First of all i'd like to say that FTE has to be one of the most informative site's on ford truck's i've ever seen, great job. now my question is does anyone know if the hydro boost brake system off of a 75 lincoln continental can be installed on a 77 f-250 4x4. and if so are there any drawbacks to this istallation. i see no reason why it can't be done but i'd like some input any help would be much appreciated thanks.

 

I've read about several guys doing this swap but to be honest I don't remember the details of it. I'm using a hydroboost out of a 2000 or 2002 Superduty. I had to shorten the rod and make a new mounting bracket but other than that there's not much to it. I would imagine the Lincoln booster can't be any more complicated than that.

For what it's worth, the hydro-boost stops the truck like you wouldn't believe. It was by far one of the best mods I've done on my truck. Couple that with discs all the way around and you've got one neck snapping combo.

Btw, welcome to FTE.

 

I was never crazy about the concept of losing the power brakes and power steering at the same time, just seem a bit safe having vacuum brakes and hydraulic steering.

 

In my galleries I have some photos and tech details about my brake swap for my 77 F250 4x4. Disc brakes plus a booster from a F350 2WD.. Works great..

But if you really want the power, Hydro boost is the way.. I recommend Ivan's set-up. Its the best I've seen.

 

What year of truck did the booster and MC come from. I'd like to use the same for my 74.

Thanx

Madmike33

 

Do any of you know if this can be done for a 150, or is this more for the 250/350 set ups? I know that my brakes suck and thats is only running 35's, even worse when I had the 40's on her!

 

Well this is a valid point and I've got to say that when my old pump spit a pulley it was very tough to get it stopped. However with the amount of vacuum that my engine makes a vacuum booster would barely cut it, even with a canister. In a stock truck it wouldn't be too much an issue, you can really stand on the brakes and it'll stop. With as much leverage as the 44's put on my axles I can't really stop OR steer without power . . . but I can sure as hell drive right over whoever is in front of me. Remember that these boosters are used in many HEAVY diesel trucks already, it's not like we're using them in an application they weren't meant for. Any system can be made very reliable with proper planning and care.

Yes, this can be done on the F150. 1/2 - 1 ton all used the same mounting brackets for the booster. There's a website that sells complete hydroboost kits which just bolt right up but for the life of me I can't find their link. I used a junkyard booster/MC for $100 and then have about $60 more into my custom hoses so it really didn't cost much to make the swap. I also like having just 1 big fluid resevoir to feed the front and rear rather than the 2 seperate resevoirs like the stock MC uses.

EDIT Here's the site I was talking about and a FAQ page regarding hydro-boost: http://www.mpbrakes.com/mpfaqboost.htm

 

Ivan,
I have a 78, and was wondering if there are any particular years for the booster, or are are they pretty much universal amongst the Fords?

 

Are you asking about the smaller diameter F350 vacuum boosters or the hydroboost? If you mean vacuum boosters just buy one for a 78 F350 and it'll bolt right up but give better stopping power. If you're talking hydro-boost and piecing it together yourself then you'll have to make custom brackets anyhow so it's not really critical what it's out of.

 

sent you a pm...

 

I just did the hydroboost conversion. I had the F350 unit on there and brakes were still pretty pathetic. I used a 2000 Superduty booster. I built a new plate that has the same bolt pattern as the stock (78) unit. Then there is a 3/8" thick spacer to cover the big nut on the booster. The rod on the back was shortened, bevelled, and welded back together. New lines were fabricated.

The difference between hydroboost and vacuum booster brakes is night and day.

 

www.hydratechbraking.com has a custom retro fit hydroboost braking system for 67-77 and I beileve 78&79 as well. It is not listed directly on their site, you have to email them and they will give you the part number and installation instructions. I plan on using their kit when I get to that point on my restoration!