Guest Sanddoc Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 As anyone who owns one of these the master cylinder and brake booster is in the worst locationever. Has anyone done an upgrade to them? I started to work on switching over to a prw brake system out of a lynx years ago, butkinda lost interest in the Packard. Now the interest is back, as is some money. I have seen that there are some Disc brake conversion kits out there.BestDave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Block Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Whta are longer term plans for the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Packard Don Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 As anyone who owns one of these the master cylinder and brake booster is in the worst locationever. Has anyone done an upgrade to them? I started to work on switching over to a prw brake system out of a lynx years ago, butkinda lost interest in the Packard. Now the interest is back, as is some money. I have seen that there are some Disc brake conversion kits out there.BestDaveThe factory power unit is actually quite easy to remove if you do it from inside the car. Simply disconnect the lines, lift up the carpet and unscrew the insert floor panel to which the unit is attached. Reverse the process to reinstall. If you try to do it all from underneath, it can be very frustrating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HH56 Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 (edited) As far as another booster or an upgrade, there is nothing modern and relatively inexpensive that will just bolt in and work in the same place as the treadlevac. Modern vacuum operated boosters and masters require a higher pedal ratio than is available when keeping the location low. Of course, rebuilt treadlevacs are available if you want to keep that setup.There are several who have converted to a modern Bendix type universal booster with dual master keeping all in the same location. That requires a rework of the pedal and for those who desire a more or less original looking car, the mod is very obvious when looking inside. Others have mounted the same unit higher on the firewall. Some in the space occupied by the fresh air vent and others even higher up. They too require a pedal rework, but if done with care the change is not too obvious inside -- but since the the booster is in full view, very noticeable from the engine compartment. The firewall location is not an option in a car with factory in dash air and may require relocating PB shift relays. A few have installed disc brake conversions in conjunction with the new booster. Don't recall anyone installing the Wilwood unit but some have installed Kanters and ABS offerings. Neither of those were direct bolt ins without issues. Most of those discussions are on Packardinfo.comThere is one modern unit a few have installed in the original location with the unmodified Packard pedal. That is the ElectroBoost system offered by ABS Power Brake. It is a two piece electric powered booster pump and master with adjustable output. Upside is it fits and works reasonably well and people seem to like it. Downside is it's electric so you have that extra complexity thrown in and the price is over $1200 for the unit alone, not including any other things you might want to do. Edited July 31, 2013 by HH56 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now