First off, if you have manual brakes you would know it. Manual brakes take a good amount of leg pressing energy to bring a vehicle to a stop… especially a sudden stop. With power brakes, a power booster helps assist the master cylinder apply force when you push down on the brake pedal.
Last month we wrote an article about drum brakes vs disc brakes and which is better for a classic car. It dawned on us that there is also a big misconception about manual vs power brakes. Many people believe that drum brakes are manual and disc brakes are power. The fact of the matter is that you can have manual or power brakes with either setup.
The difference between having power or manual brakes is if the master cylinder has a power brake booster installed. It has nothing to do with the equipment at the wheel. A power booster usually uses vacuum pressure from the engine to assist in applying brake pressure. There are also boosters that use a vacuum pump to accomplish the same thing. The result is better “pedal feel” and much easier braking. Some purists claim they like the “true” feel and feedback they get from manual brakes, but that is their opinion. To each their own… we prefer comfort.
There are many power booster brake kits available to convert your classic car or truck. It is a fairly easy installation for most vehicles. The one sound piece of advice we ca give when upgrading to a power brakes is to make sure you have a dual reservoir master cylinder. Cars built before 1970 commonly have single reservoir master cylinders meaning one reservoir works all four brakes. Imagine if that cylinder failed! You guessed it, no brakes! Dual reservoir master cylinders separate the braking duties. One controls the front brakes, the other controls the rear.
With safety and drivability in mind, we always suggest that the first upgrade all classic cars and trucks get is a power booster and dual master cylinder if it doesn’t already have them. Especially if you drive your classic regularly.