Astro Hydroboost - what parts do I need?

[Kansas Corey]

Found an AstroVan with hydroboost last weekend and started to unbolt and take the thing out, but got tired and quite until next weekend. My question is exactly what parts do I need to take. The MC with plastic resevoirs will obviously not be needed, but what about all of the hoses and lines. This is where I got confused. Any help you guys can provide would be appreciated.

Also, there were about 5 saginaw power steering pumps laying around (canned ham style). If I want to upgrade my existing pump, how do I make sure I am grabbing the right saginaw? Are there different types? Don't mind digging through the junk yard (actually kind of enjoy it) but it helps to know exactly what I am looking for. Pictures would help.

Thanks - Corey

P.S. Just as a point of interest, I was at a Pick 'N Pull yard when I found the above. I wanted to grab a few other things. My horn doesn't work so just grabbed the first one I found and then stumbled onto a variable speed wiper switch with the little black box relay. Between the wiper switch and horn they wanted $45. After picking my chin up from the ground, I politely told the guy that I would just put them back where I found them, walked around the corner and dumped them on the hood of the first truck I ran into. Outrageous prices IMO.......

 

[TOFIC]

An interesting story but you were right in telling them to keep it!!
All you need is the hydroboost unit. The hoses are nice but you are going to be doing some fitting anyway so dont bother with anything else. PM Madgyver for part numbers and hose lengths, he is the astro Hboost person.
AS to the saginaws, they are all virtually the same, different low pressure return locations and some are 3 bolt cans as opposed to 2 bolt cans but basically identical. get the newest one or the dual return one, awwww piss on it, get them both. Up here there a fiver each.

AS to the hboost, the most i have paid is 50 most of them cost me 20 and some were free. Just got one out of a 73 diesel C***y pickup for nothing with the master cylinder. This is the 2 bolt mount hboost setup so keep looking the good ones aren't expensive.

TOFIC

 

[76Broncofromhell]

Pick and Pull in south San Jose is the worst for prices. It's the most expensive I've seen. I think they wanted $60 for a h-boost and $45 for a used PS pump. A rebuilt pump is $50, where do they get off with their prices? Like hell I am paying that much.

For the pump it doesn't really matter which pump you run IMO. You can run a single return and not have any problem provided you put the "T" as close to the return possible. That's what I am running and it works awesome.

 

[Kansas Corey]

Thanks - I am going to swing by another yard this weekend and see if they will let me just rumage around for a while. Worst case scenario I will head back to Pick 'N Pull for the Astro Hydroboost.

From what I remember, the hydroboost is $18 (hoses are extra) and the saginaw powersteering pump is $24 (hoses are extra).

Not to worry though, I am sure I will be back with more questions in the future. Will PM Madgyver after I get the booster for the correct hose lengths.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Kansas Corey]

Okay, another question - been through lots of history in the forum, but wanted to double check my understanding:

Hydroboost is from Astro Van - straight mount, not the angled bracket - I currently have manual brakes with drum brakes all around

I am assuming that my master cylinder will not work with the hydroboost? If that is the case, what master cylinder should I buy? Is it the early 80's corvette? Is there something I can find at a scrape yard?

Will eventually be upgrading to disk brakes, but that is a future project, just want to stop before I get to the stop sign, not 5 feet past.......

 

[74 bronco]

hydroboost

An interesting story but you were right in telling them to keep it!!
All you need is the hydroboost unit. The hoses are nice but you are going to be doing some fitting anyway so dont bother with anything else. PM Madgyver for part numbers and hose lengths, he is the astro Hboost person.
AS to the saginaws, they are all virtually the same, different low pressure return locations and some are 3 bolt cans as opposed to 2 bolt cans but basically identical. get the newest one or the dual return one, awwww piss on it, get them both. Up here there a fiver each.

AS to the hboost, the most i have paid is 50 most of them cost me 20 and some were free. Just got one out of a 73 diesel C***y pickup for nothing with the master cylinder. This is the 2 bolt mount hboost setup so keep looking the good ones aren't expensive.

TOFIC

how you today, just wondering what other vehicles i can getthe hydorboost out of. finding the 73 diesel at the wreckers here is rare.

 

[Madgyver]

Found an AstroVan with hydroboost last weekend and started to unbolt and take the thing out, but got tired and quite until next weekend. My question is exactly what parts do I need to take. The MC with plastic resevoirs will obviously not be needed, but what about all of the hoses and lines. This is where I got confused. Any help you guys can provide would be appreciated.
Thanks - Corey

Grab all the hoses that comes with the unit. It will bolt up to most late model chevy saginaw pumps that has the metric fittings. You'll need a custom bracket for this to mount this pump on the Ford motor. All you need to do is rebend the tube ends and change the fitting with the existing Ford standard adaptor that you have on your rig on one end of the hose that goes to the Ford power steering box, reflare it and you're set.

 

[Kansas Corey]

Mad - thanks for the reply. Managed to grab the unit plus a saginaw pump with dual returns, but NO LINES or HOSES. I wasn't sure which ones to get and was at Pick 'N Pull (on Saturday) where the prices are outrageous so I just left them behind. Gonna have to figure out something, but will wait until I get the hydroboost and steering pump physically mounted before stressing about the hoses and lines.

..........................Any idea about my question above about the MC?..........................

I have the saginaw pump bracket sorted out, but really would like to try and get this thing knocked out this weekend. Dawned on me after I tore everything apart that without any steering or brakes, I can't move my Bronco and it is right in the middle or everything.

 

[76Broncofromhell]

I used the master for an 89 AWD Castro-Van and it works awesome. It is a 1.25 bore. The Corvette MC you are looking for is a 1.125 bore out of a 1978 Corvette. You can also use a 78 Cadillac El Dorado Master. I went the Astro MC route because of clearance issues with the hood.

 

[donks&broncs]

Now I am confused...

What's wrong with the MC that came from the astro? It looks identicle to what you have pictured.

 

[Kansas Corey]

Okay - I've got another simple (an probably somewhat stupid) question - how does everyone know the bores on all of these master cylinders? Is is something you can measure? If that is the case, I am running back to the junk yard, measuring, and grabbing one from there rather than the local Kragen auto parts.

So - safe to assume that my 1969 manual brake master cylinder won't work?

Sorry to go in circles, but I am trying to learn as I go......

 

[76Broncofromhell]

I worked at an auto parts store so I had the Raybestos book. You can also measure the piston diameter with dial calipers. Your Ford MC will not fit on a GM Hydroboost.

I would just buy a new MC. Don't mess around with the junk. The Corvette MC is a bit cheaper than the Astrovan Master. 1 1/4 is a bit big for anyone not running 4 wheel discs but you can try it. I like how the pedal response feels. It feels like a sports car in how quick you can stop the Bronco.

 

[Madgyver]

It's only $19. to $27. for a remaned 76-78 Corvette MC around here....

The Ford and Chevy units are not interchangeable unless you hog out the mounting holes....

Here is a pic of mines..

 

[Kansas Corey]

Thanks for all of the answers guys - sounds like it is off to the car parts store for the Corvette MC on Thursday night. As far as the 1 1/4 bore - the drum brakes are just temporary until I have time/money/motivation to track down the parts for disk brake upgrade. I am sure I can live with it until then.

 

[Kansas Corey]

Talk about kicking a dead horse. Sorry guys - I've searched the forums and know this has been talked about to death, but I am kind of hitting a dead end here and looking for a little guidance.

I now have the Astro Hydroboost unit mounted to the firewall and the Chevy (big pickup maybe mid-80s) saginaw pump with dual returns mounted with bracket. Heck, I have even managed to get a belt to fit since changing from the stock power steering pump to the saginaw.

Here is where I am struggling - I did not grab any of high or low pressure hoses from the Astro and the original ones I have are shot. So, trying to do things as cost effectively as possible (and really struggling with bubble flare/inverted flare/o-ring fittings/adaptors/and sizes terminology) I need a little nudge in the right direction.

How do I determine what I need to hook everything up. Okay the low pressure is dead simple. It is high pressure from saginaw to hydroboost and high pressure from hydroboost to steering box that have me confused. Can I just go to Kragen, buy some 3/8" hard line and tubing bender and be done?

From what I can put together I need:
5/8" connection for the Saginaw
11/16" connection for the Hydroboost (both in and out)
11/16" for the steering box

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated - don't make me pull out the digital camera and post pics so that you can help identify......Corey

 

[TOFIC]

Cory
Well you are almost there.
You have a Astro van hydroboost. this will have the bubble flare fittings on it. Talk to Macgyver for the fittings to buy or the hoses to get. He has these units figured right out.
I use the hard line method cleaner looking in my opinion and less expensive that the other methods. You are correct with the sizes in your posting but you have some adapting to do to make it all cook big time. The pump should be inverted flare (old style type connector, like what is on your Bronco now). The Hboost unit will be bubble flare (the new system like your daily driver, used since the late 80's to present), the steering box will be inverted flare the original connections. So you have to decide what way to adapt. Personally I would buy the adapters for the Hboost unit to change it to inverted flare fittings and use hard line.
Go with what you like
TOFIC

 

[Kansas Corey]

TOFIC - as usual, thanks for the reply, was hoping you could help me straighten this stuff out . The hard lines seem the easiest and least expensive to me so I will probably go that route. Sounds like the only thing I am really going to need then is 2 adapters for the hydroboost unit to hardlines (bubble flare to inverted flare) assuming I am understanding everything right.

Madgyver - look out, you will have a PM coming your way shortly.

 

[Madgyver]

Madgyver - look out, you will have a PM coming your way shortly.

Find a local hydraulic hose or brake shop. Ask for 1.6mm to AN adaptor and a 1.8mm to AN adaptor, These will let you run AN hoses out of the unit, You'll need one from the saginaw pump and the Ford steering box, These I'm not sure what sizes they are, sorry