Is a hydroboost swap worth it?

[Dutch Rutter]

Hey guys,

So I have an 86 C20 that originally came with a diesel. The diesel is long been replaced by a motor that I will be pulling before I sell the truck as a roller or maybe even part it. She also came with the HUGE radiator, which I haven't decided if I'll take out or not. However, it does in fact have the hydro boost for the brakes.

Would it be worth it to swap that onto my 83 K20 that currently has the Vacuum boost or should I leave well enough alone?

From what I've read the swap is pretty easy. Bring over the booster, power steering pump, the 4 associated hoses, and bolt everything right in.

 

[Half Assed]

The pedal assembly is slightly different, but yes I would do the swap. It is worth the hassle.


Have you not driven the C20? The difference in braking power is significant.

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

I think if you're gonna be towing or hauling some heavy stuff, it would be, but if you're doing light duty truck stuff with it, no. If it was a big ole K30 with a 454 or a diesel, I'd say go for it. If it was a C10 with a 350, I'd say no. It honestly depends on what you're doing with it in my mind. What kind of shape are your main brake components (rotors, pads, drums, shoes, cylinders, and calipers) and your fluid in? If you're not feeling so confident in how your brakes are doing, I'd suggest tackling these parts, and if your fluid is especially dirty or old, I'd bleed it out of there, and put in some new DOT 3. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, and exposure to even relative humidity conditions corrupts its ability to exert hydraulic force on your braking components over time. I'm sure you know all this, but still. And hey, if you have the stuff already, it may not even matter what you're doing with the truck.

 

[Camar068]

don't ditch that radiator if it's the same as the post below:

http://www.gmsquarebody.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15474&highlight=radiator+upgrade

 

[skysurfer]

Agree with what's been said already. If your current setup can make the tires skid to a stop then hydroboost might not make that much difference to you. My issue was brakes that couldn't get anywhere close to lockup after installing 35" tires. HB gave me 2.5 times the braking pressure over vacuum so the conversion was well worth it. You already have the parts so a lot of the work is done, and to repeat Half Assed, be sure to use the hb brake pedal if you do the swap.

 

[yevgenievich]

If you decide not to do it, I am inline to buy the hydroboost set up.

 

[Dutch Rutter]

I have driven the C20 but it has been several years ago. One thing that always stood out to me was the reliability of that system.

@ Camar0 That is the exact radiator which is in the 86. Its out right massive. I want to say its a 4 core however, its about a foot wider on each side then the normal gasoline rads I've seen. When I was driving the truck before it always kept the lil SBC cool to the point where my heater hardly worked. Could probably have been fixed with a different thermostat but never paid it much attention.

I do plan on keeping the K20 for a long time. It is basically going to be my on going project that I hope one day will end up with a weekend warrior/haul/DD resto-mod. Currently I don't haul very heavy loads (small trailer with 3 quads and camping gear) but that will probably change in the future which will also bring air bags and other changes to accommodate that need. Thinking about long term upgrades and such I should hang onto the radiator for when I get around to putting a newer larger motor in (diesel, LS, 8.1 haven't decided yet).

My brakes now currently work great. I only have 33s however like I said above long term that hopefully will change. I think I'll keep the Hydro system and swap it in. Figure since I have the parts I might as well keep the better setup and use it. Great note for the brake pedal BTW. I completely would have overlooked that.

Thanks for the help everyone! I'm glad I asked instead of getting rid of parts that I'd later wish I kept.

On a side note: I read somewhere that the vac boost gives about 1000 lbs of breaking force while the hydro gives 2400 lbs of force or so. That is a huge improvement IMHO.

I probably should also pull the TH400 out of it and sell it separately, or would that also be something to hang onto for the future improvements/replacement if my 700r4 goes?