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Old 01-16-2006, 02:35 PM
Blown353 Blown353 is offline
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Yes, the turbo Buick's used electric-assist "Powermaster" systems. They were prone to accumulator bowl and switch failures, and received several parts-upgrades from GM over the years, but they never got quite sorted out. When they used the turbo Buick powerplant in the '89 Turbo Trans Am they went back to a standard vacuum booster for reliability reasons. Many Turbo Buick owners dump the Powermaster for either vacuum boosters or a hydroboost just to get the powermaster out from under the hood.

This new unit may prove to be a reliable good performing piece, but I just haven't seen any "real world" stories or abuse-reports about them yet-- and it's a good amount of money (and a very important safety item) to take a chance on. Luckily if it fails all you do is revert to manual brakes.

How bad is your pedal travel now? You could always switch to a slightly smaller bore master cylinder, which would reduce the leg effort required at the expense of a longer pedal throw.

Troy
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1969 Chevelle
Old setup: Procharged/intercooled/EFI 353 SBC, TKO, ATS/SPC/Global West suspension, C6 brakes & hydroboost.
In progress: LS2, 3.0 Whipple, T56 Magnum, torque arm & watts link, Wilwood Aero6/4 brakes, Mk60 ABS, Vaporworx, floater 9" rear, etc.
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