Not relishing the replacement job so I want a good fit without having to modify anything. Do the Tuff Stuff 2229N_ series fit the bill? Or are they too “universal”?
Wasn’t there a brand that came with the H-shaped rod length checker or did I just imagine that?

 

You have to buy that rod checker seperate. I have one and its a life saver. Yes that model is what tuff stuff specs for vettes. But the issue is the plunger rod on their booster versus the piston hole on the master you have and what adapter is needed.
I just bought the whole setup so i know its compatible and i pulled it apart to verify plunger depth and it was spot on.
If you buy the whole thing make sure its a disc/disc model.
Its this one for a 71
https://www.tuffstuffperformance.com...nc-2129nb.html

 

I personally have had very good luck with Tuff Stuff products. But I too would purchase the booster/master cylinder combo to be certain all parts mate up perfectly.
It's only your brakes. Nothing important.
After all, Brakes just slow you down!
All jokes aside.
I truly would buy the matched set. Maybe you don't feel you need a new master. But a good U.S.A. made setup is money well spent.

 

I too have the TS booster. No issues. The master cylinder rod adjustment on mine is done at the brake pedal clevis pin vice the rod adjuster at the front of the booster like the oem. It doesn't make any difference in brake performance where its adjustment. Good product and holds vacuum for weeks if let sitting.

 

Thanks for the feedback.
I don't want to replace the master as it was new last year and I had a hell of a time getting the system bled and working properly. I had to send it to a Vette specialty shop to get it right. The booster was working OK at that point but sometime over this past winter it gave up the ghost.

 

So with the adjustment on the pedal side, I don't need the rod length checker tool?

 

no the rod length checker is a must. You have to adjust that depth no matter what is going on inside the passenger compartment. There should be a spec included with the booster when it arrives. I believe its .020"

 

I didn't use a rod checker tool. I removed the old booster and measured from the tip of the mc rod back to the rear of the booster where the clevis pin connects. Then on the new booster, I set the adjusting nuts to get the same overall rod length as the old booster. Worked for me.

Note: The new booster has a different style mc rod i.e. you cannot use the adjustable oem rod.

 

You have to measure the gap from the rod to the piston and eliminate any gap

 

You can but why? The total rod length from brake pedal to tip of mc rod is fixed at xx inches. The replacement booster's total rod length is then adjusted to equal the original rod length of xx inches. Unless the mc adjustment rod was not set correctly to begin with, then it would be a good idea to check. I didn't because it was set correctly before I replaced the old booster. All fours lock up, too.

 

the booster at rest is "x" protruding into the master cylinder piston. Forcing it in from the pedal side is not adjusting it, its forcing the diaphram to be moved from where it is supposed to be with the pedal adjustment side. You either have to make a shim to take up the space or adjust it if its an adjustable style rod.

https://www.tuffstuffperformance.com...inder+Plug.pdf
https://www.tuffstuffperformance.com...Adjustment.pdf


https://techtalk.mpbrakes.com/how-to...43efed335596ab

 

I chickened out and bought a replacement from Zip. Was only 6 bucks more than the Tuff Stuff.
I take that back. Summit has free shipping so it was 26 bucks more than the Tuff Stuff.
oh well.

 

Bummer, I'm thinking the Tuff Stuff is a MUCH better unit.

 

I have the Tuff Stuff booster and master cylinder and they fit great and have had no problems for two years.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/tff-2129nb

 

My booster didn't come with that stuff so the adjustment was made at the brake pedal adjusting/lock nuts. Yes, thats how its done on mine. So no checker tool required. Maybe they changed the design and thats fine. No need to discuss any further if thats the case.

 

Probably.

 

The Zip booster is made by CSSB. It’s fine, no problems. Also, it comes with the adjustment tool, no additional charge.

 

Wanted to close the loop on this thread.
I haven't bought many things from the various Corvette stores, so this was a bit of an eye opener for me, but many of you likely already know what I'm about to say.
My choices from Zip were the "correct" booster or the "replacement" booster.
I thought "correct' was for the NCRS guys, i.e. it had the correct finish, correct stampings, what have you, the details that show guys want. I thought "replacement" still meant exact fit, just not NCRS details.
I was wrong. I had fitment issues. Overall, not box-it-up-and-send-it-back issues, but pain in the ***, nonetheless, with having to install & remove several times.

The "replacement" booster had the indented area for the master mount (existing did not), and came with two solid, non adjustable pins, short and shorter. I do not believe the existing booster was original to the car.
On the pedal side, the clevis was slightly shorter than the existing (with no way to adjust, mind you), and the accordion boot had a substantial flange at the booster mounting surface that was suspiciously missing on the existing.
Upon install, the boot flange and shorter clevis added up to the pedal being about 1/2-3/4" farther away from the brake light switch than before, and so probably 1/1/2"-2" less travel at the pedal. Not good.
Oh, and the new clevis pin provided was considerably sloppier in the hold than the existing. makes for an easier install, but poor pedal slop.
So, I ended up swapping on my old clevis & pin, with a small washer behind to try and gain as much length as possible. I also trimmed off the boot flange to gain some more length inside the car. With no adjustment on the clevis, I could see no other way.
I recovered about 3/8" or so of the length difference, which got me enough pedal height back to be satisfactory.
I have the master with the deep piston interface, so I gritted my teeth and installed the longer rod, even though by my measurement, it was .472" shorter than what came out.
To my surprise I had a good pedal with the engine off, and the pedal dropped substantially with the motor running, but I had a solid pedal about 1" or so from the floor. I was expecting it to bottom out with that much shorter rod.
Well, 1" from the floor wasn't good enough for me, so I recovered the adjustable rod from the old booster and had a friend turn down the outer diameter to match the new rod, and trimmed it to a length .472" more than the new rod, with the adjustment about centered.
Put it together, and checked the brakes weren't dragging, and I had a much better pedal, up another ~2" off the floor. I might go back and adjust the rod a little bit more to get the pedal even farther off the floor.

Anyway, that's what happened to me and how I fixed it.