Question about upgrading vacuum booster

[Mr. Man]

So what is it about a brake booster that makes for a better pedal feel? Just wondering,

[offroadkarter]

That clears things up a lot...thanks very much, offroadkarter (the OP I was referring to from the 2019 thread). I didn't know if you were still on the forum. The photo really helps too. I'll be talking to my local salvage yard tomorrow to try and track these parts down.

I'll see if I can remember to grab the engineering # off my 04 this weekend

So what is it about a brake booster that makes for a better pedal feel? Just wondering,

I'm far from a mechanical engineer but the booster is the force multiplier for leverage on the brakes. The 98-02 panthers had slightly different brakes, the front rotors were a little larger. I'm not sure if the calipers had different piston sizes or not, if they did. If the calipers changed while the booster stayed the same after the 03+ brake changes, this could explain why the pedal feel changed so much.

I'm not exactly sure what changed in between boosters for 01-02 and 03-05, all I know is they did change.

[NATEHAWK]

This is interesting, but is it really worth the labor and parts locating? I recently did the Zack big brake swap, did a brake bleed and then went to a shop and got a abs electronic bleed. I gotta say my brakes are rock hard.

[Pantherfreak]

Well, eventually I will upgrade to one of the Wilwood set-ups, but I want to optimize what's on the car now before doing that. I will be getting the ABS pump bled again at my cousin's repair shop - hopefully this time, it will be successful. As explained earlier, I went to a trusted Ford dealership to get this done early in 2019, and after returning the car to me, they told me that it "had only been partially successful"...whatever the hell that means. My cousin has all up-to-date Snap-on equipment, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm looking to eliminate the double pump process I have to follow right now to get the pedal hard. So if these relatively simple upgrades can help, I'm all for it.

[Pantherfreak]

So just an fyi - I've sourced a booster and pedal assembly for an '03 CV through my local salvage yard for $125.00 Cdn. Seems like a good price to me. I'm getting my ABS pump re-bled next week, after which we'll see how it is. I've also found several videos online detailing how you can adjust the booster pushrod on a Panther, which I was unaware of previously. It looks pretty simple, but there is a warning not to do this unless your braking system is all working properly. So, first I will re-bleed the ABS, and then possibly adjust the pushrod. If all else fails, I'll do the booster upgrade.

[offroadkarter]

So just an fyi - I've sourced a booster and pedal assembly for an '03 CV through my local salvage yard for $125.00 Cdn. Seems like a good price to me. I'm getting my ABS pump re-bled next week, after which we'll see how it is. I've also found several videos online detailing how you can adjust the booster pushrod on a Panther, which I was unaware of previously. It looks pretty simple, but there is a warning not to do this unless your braking system is all working properly. So, first I will re-bleed the ABS, and then possibly adjust the pushrod. If all else fails, I'll do the booster upgrade.

What is the engineering # on the booster you grabbed? Curious. The parts marauder I have which is a 03 300A (don't know the exact build date) has a # ending in BA which is the same as my friends trilogy car, both have great pedal feel.

I might have to keep this booster and throw it on my 300A to see if it has a dramatic change without the stainless lines.

[justbob]

After driving my work van all week i feel like I’m going to break my face stopping any thing else we have. Of course, I don’t use much brake at all anyways downshifting.


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[Pantherfreak]

I actually haven't grabbed it yet - sorry. I realize now how that read. I can order 1 from my yard at any time - my contact says there are at least 3 complete assemblies available whenever I want them. So, I will get the engineering number for you once I have the parts, but it may not be for a week or two.

[offroadkarter]

I actually haven't grabbed it yet - sorry. I realize now how that read. I can order 1 from my yard at any time - my contact says there are at least 3 complete assemblies available whenever I want them. So, I will get the engineering number for you once I have the parts, but it may not be for a week or two.

No worries, I'm in no rush, This is just a curiosity for me at this point.

[Zack]

I’ve always wanted to put a huge booster on. Never got around to it.
I think it’s the key to ultimate braking

[Pantherfreak]

Just a quick update for those who are interested - sorry for the time that has passed. As mentioned, my next step was to have the ABS re-bled, and it did help some. I assisted the tech who did the work, by sitting in the care up on the lift, turning the key on and off, as required. He used an up-to-date Snap-On system. And he did get some additional air out...which surprised both of us.

Afterwards, the pedal did feel better, but still not great. A few nights later I had a cat run in front of me at night, so I slammed on the brakes, activating the ABS. The pedal actually improved a bit more after that.

The next thing I did was install new pads. Although the pads had about half of their life left, I recalled that the sponginess had started after installing them originally. They were carbon graphite pads (as were the new replacements), but when I attempted to bed them originally, it was raining. I assumed at the time that it shouldn't matter, but I got to thinking that perhaps new pads, bedded properly (not in the rain), would eliminate the amount of remaining sponginess. So I completed that process a few weeks ago.

Now, I can honestly say that the pedal is much better than when I started this thread. I asked the tech who did the ABS bleed what he thought after driving the car - he felt that the pedal was good. So, I've decided to drive the car like this for a while and try to be satisfied with it. The problem is that my '05 MGM still has a better pedal. So, since I can't leave well enough alone, I'll probably pick up the booster/pedal assembly I mentioned earlier from the recycler and go about installing that. Once I've done that, I'll post an update in this thread. So, I guess for now, this thread is done. Thanks to everyone for their input.

[MyBlackBeasts]

The problem is that my '05 MGM still has a better pedal.

The brakes on my mothers 2000 Sable with rear drums were 1000% better than my 97 Tbird or Marauder both of which have 4-way disc.

The Marauder brakes were poorly designed.

The brakes on my F250 which weighs 1000s of pounds more will put you through the windshield w/o locking up. Now there's a well designed brake system!

[justbob]

The brakes on my mothers 2000 Sable with rear drums were 1000% better than my 97 Tbird or Marauder both of which have 4-way disc.

The Marauder brakes were poorly designed.

The brakes on my F250 which weighs 1000s of pounds more will put you through the windshield w/o locking up. Now there's a well designed brake system!

Fully loaded or empty? That’s the question..


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[MyBlackBeasts]

Empty, although they worked real well when it was loaded too. Just didn't need to stomp on them then.

[blazen71]

I wanted to verify that the "new" style booster is plug n play. You do not need a different pedal. I put a new style booster in last night. The reason the Marauder booster has an angled eyelet is because of the design of the booster. The booster mounts on an angle. The offset of the eyelet keeps the mounting hole on center of the 4 mounting studs. The new style mounts at a much smaller angle and doesn't need the offset eyelet. The new style booster is bigger, but fits.
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