I started my Hydratech install last night, and I ran into a problem...

First.... everything came out with no problems.. ect, I had to remove the master cylinder brake lines dur to they were a pain to "massage" with the mc attached. :rolleyes:
Second..... putting the new unit in was simple and straight forward... ect the clevis pin clip took me almost 1hr (and LOT"S of *!#% words) to get back on!! :cuss (being 6'3" and long arms doesn't help under the dash!)

Third.... I attached the mc to the boost unit, and it looked too high.. sure enough.. it hits the hood!! :cry Not by much.. but still I can't close the hood!

Anyone else have this issue?..... anyone have any thoughts?

HELLLLLPPPP!!! :confused:

 

Damn Yahoo photos..... anyone have a better free pic host site???

try again...



circled is where it hits the hood :eek:

 

I"m going to guess you need put two washers under the top two studs of the booster to the firewall, maybe just loosen it up and shove couple of alignment shims in there, untill the thing fits....my guess is about 1/8 inch should do it...

wonder about the shape of all those glass firewalls is the same that close from car to car....lord knows nothing else is....they all differant a goodly bit from one to another....

GENE

 

I'm going to try a new master cylinder first.... but then I'll try shimming it out. The only problem I have with shimming it is making sure I get it sealed up good...I'd hate to get all the heat and fumes from the engine compartment into the cockpit! :eek:

I sent an email to Paul about this.. and he said to 'relieve' the firewall thickness, or cut the hood to gain the clearence... Geezz.. you'd think that might be a caution to check before bolting this thing in! Ever try to get the clevis pin and clip back on?? What a bitch that was! :cuss NOT something I want to do multiple times!

Anyone know of a mini master cylinder that might work?

:skep:

 

How is it installed? Have you rotated the mounting plate so the booster sticks out horizontally instead of being tilted slightly up?

 

I'm not sure if it's possible to rotate this thing. Mine has a thick aluminum plate attached to the rear of the booster unit.... the only way I see to level it up is to shim it....

 

HUMM....I have never done one, but you might check that plate to see if it's beveled any, and if not, then just shim as I said, and use black RTV for sealing it, around the outside....dunno what else to say...

GENE

 

Thanks for the input Gene..... I hate to use rtv to 'fill the gap', but I will most likely use some to seal everything up... most likely I'll mill a piece of nylon, or similar material to wedge it. :nonod:

Deffinately not the simple 'bolt-in' unit I thought it was supposed to be. For the price I would have expected a better fit.

 

you have the plate on upside down (or is there some kind of custom plate that comes with it???). Take off the snap ring on the back, loosen the square nut and rotate the plate. If you don't want to do that, just turn the whole thing. the N2 reservoir will be on the other side and the lines may need some rerouting but it'll work just fine. The way you have it now it'll never fit. If you rotate it it'll point straight forward. Look for norval's pictures, he has his installed quite nicely. I don't think I have a pic of mine.


[Modified by Twin_Turbo, 9:37 AM 8/12/2003]

 

Nope.... it's impossible to mount this thing upside down. {see pic}



The thick aluminum plate only goes in one way.. it's attached to the boost unit, and the access hole through the firewall is at the top of the mount... it's idiot proof. I installed in according to their own instructions, and according to the instructions I've found from a couple of other sites. It seems it would have been better to angle mill the base plate so-as to shift the entire unit lower into the engine bay.

 

Mine too hit the hood. But in looking for exactly what was making contact I discovered the only thing hitting significantly was the front retaining bail wire. All I did to solve the problem was to just not attach the front wire over the master cylinder cap. The hood lightly touches the cap and is good enough to keep it sealed up and allow the hood to close. The problem isn't universal since everyone's 'Vette is somewhat of a custom factory built piece as to how the body panels fit. How the front clip is shimmed up (or down) on the frame horns affects how the hood sits on the aprons and what the clearance is to underhood items. So it's entirely likely that the master cylinder clears many cars and not others (yours and mine).

I too agree that it would have been nice to have a touch of camber built into the mounting plate.

If you want to fiddle with it, you don't need to remove the clevis. Just unscrew the pushrod that you used to set your pedal height.

 

what kind of adapter plate is that ?? It's straight.. WTF?? That way the booster will always hit the hood. The stock plate that originally came w/ it is angled to fit the tilt in the firewall.

