greasemonkey220 Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 I have a 1961 lesabre 6.0... I have had this car four about 5 years and I have had my brake booster rebuilt 2 times already and the booster has gone bad again... I do not want to rebuild it again because I am afraid the same problem will happen again... I was wondering if anyone knew where I could find a new style booster for the car or if that is even possible...If anyone has any information on this subject I would greatly appreciate it... Thank YouMike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryacheson Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 Hi fellow greasemonkey. I have been seeking similar information on this board for awhile without luck. I've just ordered some parts from Summit Racing that I think I can adapt to my car. I've ordered a universal booster and dual master cylinder that should be here in a few days. I'm hoping to install these and adapt the brake lines to the dual cylinder. My objectives are to resolve what I believe to be a problem with my booster and to add the extra safety of the dual master cylinder. My only concern at this time is to get the brake light switch linked in since it currently operates off the front of the master cylinder. I'll post the results of this experiment when finished. Oh; I'm working on a 62 Electra ragtop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebop138 Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 I am sure Scarebird Mechanical would be able to make you some brackets to convert to disc!!! Very good---highly recomended---knows his stuff--very reasonable----check it out!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryacheson Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Progress Report:I received the booster (SUM-760122) and master cylinder (SUM-760100) from Summit. They're chrome. I wish I had looked a little closer to get a more natural looking setup. I'll have to paint these to look ok under the hood. There's nothing else that's chrome under there. You'll need to get their Brake Booster Rod Kit (SUM-760125) to tie the booster into the brake pedal. The booster comes with a threaded end and the 'eye' needed by the brake pedal is integrated into your old booster. I had to open the four holes for the mounting bolts just a little in the firewall just to allow them to slide in easier. I also openned the center hold for the rod just a little to let it slide in smoother. My Dramel tool made quick work of this. I've got the booster and master cylinder mounted temporarily. All that's left is to run new brake lines (piece of cake) and install the brake light switch (even easier). This is an easy conversion.While I have it apart I've decided to freshen up the firewall so I'll be down a few more days. (I have to wait for the piece for the brake pedal anyway. I'm glad I've done this. I know the purists among us won't like it but I'm sure gonna be a lot safer and I can always go back since I'm not destroying anything. We'll see how this does before I consider adding disk brakes. I suspect that this will be all I need for now but it's good to know where to get the brackets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
page2171 Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Sounds like it wasn't too difficult, I might even be able to handle it. Thanks for including the part numbers, I'll be saving those for when I get to work on the brakes on my '62. Please give us an update when you have it all back together and let us know how the brakes work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasemonkey220 Posted May 8, 2006 Author Share Posted May 8, 2006 Thanks for the update... I hope everything else goes smoothly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryacheson Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 I'm wrestling frozen brake lines in that distribution box right now. I wish the fender wasn't on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryacheson Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 We're back on track now. Everything is going to work fine. I took the rear line lose from the block. It's 3/16". I'm using a coupler there back up to the rear plug in the master cylinder which is the same size fitting. I plugged the exposed hole in the block. I diconnected the line entering the top of the block from the old master cylinder (1/4"). The lines from the block to the front wheel cylinders are 3/16". I'm trying to decide whether to run 1/4" line from the new MC to the block or use 3/16". The block is 1/4" and the MC is 3/16". I think I'm going with the 3/16" line and an adaptor from 1/4" to 3/16". Other than that, it's just a matter of installing the brake light switch and bleading the lines. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryacheson Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Not so fast. I put that Summit setup on the car and had no improvement. I still have to put a lot of pressure on the pedal to stop quickly. Since we last spoke, I decided that the 8" booster from Summit wasn't big enough so I decided to go with a Buick setup. I investigated and found that 67 was the first year Buick had a dual master cylinder with drum brakes. I bought a 67 booster and master cylinder and installed them. The 67 booster is 10.5". I still have the same symptoms. At this point, I think I've been chasing the wrong components.What's left? Brake wheel cylinders? Drums? Shoes? I note that the 62 wheel cylinder (I have new ones on the car) are 1.125" in diameter and that the 67 would have 1.185" diameter. I've decided that isn't the problem. I've pulled the drums off before and didn't see anything that looked abnormal. However, I scuffed up the shoes before I noted how they were wearing. I wonder if the brake shop over-turned my drums and that the shoes aren't seeding correctly. Any thoughts? Remember that these drums are aluminum.Greasemonkey; how's your project going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Interesting thread.... I am watching to see what happens.I just replaced my booster (from NAPA) on my 64 Riv and I had the same symptoms as you with the bad booster. After replacing I about threw myself through the windshield. I haven't gone fast with it yet because of other issues but it works real well at 20 mph.Have you checked to make sure your vacume is good to the booster ? Just wondering... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryacheson Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 Yes; the first booster I tried asked for 18" and that's what I have from the intake. I also have the vacuum reserve tank and it is solid. It has no leaks.I need to mic the drums. I'm thinking they've been cut to much and I'm not getting good contact on the shoes. The shoes don't lay flat against the drum surface. I'm going to order new ones and see how that turns out. Kanter seems to have cast iron replacements. These are aluminum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryacheson Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 This has been the strangest thing. I started 2 years ago with a perfectly fine car. I bought shoes, mc rebuild kit, new wheel cylinders and hardware and took it to a local shop to have the brakes rebuilt. While I've always had a firm pedal, it took a lot of leg pressure to stop the car. I always attributed this to the booster. As indicated above, I bought a universal 8" booster from Summitt and converted to dual mc. No change. I then bought a 67 Buick Electra 10.5" booster and mc and put those on (bolted right up). No change. I just put new shoes on from NAPA and the brakes are fine now. I guess I just had a bad set of shoes. All that money wasted on boosters and master cylinders. Oh well; I can't take it with me. I think my troubles are over on this project now. Now I can enjoy the car again. Thanks for all your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SLOROLN Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 This has been the strangest thing. I started 2 years ago with a perfectly fine car. I bought shoes, mc rebuild kit, new wheel cylinders and hardware and took it to a local shop to have the brakes rebuilt. While I've always had a firm pedal, it took a lot of leg pressure to stop the car. I always attributed this to the booster. As indicated above, I bought a universal 8" booster from Summitt and converted to dual mc. No change. I then bought a 67 Buick Electra 10.5" booster and mc and put those on (bolted right up). No change. I just put new shoes on from NAPA and the brakes are fine now. I guess I just had a bad set of shoes. All that money wasted on boosters and master cylinders. Oh well; I can't take it with me. I think my troubles are over on this project now. Now I can enjoy the car again. Thanks for all your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SLOROLN Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Hello gentlemen.So it's 2015 and I'm curious if there are any updates.I just installed a disc brake conversion on my 61 Buick Invicta from PerformanceOnline.com It's listed for a 63-65 Buick Riviera but it bolts right up!!!I'm installing a dual master cylinder and new booster from Autozone that is for a 1970 Chevy C10 and new brake lines up front. I'm using the stock distribution block to run from the dual master cylinder to the top of the block and the two holes for the front lines. I'll run the back brakes from the master cylinder down to an elbow connected to the factory back brake line. Let me know how yours came together and if you still have the cars.Enjoy a Blessed weekend!Mike RolandAKA: SloRoln Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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