Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Hi Guys:

Sorry to resurrect this old post. But I to am interested in the Electro Boost from ABS. But cannot seem to find anyone that has used it, except Jed here.

I recently contacted ABS. Their representative told me it has to be used with a 4:1 pedal ratio. So I got no support here. I'm curious how you made this work with a 1:1 ratio. In the original Hydrovac position?

My installation would be on a 54. But I would think the, under floor plate, mounting would be similar.

thanks

Other than Mat who started this thread, Jed, and one or two others I don't believe there are that many ABS units installed. Other than it being a tad noisy I don't recall any negative comments of those that have them. Do believe you are the first to confirm ABS recommends a higher pedal ratio then those installations have had though. That has been one of my main concerns and to the best of my knowledge no one has experimented to see what the system does with no boost.

It has been speculated that fitting a narrow bore master more or less the same size as the original BTV might work but that is a big unknown and until recently no one has tried it. The BTV displacing fluid instead of pushing fluid ahead of the piston introduces different dynamics so until someone tries it without power it may still have the same ratio issues as the larger diameter masters. Here is a post and thread showing a VW narrow bore master setup.

While it appears to work with power, unfortunately it will be awhile before he can try it without power. If it does work, other than the adapter plate the installation looks to be fairly inexpensive and easy with no in depth modifications to the car required.

Just last week someone is using a VW set up in the same location as the OEM BTV and pedal. Not sure how well tested it is yet.

packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb ... um=4&post_id=164008#forumpost164008

I often wonder, when reading all the postings on BTV replacements, why not just fit a modern non-boosted dual chamber master cylinder? Agreed, the pedal pressure will be a higher than one with power brakes, but not excessively so. I would think one would get good brake modulation and just as effective braking with a standard dual chamber system. One of these installations would be relatively easy and could use standard Packard parts for pedal and linkage. Just wondering...

(o{}o)

It is not a bad idea but unfortunately the manual installations are so different from the PB that it almost takes a parts car for all the pieces needed and those are getting to be in somewhat short supply.

The aftermarket route is always an option but even those pedals are problematic because of where Packard placed things. There is a fair amount of fabrication needed to mount the manual pedal assy and then the cylinder and have it look somewhat original. TL makes it even worse.

Good points, especially about the complications with the TL cars. I had Ross remove the BTV from my 55 Clipper and replace with a Packard single chamber master cylinder. Of course, he had all the parts laying around and the car had the conventional suspension. I did like the feel of the manual brakes.

(o{}o)

I am pleased to see this old thread resurrected.

I would prefer an original manual MC/pedal from a 1951-56 Packard rather than the BTV, at least with drum brakes. This should work OK on a Packard not driven aggressively or in modern traffic.

Other solutions have been shown/discussed over the years and I consider them superior to the BTV although some do not like the pedal position and/or the look.

There is probably only one excellent solution which is to completely re-engineer the whole brake system such as what I am doing on my Panther (MPB booster, Trans Am WS-6 MC, 4-wheel disc brakes and new brake lines of the appropriate size). However, this is probably beyond what most guys are willing to do or pay to have done and it requires the car to be significantly disassembled to do it right.

Craig

G'day Mates, I was talking to a friend recently and we got onto this topic. He told me about F100 aftermarket brake booster/pedal kits and gave me a copy of the relevant page. I haven't looked into it any further as yet but throw it into the ring for consideration and comment. Has anyone investigated and rejected it as a potential conversion option?

Cheers, John

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I don't know if anyone has considered those particular items or not. The ones pictured appear to be firewall mounts and aside from having brackets ready made would still have the same issue of not being able to go in the original spot or use the original pedal ratio. They might be an option if someone is considering a firewall installation. The common US suppliers -- ABS and Master Power Brake -- that seem to get most of the Packard retrofit business probably have them too. As they are assemblies and would still require some ingenuity believe most just opt for the individual piece and universal equivalents and go their own way with brackets and/or pedal mods.

That VW master that resurrected this thread is intriguing and really would like to see someone test it to see what it is capable of doing with the original pedal and no vacuum to the power assist. If the originator of the mod won't be able to do it anytime soon, maybe someone contemplating doing the current mod requiring the pedal change would be willing to spend a bit extra and try this first. Not sure how much the adapter piece would cost but the extra for the VW master and fittings is not much. Anything else bought and any mods made could still be used if it turned out to be problematic. If you still wanted to go with the known mod with dual master and the pedal change it would just require a different master, a few more fittings and a bit more time to do the pedal mods. If the VW cylinder worked satisfactorily in the original spot it would likely be adopted by many.

Will admit I have my concerns if it will work with the low pedal ratio so until proven it can at least slow down the car as well as a BTV with no power, it is just one of the many ideas. Since ABS recommends a higher ratio, I am more concerned about those Electroboost units installed with original pedals. We all know BTVs with no assist are not spectacular when it comes to stopping a Packard and I have my suspicions that those with the ELectroBoost with large diameter masters and low pedal ratios will find almost the same result as a complete BTV failure if something happened to the boost portion.

HH56 Quote:

Howard, I recommend the above for the understatement of the year award!

Craig