Brent B3B Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 Pulled the booster off “Buck” (my GA) cause the master cylinder and wheel cylinders are a mess of corrosion so, I wanted to see what shape the booster was in. The outside is rusty and a few bolts didn’t make it... but, the diaphragms look to be in good shape as well as the piston and seals has me wondering, what is involved in rebuilding these boosters? Not looking for a restoration, just operational. I cleaned the aluminum with steel wool, was gonna clean the steel and paint, make new gaskets, lube the seals etc. any tips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgeb4ya Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 (edited) I did one....cleaned honed it up....installed a small MoPar partial seal kit...all I could find...worked for about 3 years then a seal let loose and the engine suddenly seemed to have more PTO power dumping a load of dirt as the brake pedal dropped to the floor board. At least I had the e-brake to stop the backward roll of the truck soon to be gone over the bank forever? Kit Parts are now near impossible to find on ebay or elsewhere AFAIK. It's just my property truck so I by passed it....that was a real sad thing to have to do...with a working booster these big trucks have super stopping power! A few of the Mopar seal kit, and other important part numbers are...... The big bladder diaphragm..#1191142 Internal small diaphragm series 1,2,3 and early series 4 trucks... #1191166 Late series 4 trucks #1502558 Vacuum control section Repair kit #1241501 Cylinder repair kit #1242503 Edited March 5, 2020 by Dodgeb4ya 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent B3B Posted March 5, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 Thanks Rob, nice to have those numbers to keep an eye out for. In reading the parts diagram, what does “up-to-jobs” and “after jobs” mean? (Located at the bottom of the page) I am e-mailing back and forth with http://www.karpspb.com so far they indicate they can rebuild mine for $400. I’m gonna call that plan “B” I hoped they would sell me a kit but that isn’t the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgeb4ya Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 (edited) Means the part fits up to and or after the serial number posted in the special notes.. I didn't know anyone could rebuild these older midland boosters anymore. Edited March 5, 2020 by Dodgeb4ya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent B3B Posted March 5, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 9 hours ago, Dodgeb4ya said: I didn't know anyone could rebuild these older midland boosters anymore. yeah me either, although it has yet to be verified. one of my dilemmas with trying to do it myself vs. having it done is, I have called four other shops in four states (Midland themselves being one) and as you said, nobody rebuilds them. makes me skeptical and i'd hate to send it in, and have them tell me it can't be done after all and charge for shipping back. on the other hand I kinda feel like "taking one for the team" and being the guinea pig to see if it can be done (it's a little expensive for this rust bucket of a truck, as you've seen.... 400x's what I paid for it LOL) think i'll clean it up best I can whilst I have this internal struggle...… stay tuned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 you can DOOOOO eeet! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John-T-53 Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 (edited) Soak that sucker in a bucket of Evap-o-rust! Karp's Power Brake in Upland, CA might be able to help you out. They rebuild boosters and sleeve cylinders. Edited March 5, 2020 by John-T-53 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent B3B Posted March 5, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 5 minutes ago, John-T-53 said: Soak that sucker in a bucket of Evap-o-rust! Karp's Power Brake in Upland, CA might be able to help you out. They rebuild boosters and sleeve cylinders. I am afraid of the Evap-o-rust will leave me with nothing left, or at best a whiffle ball.... LOL yeah, Karp's is who my "plan B" is with..... I mention John-T-53 sent me, and the price went up!!! what the heck? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ194950 Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 (edited) A search for "Midland brake booster rebuilder services" came up with several but-Not cheap! If your attempt to do it yourself comes up less than you want? I took one of these aprt years ago and it did not seem too bed to do but rust may be excessive. But if you cannot repair rust maybe they can resleeve? Maybe if that is all that is needed just that part could be done for way less $$ ?? DJ Edited March 5, 2020 by DJ194950 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
52b3b Joe Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 Brent, Let us know what you find out!! I don't mind sitting to the sidelines on this one lol. I'll be in the same boat some point down the road on the COE. Honestly, the booster has been one of my biggest fears with getting my truck on the road when the time comes! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 Maybe I can bootleg some glass jars of you-know-what over the mountains to offset the stress of this learning expense 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John-T-53 Posted March 6, 2020 Report Share Posted March 6, 2020 6 hours ago, Brent B3B said: I am afraid of the Evap-o-rust will leave me with nothing left, or at best a whiffle ball.... LOL yeah, Karp's is who my "plan B" is with..... I mention John-T-53 sent me, and the price went up!!! what the heck? Nothing that a little JB weld can't fix! Maybe you could make a new chamber from a stainless dog bowl, bundt cake tin, or som'n..... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgeb4ya Posted March 6, 2020 Report Share Posted March 6, 2020 Glad I saved a few for cores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent B3B Posted March 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2020 On 3/5/2020 at 2:35 PM, DJ194950 said: .......But if you cannot repair rust maybe they can resleeve? Maybe if that is all that is needed just that part could be done for way less $$ ?? DJ thanks DJ, I think I’ve seen those pages in the past. Might time to check them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent B3B Posted March 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2020 Well, (sigh) with my head hung low, I am embarrassed to report I have failed you all ☹️ for this truck, I can’t bring myself to spend the $400- $600 (with tax and shipping) on just the booster..... it will also just be a property truck the good news is there are still companies that claim to rebuild them. This time around, I found three, that say they can, “Karp’s” (John mentioned), “Brake materials and parts” (DJ mentioned) and “white post” with the numbers Dodgeb4ya gave above, I was able to find a “minor” repair kit on e-bay that arrived today I bought two, cause I like big trucks ? picking up a compressor tomorrow so I can finish cleaning up the booster and get this thing off my bench and move on to another part of the truck. Thanks To all for the help on companies to call and the numbers to look for. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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