). This is what GM used on Camaros equipped with four-wheel C4 type pbr calipers.

1988 MANUAL S10 master cylinder � 15/16� bore, shallow pushrod hole.
This is the MC I am using on my Power Assist C4 brakes. Use this mc if you have Power Brakes and C4 pbr calipers. There is no need to �retain the pushrod� since this mc is used in a power set up. Make sure you have enough vacuum at idle 14�+ and the large size vacuum power booster or the brake pedal will be hard. If you want power brakes and don�t have the vacuum think about switching to a hydroboost. I DO NOT recommend this booster in a manual application with C4 pbr calipers. You will be pushing on a brick wall. If you what manual brakes and have C4 pbr�s try a 7/8� bore mc.

1988 POWER S10 master cylinder � 1� bore, shallow pushrod hole.
This is NOT what you want regardless of power assist or not, if you are running C4 pbr calipers.

Please keep in mind that these mc�s have a large OD that will not fit in an early model booster. You must either use a 3rd gen. booster (I don�t know if they will fit into a first gen car) or turn the OD down in a lathe so that it will fit the early model booster as I did.

If you are using C5 calipers the above mc selection criteria may or may not apply. I think that C5 calipers use larger pistons than C4�s do, hence C5�s would require a larger bore mc. I think that GM uses a 1� bore mc with C5 calipers, in which case the power S10 master cylinder may be a good place to start.

Tips and Opinions on Installing a Hydro-Boost
By John Malouf

Here is my info on the hydro boost: Personally, I am really pleased with the performance and operation of my hydro-boost. Yes, if not properly assembled they leak power steering fluid. Unfortunately hydro boosts got a bad rap when they first came out since they fell victim to the quality control issues plaguing American cars in the 70's and 80's. As long as you get one from a quality brake shop with a warranty you should be fine. Hydro boosts have been standard equipment on all ford mustangs since 1996. Ever used the brakes in a cobra mustang, they come stock with 13" PBR's and a hydro boost - enough said. GM as well continues to use them today on their heavy duty trucks. I noticed that a recent Vette magazine has run a feature tech article on how to swap a hydro boost into a 60�s Corvette - and how much better the brakes became. Below are my experiences with retrofitting the hydro boost on my 1968 Camaro - the red Camaro featured in the September 2002 issue of Super Chevy.

The Hydro Boost
What is it:
A hydro boost is a power brake assist unit that unlike, a conventional power assist booster which uses engine vacuum, uses the hydraulic fluid pressure from the power steering pump to generate the braking assist. Since it does not use engine vacuum, as a typical power brake booster does, the amount of engine vacuum that your motor produces is unimportant. This means that you can run that huge camshaft that only makes 4" of vacuum at idle and still have a killer power brake set up. (So you can have your cake and eat it too!!!) However, for obvious reasons, your car must have power steering for you to run a hydro-boost. The hydro booster is physically much smaller than the vacuum assist unit. Changing plugs, valve covers, clutch linkage, and even the failure prone rubber boot that the clutch rod slides though now becomes a snap. Also, the hydro booster contains an emergency pressure reserve so that if a pressure loss were to occur, i.e. the motor shuts off for some reason, you will still be able to stop the car with power assist. � and I can personally attest to this, but that is another story for a different day.

What vehicles were they used on:
To the best of my knowledge, GM Hydro-boosters were originally designed by Smokey Yunick and first appeared on C20 3/4 ton or C30 1 ton trucks in the early 70's. Since then they have been used on a number of 80�s cars such as the Buick Grand National, and most recently on heavy duty Chevy & GMC trucks and all Ford Mustangs including the cobra from 1996 to present.

Where do I get one:
Hydro boosters are not cheap and I would not recommend bolting up a "junk yard" unit. Hydro boosts can be very leak prone (leaking power steering fluid) and need to be carefully rebuilt and reassembled.
I recommend that you purchase one from a quality brake house that rebuilds its own boosters. That way you can get a guarantee that it will work properly without leaking. I purchased my unit from American Brake and Steering in Orange, CA (714) 771-6549 and installed it myself. I am going on two years without any leaks or problems. It came with the booster, mounting bracket, and new push rod making it a "true bolt in" � and the push rod is physically retained by the mounting setup so it won�t fall out. I do not know exactly what year or model truck my particular unit came from only that it is a mid 70�s truck hydro boost. American Brake and Steering has a good deal of experience at performing hydro boost and other braking swaps, and I believe that they also offer complete "turn key" hydro boost installations.

