Leed Brakes kit - brake booster

M

MajorPayne

New Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2015
Messages
25
Reaction score
7
Location
Ilmenau / Thuringia/ Germany
Hello Guys!

I'm currently in process of installing a disc brake conversation kit from leed brakes company.

But the delivered brake booster is completely different to the elder one from my drum brakes.

Schaut euch mal dieses Bild an!]
tbvbq49p.jpg
[/URL]

As you can see on photo on firewall side there is installed a kind of deflection which shifted booster massively upwards. So brakes lines doesn't fit anymore and there would be much less space between valve covers and booster.

Could you please explain the sense/purpose of this deflection?
Is it really necessary to use it?

The problem is, that after removing deflection the length of pushrod is completely different to the elder one of my drum brake booster.


Schaut euch mal dieses Bild an!
8qaveida.jpg
[/URL]

Schaut euch mal dieses Bild an!]
xzl9lz2g.jpg
[/URL]

Is that problematic? Would that change the pedal travel? The pushrod of the new booster is also not really movable by hand...

Thank you all very much in advance for your help!

Best regards
Marcus
 
Last edited:
I had the same problem with this on my 65 polara. I ended up directly mounting it to the firewall like the original. I did need to drill holes to accommodate this. I shortened the pushrod, it was just threaded rod, to match the original length. I can get you some pics perhaps if helpful.
 
That is a B-Body Booster, Leeds and other claim it fits a C-Body but it does not fit without removing the brackets and modifing the actuator rod.. Brackets supplied with this unit are for B/E Body because the firewall configuration is different than a C-Body It is also a universal fit ChiCom knock off, so the quality is suspect.

Dave
 
Last edited:
By the way, they told me I ordered the wrong kit and that’s why that mounting bracket doesn’t fit, so they sent me another that was “closer” to fitting straight on, but still pushed the booster out a few inches toward the front of the car. They said I should have gotten a “power” brakes vs a manual brakes kit which doesn’t make any sense to me but they sent me a different bracket. I ordered through PST by the way. Anyhow, call their support and explain what you are seeing. I didn’t like how the replacement adapter fit either, so I just modified it to fit like stock did. At the end of the day the brakes work well, although I went to 15” wheels too as the caliper rubbed the stock 14” wheels.
 
Agree with Jbooth35 and Davea Lux. I purchased for my 66 Fury, and got the same kit. It will fit if you drill new holes and modify the actuator rod.

I sent it back because I didn't want to drill holes in my firewall. There are no other "not stock" holes in the firewall and I didn't want to start now. LEED refunded my money.

I did however keep the 2 new brake lines, and distribution block, that I got from Inline Tube to go with a double reservoir MC. I'm hopeful in a couple years LEED or Wildwood will make an actual MC/Booster conversion for our C bodies. Until then, the power drum brakes stop well enough.
 
Hey guys, thank you all for your helpful response!
But maybe you can explain me how i have to modifie the pushrod?
Problem is to send it back from Germany is more difficult and i have already assembled the kit at axles!
So i would keep it, drilling the holes is not a problem.

Best regards
Marcus
 
MajorPayne said:
Hey guys, thank you all for your helpful response!
But maybe you can explain me how i have to modifie the pushrod?
Problem is to send it back from Germany is more difficult and i have already assembled the kit at axles!
So i would keep it, drilling the holes is not a problem.

Best regards
Marcus
Click to expand...
The push rod will need to be made shorter to mate with the pedal assembly. You can cut a section out and re-weld it back together. This will void the warranty. If you go that route, be absolutely certain to use a certified welding shop that knows what they are doing. The last thing you want is to have the welded part break on a hard stop. I personally refuse to do this type of modification for safety and liability reasons.

Dave
 
MajorPayne said:
Okay, i'll open the booster today.
Would it be maybe possible to use old rod of drum-brakes booster in this new one to prevent welding?
Click to expand...
Probably not. The replacement booster is a metric design that will probably have a different sized rod. Second thing is that if you open up the new booster, the warranty is void.

Dave
 
Sorry, late to the conversation. When they sent me the correct firewall adaptor, they also sent me a replacement threaded rod which I used. I didn't have to weld anything, just shorten the rod to match the total length of the original.
 
The correct booster was probably a Bendix Dual diaphragm unit. The one you installed is a universal fit unit. If you are going for a stock looking installation, you would need to find a Bendix booster. Leeds an others do not have that booster which is why they ship a universal fit item. Bendix boosters are getting hard to find, and I suspect that they are non-existant in Europe.

