Getting a Boost, Part 3

I clearly haven't posted in a long time.  A lot has happened since my last post.  Several friends of mine no longer walk this planet, and I'm sad to say that Ford Guy is one of them.  He checked out rather suddenly in mid-November.  His health hadn't been what you would call 'good' for many years, but he always seemed to pull through.  This time, he didn't make it.  His funeral was a massive affair, and I had no idea that he was so involved with his church!  About half the people in attendance were car folks, and the other half knew him through his church.

Ford Guy must have owned over a hundred cars, but the one he chose to drive the most in his later years was his black '57 Fairline convertible.  It was touching to see it parked on the church patio during his funeral service, next to the pink '57 thunderbird that he just finished restoring for this daughter.

Ford Guy was a big help to me with Nell.  The last thing he did for me was discuss the installation of a larger brake booster for better pedal feel with my front disk brake conversion.  He even provided a template for the bracket I would need to install this new brake booster.  Later that same evening, he presented me with an award for Nell as the best club T-bird at cruise night!

It has been a long time coming, but I finally got the new brake booster installed.  I started by removing the stock booster, and making a cardboard template from the copy that Ford Guy had given me.  His template didn't fit my car exactly... I think it was for a '57, which must have a slightly different layout of holes in the inner fender.  I was not willing to drill new holes in the fender, so I modified the cardboard template to fit.  The new booster mounting holes needed to be placed about an inch further forward than the old bracket.

I fabricated the bracket from a remnant of square  structural steel tubing I got at the local industrial metal supply house.  It was a lot harder than I anticipated, and took quite a number of trials before the booster was properly positioned and straight.  

the booster in place, but not straight... and some interference problems.

finally, I was able to modify the bracket so that the booster is straight and clean.

I had to take the battery box out in order to re-route the booster hardlines.  Beneath the battery box turned out to be a great place to  install the vacuum reservoir I got last summer.   Since the performance cam in the engine limits manifold vacuum at idle, this reservoir should help provide more consistent braking performance.

Vacuum canister underneath the battery box.  The master cylinder is at the top, behind the heat shield.  The booster is on the left, and the brake combo valve (balance and reserve pressure) is on the lower right.

It took a couple of days to pant the bracket and booster with epoxy primer and then black gloss acrylic enamel, but I think they turned out great!  

After bleeding the brakes, it was time for a test drive!  The pedal feel is significantly lighter, and the braking effort is now equivalent to a standard modern car.  The effort I used to use on a regular high speed stop will now lock up the front wheels.  It doesn't have the precise brake pedal feel of a sports car, but then again it never did.  My goal was to increase the overall drivability and potential for everyone to enjoy the car, and I believe I have succeeded.

On a different note, my dear wife gave me a beautiful new chrome grille for Christmas!   I had to disassemble the whole front of the car to replace it, but it was worth it.  I no longer need the V8 emblem on the grille to hide the rust. 

I have had a productive holiday over the past few weeks, and I can feel good about how things turned out.  I'm feeling very blessed and refreshed, and ready to return to my consulting business and volunteer work on Monday.