Anyone every convert to manual brakes?
I have a project car and basically will be replacing the whole system. I was looking at a manual brake setup. Is it comfortable for street and even some road track driving?
Older car doesn’t have abs, just looking at some options.
Yes I know I need a master/caliper/proportioning valve al configured to be compatible.
That is different, aftermarket masters provide more pressures. It is not the same as a failed brake booster setup, that sounds horrible.
Is this setup designed for boosted engine applications, where a source of good vacuum is not available?
If your engine won’t deliver sufficient vacuum for a brake booster to work reliably then yeah, go this route. But ‘power brakes’ were developed many decades ago as a safety thing, and still provide that extra measure of safety today.
Manual brakes are lighter, simpler, no parasitic draw, and provide more feeling/feedback than assisted. Many dedicated race cars use them for this reason, even when they could easily use a boosted setup.
They are not a safety feature, in fact they are a giant safety liability technically as engine failure now equates to a level of brake failure (eventually). They are a convenience feature.
I like having a powerful brake pedal as it makes driving way easier, and helps with quickly reacting in traffic, but manual brakes can be just fine.
I have a 1970 Toyota corona with unassisted drum brakes all around that I daily’d for years and could easily lock the tires up. It was a chore, especially on hills in Seattle traffic, but totally doable. No steering or brake assist, I could turn it off and still have full inputs. Basically a soapbox car on downhills if I wanted.