Degerb Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 I recently bought a 1990 TC, Turbo Maserati engine/w 5 speed. Everything on my car is working properly now but thinking toward the future, I've been reading all the various posts regarding the Tevis Brake system. I read Hemi's excellent article on the vacuum boost upgrade from the LeBaron. Also some place I read about someone installing the complete ABS system from a LeBaron on their TC.... Where can I find out more info, practicality of, pictures, parts list etc on this kind of project?Thanks Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemi Dude Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 I recently bought a 1990 TC, Turbo Maserati engine/w 5 speed. Everything on my car is working properly now but thinking toward the future, I've been reading all the various posts regarding the Tevis Brake system. I read Hemi's excellent article on the vacuum boost upgrade from the LeBaron. Also some place I read about someone installing the complete ABS system from a LeBaron on their TC.... Where can I find out more info, practicality of, pictures, parts list etc on this kind of project?Thanks DonWell...., "thinking toward the future" as you wrote. Other than the Tevis ABS system, there is the Bendix system used on the other platforms. Having read about the problems with that system and acquiring parts, you may be served best if you eliminate the ABS system alltogether. Having said that, it would be a matter of simply using a vacuum booster / 4 wheel disc brake master cylinder found on various cars, but most easily on an 89 or earlier LeBaron Coupe or Convertible.Should you have any specific questions, you can easily privately PM me at this site or my email address. Good luck with your venture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degerb Posted February 13, 2016 Author Share Posted February 13, 2016 Thanks for your input, I think I will forgo the ABS hook up and look for Le baron Parts. Pardon my memory but what model year part car should I look for at the local salvage yard/ mini Mall? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostymosty Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Before you do that, ask your insurance agent if the car can be insured without the ABS system it was built with. The non ABS brake system will work fine for the car if done correctly but you could be sabotaging the value of the car and causing headaches later on for yourself. The TEVES abs system has been used on a lot of different European cars over the years and should be serviceable for decades to come but could be very expensive if you don't replace the accumulator on a regular basis. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemi Dude Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Before you do that, ask your insurance agent if the car can be insured without the ABS system it was built with. The non ABS brake system will work fine for the car if done correctly but you could be sabotaging the value of the car and causing headaches later on for yourself. The TEVES abs system has been used on a lot of different European cars over the years and should be serviceable for decades to come but could be very expensive if you don't replace the accumulator on a regular basis.RIGHT!. Lets be sure to be 'politically correct'! If, in the meantime, you crash your TC because the hydraulic assembly fails (master cylinder on other systems) you better hope you have Collectors Car Insurance on it so you can recoup your investment.Which by the looks of the front ends of many TCs in the junkyard, is what happened.Every 'K' car, Daytona and LeBaron up to this time has stopped efficiently using "conventional vacuum assisted standard brake systems, whether 2 or 4 wheel disc.Start asking your insurance agent and you may find that you just put your foot in your mouth. This is the change I made to my car 6 years ago. I have been cross country and back, to TC America conventions, driven 10s of thousand miles with no problem.So far, this is still a free country, I suppose I should worry that I removed the 3 speed automatic and installed a 5 speed manual transaxle too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostymosty Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) I recently bought a 1990 TC, Turbo Maserati engine/w 5 speed. Everything on my car is working properly now but thinking toward the future, I've been reading all the various posts regarding the Tevis Brake system. I read Hemi's excellent article on the vacuum boost upgrade from the LeBaron. Also some place I read about someone installing the complete ABS system from a LeBaron on their TC.... Where can I find out more info, practicality of, pictures, parts list etc on this kind of project?Thanks Don"RIGHT!. Lets be sure to be 'politically correct'!" Sorry for the ruffling, but: Why would he want to 'gather parts' to do that type of change to a working system when he could just as easily 'gather parts' for the system that is on the car now? The component that could lead to system failure in other components is the accumulator and that should be changed on a time/miles scheduled basis as normal maintenance as well as brake fluid flush every 2 years. Other parts can be acquired for a 'just in case' repair and kept on a shelf so he has them. The 'downgrade' to his braking system in this case just doesn't seem necessary to me. If he had a non-functioning braking system and couldn't locate the Teves parts then it would be a different story. I consider the Teves system to be superior if properly maintained but it sounds like you see it as inferior. Edited February 15, 2016 by ghostymosty (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemi Dude Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Thanks for your input, I think I will forgo the ABS hook up and look for Le baron Parts. Pardon my memory but what model year part car should I look for at the local salvage yard/ mini Mall?You see here differing opinions. Do not let me influence you to go one way or the other here.Being 76 old at this time and living in Arizona where any automotive repairs done properly is close to impossible, 6 years ago before closing my 'Chrysler only' repair business, I decided that owning