rmsikorski66

Hi everyone, I have a 71 Cutlass Convertible. The car has drum brakes all the way around. I've owned the car for several months and have always had to push really hard on the brakes. The car stops fine, but you REALLY have to put your leg into it. My question/concern is regarding what I see under my hood. If you look at the pictures, you'll see I have a reservoir, but no booster. Is this normal? Or, did someone possible remove it previously? I fully admit brakes aren't my strong point when it comes to knowledge. So, I'm asking for help on this. Can I add a booster? Will it help so I don't have to lay into the brake pedal in order to stop the car...? Other thoughts?

Thanks!

joe_padavano

You have manual drum brakes, which was the base configuration in 1971. Power brakes were an extra cost option. Yes, you can convert to power brakes by adding a booster. On some cars the master cylinder will be different with power brakes, but on yours it is the same.

rmsikorski66

Thanks for the information Joe. I kind of had to laugh thinking back to whenever the car was bought and wondering how something like that was ok - even in 71, if power was available, it's funny that it was an option or an upgrade. Oh well...
So, If I want to improve my situation & upgrade this, all I have to do is buy the power unit which consists of a reservoir and booster. Correct?
Again, thanks, I'm not very "informed" on the brakes.

joe_padavano

Actually, all you need to buy is the booster. The reservoir/master cylinder is the same for both manual and power drums on your car. There should be enough slack in the lines out of the M/C to rebend them for the new location, so you don't even need to bleed the brakes. You do need to remove the pushrod and retainer from the backside of the M/C, and if it's the original M/C you might want to just replace it as a preventative maintenance item.

Note that there are two holes in the brake pedal arm where the pushrod attaches. The upper hole is for manual brakes, the lower for power.

rmsikorski66

The M/C has seen better days. If I put the booster in, I'll probably replace it. I snooped around online and it looks like I can get both for about 160 buxx. I've attached a pic to show you what I've found. Lokks about right - yes? From what you've said, it sounds pretty straight-forward to do.

joe_padavano

Actually, no. The M/C in the picture is for disk brakes. You need one for drum brakes. Both reservoirs will be the same size on a drum brake M/C.