Installation:
The hydro boost bolts to the firewall in the same place and uses the same firewall bracket as the vacuum assist. As for the plumbing: The pressure line that normally goes to the pressure side of the steering gear box will now go to the hydro boost. A second pressure line exits the hydro boost and drops down to the pressure side of the gear box. Now, in addition to the return line from the steering gear box you will also have a return line from the hydro boost. Here you can either use a "T" connector to combine the return lines before returning to the pump or you can brazen a second return nipple onto the pump housing, or if you are using AN fittings, eliminate the factory return nipple and add 2 bulk head adapters to the pump housing. You most likely will have to modify the pressure of the stock pump. If the hydro boost does not have adequate pressure you will have the possibly of loosing some steering assist when under heavy braking. Since the hydro boost relies on pressure, you will need to increase the pump�s pressure by removing some or all of the washers (shims) behind the spring on the pressure relief valve. Typically, or at least on my set up, I have found that I need 1 or no shims behind the pressure relief spring. This will vary among pumps valves and relief springs. This is not hard and only takes a few minutes, but if you are doing the hydro boost swap I would strongly recommend that you start with a new or freshly rebuilt pump since your braking assist will now be depending on your power steering pump. Also on the list that I consider absolutely necessary is a power steering filter for the return line from the steering gear box. As the steering box ages and wears it dumps metal debris into the fluid that can and will destroy the seals on the hydro boost causing it to leak. Even a brand new or rebuilt gear box can contaminate the fluid to cause the hydro boost�s seals to leak, so by all means: run a filter. A/C Delco makes one, AC Delco # PF 883, which came as original equipment on many GM vehicles, or if you are using AN connectors Lee Manufacturing, Sun Valley CA (818) 768-0371, has a very nice reusable filter for a reasonable price. The last thing to consider is a power steering fluid cooler. If you have just a "cruiser" then I wouldn't worry about it, but if you are carving the canyons with your car, then definitely plumb in a quality cooler (on the return line from the gearbox and after the filter). Please keep in mind that power steering systems generate extreme line pressures and the proper high pressure specific power steering hydraulic hose and fittings MUST ALLWAYS be used.

Performance:
Is this all worth it? In my opinion, and for my car, yes, but it also depends on your set up. To be honest there is a lot of work involved assembling and testing/tuning the set up, but again, there is the option of finding a shop to set it up �turn key�. If you have enough engine vacuum, more than 14� at idle, then in my opinion, I would keep the vacuum set up. However, for someone like my self who wants power brakes, but doesn�t have enough idle vacuum, it makes sense. Performance wise, in my opinion, it is second to none. The hydro booster delivers a much greater caliper clamping force on the rotors than the standard vacuum assist booster. It is a heavy-duty part GM uses to stop their 3/4 & 1 ton trucks, which weigh 5000-6500lbs., so it just laughs at our 3000-3500lb Camaros. Pedal feel with my unit is nice and firm, not at all mushy, and it is very easy to properly modulate or �feel� the brakes gripping and slowing the car.

My Disclaimer:
The above descriptions and examples of the hydroboost, brake swaps, and master cylinder swaps are of my experiances on my car only. I didn�t have any body to guide me through the process, and a lot of what I learned was from trial and error. I wrote this to help explain what is involved in performing a hydroboost, and brake upgrade swap. Remember if you aren�t sure of what you are doing with your brakes, regardless of what you are attempting, don�t do it, and get it done by a professional. Messing around with your brakes can be very dangerous to you, any other passenger riding or driving in your vehicle, as well as to other innocent parties. The above paragraphs that I have written in regards to the hydroboost, brake swaping systems are from my personal experience and/or opinions that I have derived from my car and experiance only. I am no expert, nor am I a professional mechanic, nor do I claim to be. I do not express or imply any warrenties regarding my thoughts or opinions. Any of my above recommendations or ideas that you choose to follow, you do so on your own free will, at your own risk and liability, and at your own and other parties personal safety.

Power steering filter from Lee Manufacturing

Grill mounted double pass power steering cooler.

Extra return nipple welded on to the back of the power steering pump.

Fire wall bracket

Hose on left is feed from pump. Top right hose is feed from hydroboost to gear box. Lower right hose is return line from hydroboost. Gold colored clyinder on left side is the emergency pressure reserve.

Hydrobooster with mc installed.