Vacum brake assist part?

[pepstrebeck]

This was in a box with a bunch of other aprts. The box was marked 1930 Packard 733, all the other parts in the box were all 733 parts, but what is this? Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

[keiser31]

Looks like some sort of radiator shutter diaphragm.

Edited February 14, 2010 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

This was in a box with a bunch of other aprts. The box was marked 1930 Packard 733, all the other parts in the box were all 733 parts, but what is this? Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

John, I may be entirely wrong but I believe this is a vacuum assist/booster used with mechanical brakes. They were used on a variety of vehicles, even Model T trucks, and appeared on everything from American-LaFrance fire trucks to Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Packards in the late 1920s to the time of common use of hydraulic brake systems in the 1930s.

If I'm correct, Bendix got into the booster business when it's Aviation Co. purchased a company known as Bragg and Kleistrath Co. Another commonly known maker of this type of system was Midland.

[Ozstatman]

For what it's worth, here's a pic of the power booster (lower left) in a '34 Packard 1101.

Edited February 14, 2010 by Ozstatman (see edit history)

[keiser31]

I was guessing.

[pepstrebeck]

I knew that Packard used a vacum assist on the brakes, I thought that they started on the 900 series (?), but this one just looked a little too diminutive for a Packard. I have no idea how it ended up in one of my 733 parts boxes, nor do I know where it even came from. More than likely it will end up on a swap meet table, I just like to know what everything is for.

[mribbich@wi.rr.com]

Think it from a 40's Chevy.

Marv.

[Curti]

1940-1948 Chevy vacuum shift assist.

[pepstrebeck]

Would it also be used on the same era Buicks as well? I did get a couple of boxes of late 40's and early 50's Buick straight eight stuff. But that still would not answer the question of how it migrated 25 feet from the front of the garage to the back and then up four feet and into a different box.