WHAT IT IS: Vacuum brake conversion for
'85-87 Turbo Regals COMPANY: Master Power Brakes
PRICE: $495 ($845 with optional vacuum pump)
PROS: Quick and easy installation, good
instructions, ultra-reliable braking, improved
braking distances CONS: Pedal "grabbier" than
Powermaster VERDICT: A well-designed and
affordably priced alternative to the
trouble-prone Powermaster
Included with the master cylinder was a
plastic T (for rerouting the vacuum
source, used on 1985 models only), a
vapor trap to catch fuel vapors that
could harm your booster, and a length of
vacuum hose (not shown) to connect the
booster to its vacuum source on top of
the intake manifold. |
A new aluminum vacuum block with the
vacuum pick up port was included, as
well. It replaces the crack-prone black
plastic block that the Regals came with
from the factory. |
Although it's not the most
cost-effective way to go, I also
requested one of Master Power's vacuum
pump kits (part No. AC2724K, $350) as a
backup to the manifold vacuum source. MP
only recommends this pump if your car
struggles to keep 18+ inches of vacuum,
or if you have a radical camshaft
installed. All healthy, stock-cammed TRs
should qualify, but my scarred psyche
wanted the peace of mind that vacuum
will always be there when I need it. The
pump will also come in handy if a bigger
cam is swapped in the future. |
Let's get this show on the road. First,
tech Mike Wade disconnected the battery
so the brake lights wouldn't stay on
during the swap. Then tech Jim Madison
headed into the cabin to remove the
under dash panel (two 7mm screws and a
10mm nut in the front) to access the
brake pedal assembly. |
After the brake pedal was pumped
repeatedly to depressurize the
Powermaster, Jim pulled the clip that
holds the pedal arm to the master arm
and slid the master arm to the left and
off the pedal arm pin. He then removed
the pivot bolt at the top of the brake
arm (11/16 nut and 5/8 bolt head) and
removed the pedal arm from the car. |
Madison grabbed a tape measure to
determine the new pin placement. A spot
1.5 inches lower than the original hole
was marked for the new hole. |
That spot was drilled out with a 7/16
bit, cleaned up, and checked with a new
pin, |
A press was used to install the pin into
its new location. |
While the pedal arm was being drilled,
Wade focused on removing the
Powermaster. |
To start things off, he unclipped the
two electrical connections on the motor
and the gray replacement pressure
switch. |
Next, he removed the brake lines with a
9/16 flare wrench with a rag under them
to prevent wayward brake fluid from
wreaking havoc on the engine bay. He
used two supplied plugs in the master
ports to prevent more drips. Mike then
removed the two bolts that hold the
master cylinder to the firewall with a
15mm deep universal socket and
extension. |
While paying attention to the speedo
cable (since it sits near the pressure
switch) our third Powermaster brake
system was unceremoniously yanked. With
it leaking onto a nearby bench, Wade
taped the two now-unused electrical
connections and tucked them out of the
way. |
Jim dove back under our dash to remove
the four nuts holding the booster mount
plate on the firewall. A 15mm universal
socket and extension did the deed, and
Wade convinced the plate to exit stage
left. |
The firewall was wiped down, then with
Jim working the interior and Mike in the
engine bay, the Master Power vacuum
master cylinder is installed. |
From the inside, there are four nuts
retaining the vacuum unit, one that
holds the brake pedal, and a cotter pin
and washer that connect the master
cylinder to the brake pedal arm. After
that, the two brake lines were
reattached. |
The Turbo T/A-style throttle body vacuum
block is the primary vacuum source. You
may need to cut the five rubber hoses
connecting this block to the metal
tubes; now is a good time to change
them, anyway. Unscrew the two bolts
holding the factory block and remove it,
place the new aluminum block into place
over the factory gasket, and tighten
down with the supplied bolts. The
included length of hose slips over the
vacuum pick up port to connect with the
booster. |
A location on the driver-side inner
fender was selected to mount the Master
Power vacuum pump. Mike centered the
unit, then marked three locations to
drill. With the holes drilled, he
test-fit the pump. Satisfied, it was
bolted down with the supplied rubber
mounts. The red wire from the pump was
connected to one terminal of the pump's
on/off switch, a power wire fused into
the fusebox was connected onto the other
side of the terminal, and a nearby bolt
was used as a grounding point. |
Here is how Dynotech set my system up:
the primary vacuum line goes from the
throttle body to a vapor trap, then
connects to the booster. The secondary
line starts on the other side of the
booster and connects to the adapter
fitting on the vacuum pump. |
The master cylinder was filled with DOT
3 brake fluid, then it and the brakes
were bled, starting with the wheel
furthest from the new brake unit. The
system still had a bit of residual air,
so another bleeding cycle was done to
eliminate the hard pedal. A trip around
the block revealed the new system's
characteristics: the vacuum system's
pedal is a little touchier than the
Powermaster's, which took some getting
used to. But overall the brakes grabbed
harder than they ever had before, and
the vacuum pump stayed off unless the
brakes were applied. Even then, at
speeds above 50 miles an hour the pump
is barely audible. The question was:
would this new system perform any
better? |
Back at E-Town, a 100-mile-an-hour brake
lockup that nearly sent me sliding into
the wall answered that question. I'd
never felt this kind of braking power in
the T, even with a brand-new
Powermaster. That meant that actual
brainpower was needed to intelligently
modulate the pedal during hard stops to
prevent flatspots, and it took me a
couple of tries before nailing my best
run. I started my third run at the tree
and held 100 mph until just after the
end of the quarter. The pedal was
progressively applied until I was
sitting in a cloud of brake smoke. For
you Turbo Regal owners out there
confused by the forward rake in this
photo, that is actual deceleration
taking place. |
The Stalker radar gun's numbers were
impressive: 100-0 was a mere 421 feet,
80-0 was 261 feet, and 60-0 was a
not-too-shabby 150 feet. That's a
103-foot improvement from 100, a 58-foot
improvement from 80, and a 29-foot
improvement from 60. Of course, critics
may point out that our Powermaster
wasn't in tip-top shape for an accurate
comparison. To that I say: that's
exactly the point--who's Powermaster is
these days? Regardless, for a car with
so much power, it's nice to know that
this new brake system will be there
whenever I need it. |
