NEW power brake booster?

[L05edSS]

been looking for a NEW power brake booster, amazon & summit seem to only offer rebuilds..... is this as good as it gets? i got a 86 ss that i prolly dumped over 20k in in last 4 yrs, anyway a area neglected is the above wheel brake system. while it all still works, its all still 39/40 yr old plastics & rubber seals & of 73k miles... already decided gonna risk that over 20k, limb & life with a new ac delco master cylinder after testimony from those here and vids on the outside such as below but this a post about where can get a new booster not rebuilds.

 

[69hurstolds]

Don't know of any off-hand. Nothing wrong with a rebuilt unit if they know what they're doing. The quality parts and rebuilder themselves is the main thing. Which tends to be the big question mark. Even if you find an NOS one, you still have old seals and rubber bits, and while it may be better than what you got, it's not a slam dunk of being perfect, either.

The big issue is that support for the G-body cars, just isn't the same as the earlier classics as far as producing NEW parts that can be serviced as a rebuilt unit. Sales drive innovation, so business models evaluate the need for stuff like this. Unfortunately, investing in building new boosters for G-bodies isn't a priority. Old car parts aren't like the field of dreams, if you build it, you have no idea how many will come. So it's risky.

 

[Ribbedroof]

More Information for SKP SK5471243

 

[69hurstolds]

More Information for SKP SK5471243

Well, there you go. Can't vouch for quality, as ~$75 seems a tad low from my experiences, but then again, higher cost doesn't always coincide with higher quality, either.

 

[Ribbedroof]

Well, there you go. Can't vouch for quality, as ~$75 seems a tad low from my experiences, but then again, higher cost doesn't always coincide with higher quality, either.

Have one of theirs on my coupe, works fine.

Typically, RA is about 40%-50% less than the local stores, part # for part#

 

[mikester]

Funny that this topics new.
I had brake issues with my 81 coupe. New Delco master that was correct for the year. I bought a new booster from a place called Pirate Jacks in NC. Its a brake parts vendor. Bought a 9" booster. Was told it fits a G body.
For some reason the brakes didnt work right. I could stand on the pedal and the car wouldnt stop. I know theres a vacuum issue due to the cam Im running but Im at the point that I decided to start fresh a few months ago. I contacted one of the members of this site that left a few years ago. His advice was to get a master and booster that were both matching from the same year car. I bought a new Delco master and a Cardone booster for an 86 Monte from Rockauto. Of course those part numbers fit all G bodies from that year. Master and booster from an 81 are different part numbers.

I spoke to the techs at Cardone about the difference in boosters and the guy said it was the length of the rods since the master is different. He gave me the specs from both. Then I called Pirate Jacks and asked their guy what the specs are for their 9" booster. He went on to tell me that theyve had multiple sources for their booster and they constantly change. Each one might have a different length rod. THIS IS ON THE SAME PART NUMBER !!!! My question for the guy was if the lengths are different for the same part how do they know it will work correctly ? Crickets. Needless to say I wouldnt buy anything from them again.
So, I get the parts from RA and as Im cleaning the booster for paint I see theres a round patch brazed onto the front. Woundnt be a big deal but the braze didnt go all the way around. I called Cardone and was told to send it back which I did. Second booster came in a few days. They actually ship from a place less than 45 minutes from me. As I was cleaning that one with a bit of thinner and a rag I found the housing was cracked on the back at two studs. Cracks were about 3/8" long. Again, I called Cardone. Tech says send that one back too and instead of buying from RA again get it from a local parts place. This way I wouldnt have to wait for shipping. Made perfect sense. I went to the local NAPA. They had it the next morning. At least $50 more but it had no issues. I just had to get the crappy paint off which took a half hour. Epoxy primed and sprayed Hot Rod Black. Its on the car already.
My advice to you, buy one locally and look it over really close. Look for obvious flaws and cracks in the housing on the back where the studs are. Cardone has had good parts over the years but the two techs I spoke to both said they have new QA issues. Im sure the stuff isnt rebuilt in the US.

 

[mikester]

BTW, the booster from NAPA was rebuilt by Cardone. RA boosters came with a spacer. The one from NAPA didnt. The RA boosters were bare. NAPA came painted with a crappy DTM black.

