My truck is a 2wd 1979 f-150. I have done the usual brake upgrades and not been happy with the brakes. It has the big piston Torino calipers, ceramic pads, a dual piston caliper f-250 master cylinder, f-350 dual diaphragm booster, Jeg's proportioning valve, new drums, shoes, and hardware in the rear brakes.

All this and I knew the brakes could be better. So I tried the hydroboost set up, and it made all the difference in the world, put you through the windshield good.

I got the hydroboost from a 2000 f-350 and grabbed all the hoses too, for $25 from a local u-pull-it. The other $8 was for a quart of power steering fluid.

I had some 3/8" hose that I used for return line, I also had a steel 3/8" "T" to join the return of the booster and steering box, and hose clamps. When I grabbed the hydroboost I grabbed the large fitting that screws into the pump, in my case the ford plastic bodied pump. this allowed me to use hose that came with the hydroboost. The return was just some hose, a "T", and some clamps. The line from the hydroboost to the steering pump I cut and added a 5/16" inverted flare. The arm going to the brake pedal was close but not long enough. I cut off the the end of a stock booster I had and welded it to the hydroboost at the stock length. The booster bracket on the firewall I redrilled to match the hydroboost pattern.

I've put a couple hundred miles on this set-up and it works great. A should have done it sooner. Now that I know everything works good I think that I'll redo the hose going from the HB to the steering box to get rid of that inverted flare fitting. I didn't have a lot of room to make the fitting on the metal part of the hose, but it seems to be holding good, no leaking. About $60 will get me the stuff to make the hose in aftermarket stuff. I'll add some pictures.





Jess

 

Nice! I see here that many guys prefer the 'canned ham' style of power steering pump (Saginaw?) over the modern one with the plastic reservoir, when it comes to retrofitting hydroboost. But I'm guessing that most hydroboost trucks still came with the plastic reservoired pump.

 

The newer style trucks (2008+) came with a very different power steering unit. Early 2000's super duty trucks came with the plastic dual return reservoir on the Ford C-2 pump. Earlier versions of the Ford C-2 pump came with a single return plastic reservoir.

Somehow a dual return reservoir (plastic) on the exact same Ford C-2 pump that's been produced forever yields more $$$ at the check-out point.... I suppose it's the exact same story for the Saginaw dual return pumps too though. Same pump... just another return added.... but more $$$$.

 

Nice install!

 

Well, Summit came through really fast with my order. But It looks like I ordered the wrong fitting for the hydroboost side of the line that runs down to the steering box. I ordered Aeromotive's AER-FBM2608, -6an to 16mm x 1.5 "O" ring. It's to large for the threads in the HB. This picture is of a spare HB line off of a HB I grabbed from a junkyard a while ago, wasn't in as good a shape as the one I put in my truck. The fitting should also have an O-ring on the end, I lost it.

I have the rest of the line made up, just got to get the correct fitting. Anyone know what I should order?



Jess