I shot a couple of pics, you can clearly see the angle in the plate:





I guess junkyard tech rules :jester :jester





[Modified by Twin_Turbo, 11:08 AM 8/12/2003]

 

Yeah.. your right twin_turbo...... "if you want it done right... do it yourself!" I've always lived by this rule.. but since I'm new to vettes, I figured some of these vendors would save me some time and hassle, and have it figured out so I don't have to reinvent the wheel... so to speak. Guess not! :nonod:
Hell, all they would have had to do was angle cut the base plate a tad to give the down-angle (such as yours), so there is NO WAY it could hit the hood.. reguardless of how the body was hung... It's just cheap engineering. :rolleyes:
Oh well.. that's what I get... spend $500 for something I have to re-engineer.... when I could have spent 1/2 the $$ and have something that truely fits right!

 

Just return it, your not satisfied with their product and they should take it back or they should fix it. If not then its vendor bashin time:lol:

 

No Vendor Bashing needed here... We are willing to do what ever it takes to make it right. We state, in writing, that if you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, that we will gladly refund your entire purchase price upon receipt of the returned goods. That being said, we REALLY strive to provide the best possible products, and are actually very disappointed to hear that a less than positive experience has been had by one of our customers. (The infamous pedal rod clip and the required "dashboard diving"notwithstanding.)

We initially used a '75 manual brake C3 to develop the conversion system. We did note that hood clearance was tight, however clay checking it for clearance showed over a 1/2" of clearance in the tightest spots. We have sold over 75 of these systems since production has begun on this particular part number with no known issues manifesting. Atleast until now - the first feedback we received came from a customer running a '68 with an aftermarket hood, so we chalked it up to the aftermarket hood. The second feedback we have received recently was from another forum member that is also experiencing a hood clearance issue on his '68. Now this is potentially the third? One pattern that is developing is that the earlier the C3, the higher the chance for a hood clearance issue? The one common denominator has been that any similar feedback has been related to the first 2 years of C3 production. Hmmm - we ran into this issue on a '69 to find that the 'glass was laid WAY thick on the firewall towards the lower bolt hole mounting points, buzzed the 'glass a tad and all was well. Hmmm.... So you have to wonder, have any of these cars been hit or had major body surgery performed? Or is it the infamous C3 body production tolerances?

If this turns out to be a widespread problem, we may indeed have to redesign the mounting plate, making an updated replacement available for any prior customers. We most definitely stand behind our products, and are willing to accomodate them in any way possible. :flag

 

Thanks for your input Paul, and thanks for standing behind you product publicly after the sale. :thumbs:

 

My 72 has no clearance problems. I had manual brakes before this so I am using the thick alum. plate with no problems.

 

Just to clarify a few points...... My intent is not to "bash" Paul or his product.
:nono:

Paul has kept in contact with me, and has offered for me to send the unit back, to have a custom plate made to try and fix the clearence issues I've found. But at this time, since I have access to computerized CNC machines, and raw material of all sorts, it's easier and faster for me to simply mill a shim myself to re-angle the entire unit. Some of you don't have the access, or ability to do this, so it might be something you would want to check on your car BEFORE ordering the system. Paul has shown himself to be a stand-up guy, and has offered to fix the problem at hand.... so no bashing needed at this time.

I'll keep you guys posted of the install and how they work on my '69 BB! :flag

btw... I'll post pics of the shim, and any of you that have an angle issue, can duplicate it, or maybe I can whip up a batch for the forum members. :cheers:

 

Rat, between you and Norval there, you guys gotta know I HATE you both for having that machine shop capability I so deeply desire......some people really have it MADE!!!....all by their lonesome.... :D :D :D :thumbs: :thumbs: :hurray: :hurray: :lolg:

GENE

 

MrVette.... I guess I shouldn't mention about the computerized tube benders, sheet metal brake, mig/tig/flux welders, plasma cutter, and any raw material I need... from lexan, to nylon, to aluminum, steel, titanium, stainless.... :D

My dad owns a company who makes parts for the aviation business... plus we're really into pulling tractors, pulling trucks, drag cars... and of course my sprotbike craze. :steering: Our motto is EVERYTHING is beeter with more power!! :thumbs:

:cheers: