One of the big problems that we have run into with any application where we want to run big Wheels on a truck with a low stance is the interference between the inside of the left front wheel and tire and the factory power brake booster. And it is true that not a lot of people think about their brakes when they're planning to install air ride on their truck. And while the problem gets worse the lower you go and the bigger your Wheels get, most people only think about this as a problem related to body-dropped trucks.
But when you�re trying to stuff 22-inch Wheels under the front of a Chevy S-10, you run into all sorts of stuff that ends up being in the way. A short list of some of the other items that get in the way include the firewall, bulkhead plug for the wiring harness, the blower motor, the air conditioning condenser and receiver dryer, the inner fenders, the ABS generator, the ECM, the parking brake assembly, the exhaust crossover pipe and even the tierods hit the under side of the frame rails. And the only part that has an easy bolt-on fix is replacing the bulky brake booster with a hydroboost unit from Hydratech.
So when we decided to run a set of 22-inch Wheels on our SEMA project S-10 we decided that one of the first phone calls we needed to make was to Paul over at Hydratech. We decided to go with one of their full show units that comes with a polished mounting pad, powdercoated body, a host of chrome-plated goodies and stainless steel braided pressure hoses. One of the big draws about this system is that it can be installed without even loosening the brake line and so there is no need to even bleed the brakes when you�re done. And the whole installation took about 2-hours and there was a marked improvement in the performance of our truck�s brake system after we installed the Hydratech system. So not only was it an easy cure for our clearance problem, it also made the truck safer by improving our truck�s brake performance. If you have any specific questions about any of the parts or procedures involved in installing a Hydratech kit on your truck, feel free to contact any of the companies listed in the source box.
Sources:
Devious Customs
DEPT. TEN
915 E Grevillea Ct.
Ontario, CA 91761
(909) 947-1800
Hydratech Braking Systems
DEPT. TEN
26642 Haverhill
Warren, MI 48091
(586) 531-2115
 |  Here's what the Hydratech kit looked like. It came with everything necessary for installation including hardware and fittings. |  It all starts easy enough, with a simple tug the vacuum line is removed from the motor and the booster and a vacuum plug is installed on the fitting on the engine. |
 Next, the two nuts that hold the master cylinder to the booster are removed. |  If you were just installing the Hydratech kit, all you would have to do here is slide the master cylinder forward and let the hard brake lines hold it in place. |  Now you can see exactly how big the factory vacuum booster is, this thing is huge! |
 Because the nuts that hold the booster to the firewall are way up under the steering column, Rusty started removing them with a small ratchet with a deep socket. But then he couldn’t get to one of the nuts… |  So he had to switch it up to a long extension with a swivel at the end to get the last bolt out. |  Then the pin that attaches the push rod of the booster to the brake pedal is removed. |
 Then with a tug, the booster comes free from the firewall. |  Here we set the old booster next to the Hydratech unit to show how much more compact the new unit is as well as to show that the master cylinder mounting points are exactly the same. |  From the firewall side, you can see how the mounts are the same, but again the Hydratech unit is much more compact. |
 And as easily as the factory booster slipped out of the mounting holes in the firewall, the new Hydratech unit slips in. |  Rusty then reinstalls the four mounting nuts that hold the Hydratech unit to the firewall. |  Then the pin that holds the brake pedal to the pushrod from the Hydratech unit is reinstalled. |
 Then the master cylinder is fitted up to the Hydratech unit. |  And the master cylinder is mounted using the provided hardware. |  The kit comes with all of the fittings, adapters and hoses needed for the installation. All of these stainless steel braided hoses are for the pressure side of the system. Now, the pressure line from the pump will go to the brake booster and then be fed down to the steering box. |
 With the master cylinder bolted into place, Rusty removes the pressure line from between the power steering pump and the steering box. |  Because the new stainless steel braded lines are equipped with A.N. fittings, the kit comes with an A.N. fitting adapter for the steering box. Here you can see how it is the same as the factory hose on one end and has an A.N. style fitting on the other side. |  And it simply screws into the steering box. |
 The pressure hose can then be screwed to the adapter that was installed in the steering box. |  Since it is pretty much impossible to get a camera in behind the power steering pump, this is how it installs. There is a small adapter fitting that slides into the back of the power steering pump and then the new hose screws in just like the factory unit. |  Because we’re not going to run inner fenders, the pressure lines had a pretty straight shot to the Hydratech unit, so our lines ended up being a little long. So Rusty wrapped them in tape and marked where they needed to be cut. |
 Then he used a cut-off wheel to cut the line right where he had marked it. |  Then he pulled off the tape. The reason he used the tape in the first place was to keep from fraying the stainless steel braided cover while it was being cut. |  Then the nut that will draw the fitting together is slipped down over the outside of the hose. |
 Then the ferrule is slipped in between the stainless steel sleeve and the plastic hose and then the male side of the fitting can be installed. |  Here you can see how it all fits together. It is really simple and looks awesome when it is all done. |  Rusty uses a set of line wrenches to make sure that the fittings are nice and tight to avoid leaks. |
 After the pressure lines are connected to the Hydratech unit, the hoses are routed cleanly and held in place with these trick line clamps that are supplied with the kit. |  The return hose is pretty simple to install compared to the pressure lines. |  Here, Rusty has slipped the hose over the return fitting on the Hydratech unit and is tightening the hose clamp. |
 Now this is pretty important, you have to cut the return line from the power steering gear box to the power steering pump and ensure that the return from the gear box has a straight shot into the pump still. That means that the return from the Hydratech unit has to be the line that comes into the “T” at a 90-degree angle. |  The return line from the Hydratech unit is then cut to length and installed on the brass “T” as well. |  All that is left to do to finish the job is refill the power steering pump reservoir and you’re ready to go test out your new hydraulic brake power booster. |
