Some dumb bastards in this fine hobby of ours make it a point to ignore their high-performance vehicle's mechanical warning signs. These are the ones who, instead of replacing a worn-out part, just make driving adjustments as said widget progresses from a minor concern into a serious health risk. I should know all about this, as I've been nursing a sick Powermaster brake unit (my third) in our project Turbo-T for six months.
Let's start this tale of woe at the beginning. Back in my college days in Lincoln, Nebraska, a sunny fall day on a stretch of Highway 6 was ruined when a Ford hit the brakes in front of me. Neither the 45-mph speed nor the three-car-length distance that I was traveling behind it would have mattered with a good brake system. One hard pedal and a demo-derby collision later, I had a busted-up bumper, a screaming mother and a crying baby to contend with. Thankfully everyone involved was fine, but that incident was forever marked the day I lost faith in the Powermaster.
Ah, but those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. I kept replacing brake switches, accumulator bulbs, and finally entire units, with each barely lasting three years apiece. And when the familiar red brake light lit on one of my many trips down the Garden State Parkway last year, Powermaster Remorse again set in. Because it's not only the poor stopping power that is such a pain, it's the ridiculous replacement prices. Starting at the top, you can expect to pay over $1,200 for one over a GM counter. Some Turbo Regal vendors still have brand new units in stock, which can be had for under $800. Several of the large chain auto-parts stores carry lifetime-warranty rebuilt Powermasters for a few hundred bucks, but the reliability of these boosters has repeatedly been called into question. And you can hit the junkyard and scrounge around for a cheapie, but even if you did find one, chances are it wouldn't last long.
And speaking of not lasting long, the Parkway is Highway 6 with about 10 times the traffic and twice the observed speed. And apparently, all of the random gunfire around the Newark area isn't enough excitement for our little import homies, who scream 10-deep single-file between wide-eyed commuters at triple-digit speeds. God help the little punk that sideswipes the Buford...but anyway, I finally decided that the T would be dead meat out here if I pushed my luck any longer--it was time to do my part for safe motoring. The Powermaster had failed me for the last time...enter the vacuum conversion.
This swap is not new--there are many Turbo Regal aficionados who have pirated the necessary boosters and brake pedals from donor cars to create a poor man's vacuum system. This is a great idea that's cheap and effective. But the parts needed for that swap are quickly dwindling, and no matter how you slice it, used parts are still used parts. Ninety-five percent of them will probably be fine. But what about the other five?
On that note, I rang Master Power Brakes in Mooresville, North Carolina. Master Power is great for two reasons: a polite and knowledgeable sales and technical staff, and a building chock-full of just about any kind of brake component you could ever want. After a few conversations with owner Rich Nossel, I ordered up the Power Booster Conversion for 1985-1987 Turbo Regals. This kit comes complete with everything needed to change over to a vacuum system, and it even retains your car's stock brake pedal--something that has to be changed with other vacuum conversions. When the parts showed up a few days later, the thought of brakes that actually worked had me chomping at the bit to get started. Follow along to check out the install and track test of this system.
The Details
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. |