and driving a car such as the TC into my senior years would not be wise with systems that I could not repair in my old age. Therefore the conversion. Plain and simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degerb Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Thanks guys for your input. A little clarification to my earlier post, if you will... I meant what I said, I'm intending to stockpile parts for possible use in the advent that (1) major TC parts like the pump/motor etc fails. I intend to keep on using and repairing the original system until safety and/or expense dictates otherwise. (2) Also some day I know Le Baron parts in a salvage yard also will be hard to come by. I consider what I'm proposing to do is a form of collectors insurance to keep my TC on the road as long as possible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degerb Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) Aw come on now Hemi... I'm 80... you still have several good years left:) I will admit tho, that old concrete floor is not at all inviting and those little spaces I used to worm into, I just can't do anymore! I'm certainly with you agility wise... I think I will have to find some young guy like my grandson to to the "heavy lifting" so to speak!. Edited February 15, 2016 by degerb (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemi Dude Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Aw come on now Hemi... I'm 80... you still have several good years left:) I will admit tho, that old concrete floor is not at all inviting and those little spaces I used to worm into, I just can't do anymore! I'm certainly with you agility wise... I think I will have to find some young guy like my grandson to to the "heavy lifting" so to speak!.I can agree with that, I just don't have a shop with sufficient equipment to do that conversion as easily now.I work at a friend's garage, a real garage with classic cars in it, not a business garage, so I get plenty to do without working on my own car. Still having 'fun'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinCamFan Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 (edited) I'll throw my 3cents (an extra penny cause I just noticed that I'm a "senior Member" here ) I've had 6 TC's(down to 3 now) and tho I've managed to keep the suspect factory brake system performing adequately, I would have no issue with a complete swap out if it comes to that. I did upgrade the fronts on a couple cars to the 11.25" rotors/calipers/spindles to get added WHOA! power. It's not a direct bolt on, I remember having to weld ABS sensor tabs and maybe something else? Ghosty, It doesn't sound like you were at the TC Nats meet a few years ago(I know I've seen you at a couple of them) when our guest speaker was one of the Teves engineers. Right about the part in his lecture when he said that a good stiff bump could cause complete system failure from 3 different mechanisms was when I lost confidence in the finicky stock set up... For now I'll just keep em bled and change accumulators every so often. EDIT: BTW Don, where are you and your new-ish to you 90 TC Located? Here's a bit of trivia for you to chew on. EVERY 90 4 cylinder TC is a 16V 5speed... Edited February 25, 2016 by TwinCamFan (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostymosty Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Never made it to a TC Nats, too busy working or not working with no money! What 3 mechanisms, and would it just knock out the Antilock feature or the entire braking ability? I never had that problem even the couple of times I hit a pothole with the 91 triple black, didn't even knock the alignment out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digger914 Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 (edited) When the road gets rough things wiggle loose and when you hit hard enough things will break. When it comes to the kind of a whack that can instantly disable our brakes we probably won't be able to see the red brake light come on until after the airbag deflates. Edited February 26, 2016 by Digger914 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemi Dude Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 When the road gets rough things wiggle loose and when you hit hard enough things will break. When it comes to the kind of a whack that can instantly disable our brakes we probably won't be able to see the red brake light come on until after the airbag deflates.I'm so glad all of mine are pre 90. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmmettTC Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 ^ HA 89's are great. love the no airbag steering wheel look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinCamFan Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 ^ HA 89's are great. love the no airbag steering wheel look.What's your build date Emmett, if its after July of 88 you got lots of the 90 upgrades *without* the airbag wheel you dislike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmmettTC Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 What's your build date Emmett, if its after July of 88 you got lots of the 90 upgrades *without* the airbag wheel you dislike where is the build date found? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemi Dude Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 where is the build date found?On the drivers door jam below the 'door latch'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmmettTC Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Thank you for the help Hemi, @TwinCamFan the build date is 03/89 so probably one of the earlier ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinCamFan Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 No that's a late build car, the cut off I've seen for the early vs late (and associated running change upgrades) is July of 1988 not 89. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmmettTC Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 No that's a late build car, the cut off I've seen for the early vs late (and associated running change upgrades) is July of 1988 not 89.Ahh interesting, thanks for the info!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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