 

[L05edSS]

Funny that this topics new.
I had brake issues with my 81 coupe. New Delco master that was correct for the year. I bought a new booster from a place called Pirate Jacks in NC. Its a brake parts vendor. Bought a 9" booster. Was told it fits a G body.
For some reason the brakes didnt work right. I could stand on the pedal and the car wouldnt stop. I know theres a vacuum issue due to the cam Im running but Im at the point that I decided to start fresh a few months ago. I contacted one of the members of this site that left a few years ago. His advice was to get a master and booster that were both matching from the same year car. I bought a new Delco master and a Cardone booster for an 86 Monte from Rockauto. Of course those part numbers fit all G bodies from that year. Master and booster from an 81 are different part numbers.

I spoke to the techs at Cardone about the difference in boosters and the guy said it was the length of the rods since the master is different. He gave me the specs from both. Then I called Pirate Jacks and asked their guy what the specs are for their 9" booster. He went on to tell me that theyve had multiple sources for their booster and they constantly change. Each one might have a different length rod. THIS IS ON THE SAME PART NUMBER !!!! My question for the guy was if the lengths are different for the same part how do they know it will work correctly ? Crickets. Needless to say I wouldnt buy anything from them again.
So, I get the parts from RA and as Im cleaning the booster for paint I see theres a round patch brazed onto the front. Woundnt be a big deal but the braze didnt go all the way around. I called Cardone and was told to send it back which I did. Second booster came in a few days. They actually ship from a place less than 45 minutes from me. As I was cleaning that one with a bit of thinner and a rag I found the housing was cracked on the back at two studs. Cracks were about 3/8" long. Again, I called Cardone. Tech says send that one back too and instead of buying from RA again get it from a local parts place. This way I wouldnt have to wait for shipping. Made perfect sense. I went to the local NAPA. They had it the next morning. At least $50 more but it had no issues. I just had to get the crappy paint off which took a half hour. Epoxy primed and sprayed Hot Rod Black. Its on the car already.
My advice to you, buy one locally and look it over really close. Look for obvious flaws and cracks in the housing on the back where the studs are. Cardone has had good parts over the years but the two techs I spoke to both said they have new QA issues. Im sure the stuff isnt rebuilt in the US.

thanks i might go napa with all that said.

 

[L05edSS]

Don't know of any off-hand. Nothing wrong with a rebuilt unit if they know what they're doing. The quality parts and rebuilder themselves is the main thing. Which tends to be the big question mark. Even if you find an NOS one, you still have old seals and rubber bits, and while it may be better than what you got, it's not a slam dunk of being perfect, either.

The big issue is that support for the G-body cars, just isn't the same as the earlier classics as far as producing NEW parts that can be serviced as a rebuilt unit. Sales drive innovation, so business models evaluate the need for stuff like this. Unfortunately, investing in building new boosters for G-bodies isn't a priority. Old car parts aren't like the field of dreams, if you build it, you have no idea how many will come. So it's risky.

pretty much my thoughts, anything NOS i don't bother with cuz i think of it like trying to find a bigfoot.

 

[69hurstolds]

pretty much my thoughts, anything NOS i don't bother with cuz i think of it like trying to find a bigfoot.

It also depends on what you need. Monte Carlo for some reason could have either a single diaphragm or dual diaphragm booster. I've done no research as to what triggered which RPO. Check the SPID for JM5 (dual) or JM7 (single).

Well, if you DO happen run across an NOS one and you have JM5 dual diaphragm, the p/n's you'd be looking for would be:

18010065- original equipment number until mid-1983
18010120- original equipment for the rest of the G-body run
18060040
19208172

Last ones were made about 25 years ago, so there's that. For Oldsmobiles I know, up through 1984, they were gold cad plated, then, best I can tell, starting in 1985, they were painted black and all used the above numbers. Generally speaking. I've not seen every 1984 Cutlass ever made, so I don't know for sure exactly when they swapped over to painting vs plating. They did a lot of running changes back then.

For the single diaphragm (JM7), look for these numbers, from oldest to newest:

18005853- original equipment number for all production
18010113
18015333
18060109- Discontinued nearly 30 years ago.

TBH, I don't know why you couldn't use either/or with the boosters as long as everything hooked up properly. They used the same master cylinder. Did it have something to do with physical clearances? I dunno.