Can I Just Add a Booster?

[Randall Barringer]

68 Travelall 1100C 265 engine
It has manual brakes now.
Can I simply add a power brake booster to the master cylinder, plumb vacuum to it, and call it a day?

Thanks

[Jeff Jamison]

Need a different mastercylinder as one has a rod that goes to the brake peddle(what you have now)power has a rod out of the booster that pushes into the master.Its a cheap common master
Jeff

[Afireinside2285]

Can you just remove the snap ring and rod on the current master cylinder? Thats what I did on my 1970 but I don't know about the C-series?

[Bill Worden]

You might consider hydra-boost.

[fredsterra]

If you have power steering go Hydra Boost!

[Randall Barringer]

No power steering.

thanks for the replies

[Paul "Misterfixit" Schulz]

You could add an 'inline' vacuum power booster, which would require no master cylinder changes, they work very well, but in saying that i will bet that you are running bonded brake linings, which by their very nature are much harder than the original rivited versions, brake guys can argue till they are blue in the face about how it doesn't make any difference, but i know from first hand experience just how bad they can be, i had a friend fit a power booster to his car after advice from a brake specialist just after a reline with bonded linings because it wouldn't stop, it didn't have one from new and had been driven for 30 years without a booster - what changed???? - was real fun when the right front brake drum exploded 5 days after fitting the inline booster to single circuit brakes.

You could however look for the old asbestos (did i say that) rivit on linings in 'new old stock' or you could find a soft bonded style lining from a brake shop who does in house bonding, then drill it to suit rivits - it is the extreme heat of the bonding process that makes the lining hard. Also by BTW it isn't the rivits which cause grooves to be worn into the drums, it is actually the build up of brake dust on top of the rivits which causes the grooves in the drums.

[Randall Barringer]

I'm not sure what kind of brake linings I have right now.

Since the truck wasn't built with power brakes is there enough room to add a booster? When I look at the area it seems like the slave cylinder will be really close. I guess I need to start looking at photos of Travelalls with power brakes.

Ideally, I would like to buy a booster and master cylinder, install it, and voila! Power brakes.
Am I missing something? I know power brakes were an option, so it doesn't seem like a hard switch to make.

[Paul "Misterfixit" Schulz]

My C1200 had an in line booster mounted up under the drivers side fender behind the head light.

[Doc Stewart]

My 67 has a booster with a deep mounting bracket that extends the diaphragm body and MC out past the clutch MC. If you find one, get the complex linkage with it - it is not a straight rod. Used boosters can be rebuilt.