Dave
 
You might remove the rubber boot to see how the pushrod is attached. On the Bendix disc booster the unit must be disassembled to remove but it might not be the case with the Leed. If removable then you could extend it or cut off your original pushrod & graft to the new to the exact length needed. If Leed has some sort of threaded pushrod with the right length that would be the way to go but might take some time to get the right parts. I'm sure the difference between the manual & power kits from Leed is to make up for the travel difference in the pedal arrangement of the cars; manual drums had much more pedal travel than power. One thing for sure is that the Bendix booster for 1968 & earlier does not interchange with later C's due to differing pushrod lengths & end shape. They changed the end shape to directly activate the brake light switch.

Your original pushrod length: 11.2cm=4.4 in
Leed pushrod length: 8cm=3.15in

xzl9lz2g.jpg

8qaveida.jpg

3c.jpg
 
PH27L7 said:
You might remove the rubber boot to see how the pushrod is attached. On the Bendix disc booster the unit must be disassembled to remove but it might not be the case with the Leed. If removable then you could extend it or cut off your original pushrod & graft to the new to the exact length needed. If Leed has some sort of threaded pushrod with the right length that would be the way to go but might take some time to get the right parts. I'm sure the difference between the manual & power kits from Leed is to make up for the travel difference in the pedal arrangement of the cars; manual drums had much more pedal travel than power. One thing for sure is that the Bendix booster for 1968 & earlier does not interchange with later C's due to differing pushrod lengths & end shape. They changed the end shape to directly activate the brake light switch.

Your original pushrod length: 11.2cm=4.4 in
Leed pushrod length: 8cm=3.15in

xzl9lz2g.jpg

8qaveida.jpg

View attachment 514096
Click to expand...
Excellent information! You mentioned that the later C-body booster has a longer brake pedal pushrod. To add to that, it is 1/2" longer than the 1965-68 pushrod.

I was running a 1973 large single diaphragm booster for awhile. I made a spacer from 1/4" aluminum plate to move it away from the firewall, to reduce how much it moved the brake pedal forwards. Then I was able to find a dual-diahpragm booster, but still from a newer C-body. It needed overhaul. While it was apart, the rebuilders cut 1/2" out of the rod and welded it back together for me.
 
MajorPayne said:
Hello Guys!

I'm currently in process of installing a disc brake conversation kit from leed brakes company.

But the delivered brake booster is completely different to the elder one from my drum brakes.

Schaut euch mal dieses Bild an!]View attachment 510098[/URL]

As you can see on photo on firewall side there is installed a kind of deflection which shifted booster massively upwards. So brakes lines doesn't fit anymore and there would be much less space between valve covers and booster.

Could you please explain the sense/purpose of this deflection?
Is it really necessary to use it?

The problem is, that after removing deflection the length of pushrod is completely different to the elder one of my drum brake booster.


Schaut euch mal dieses Bild an!View attachment 510099[/URL]

Schaut euch mal dieses Bild an!]View attachment 510100[/URL]

Is that problematic? Would that change the pedal travel? The pushrod of the new booster is also not really movable by hand...

Thank you all very much in advance for your help!

Best regards
Marcus
Click to expand...
This is one of the poorest boosters of all time….introduced about 12 years ago…the co that use to provide these had over 50% failure rate.
1. When a co does not even want booster back….u know it’s poor. Only facts and no opinion
2.7 different rods for factory tandem bendix…1962 to 1970…all bendix rods are stamped…..dozens of videos on this topic
3 b and e body rod length 3.25 “ from rear of can to center of eyelet…dozens of videos on this
4 most all 90 % c body’s use 4.0 and 4.5
5. Dozens of videos of this topic…TRM INC
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

FWD Look Fan
Is this 1963 brake booster rebuild kit correct for my 300?
Replies
8
Views
1K
300George
300George
Norwegianmopar
Disc brake conversion kits
2 3
Replies
55
Views
9K
sstrubbe
sstrubbe
T
Asking for a little tech help understanding 1961 Chrysler power brakes.
Replies
13
Views
2K
Just Carbs
J
customsportsman
A Wrapup of Goodbye and Good Riddance
2
Replies
29
Views
4K
dodtorcito
D
Nellie Newport
‘61 Newport that is new to me- sorting her out and trying to identify some parts….
2 3
Replies
54
Views
5K
Nellie Newport
Nellie Newport
Back
Top