Lucky Build - Restored 1980 SA
 

I didn’t build it, just bought it this way, but wanted to document what I’ve learned about the car and what I’ll do to it in the future.

All I can say is that someone really loved this car...

Engine:

Dellorto side draft carbs
RB manifold
RB headers
RB exhaust
RB braided oil cooler lines
MSD ignition
Ultra ignition wires
Mallory fuel pump with in line filter
fuel pressure gauge
upgraded alternator
new hoses and wiring

Suspension:

ReSpeed front coilovers
ReSpeed rear adjustable perch and springs
Koni adjustable shocks
RB bushings
RB front tower brace
rear sway bar

Brakes/Wheels:

Rear disks
braided brake lines
OZ 13x6 mesh wheels
LSD rear

Body/Interior:

Xenon (?) air dam
FB trim
Tornado silver paint
new seals/gaskets on all windows and doors
Rotary Engineering center panel with 3 gauge cluster
FC seats
Nardi wheel
JDM fender mounted mirrors
HID headlamps
Hella 550 fog lamp

I am learning new things about the car everyday and will continue to share.
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I see a dual diaphragm brake booster in engine compartment pic. Likely matching master cylinder.
Can you take some closeup pics of that setup?
I’ve never seen that on any 1st gen.

I did that modification to a Ramcharger i’m restoring. Running larger wheels/tires,brakes left something to be desired. Upgrading discs/calipers/pads/braided lines in front,converting from drum to disc with same treatment to calipers/rotors/pads.

Braking much better,wanted to see if could add more power. Fitting a dual diaphragm booster from 1 ton truck made a worthwhile difference. Needed to fine tune front/rear brake bias as rear brakes now locked up easier than before. Once done,happy with brakesystem operation. Should make a noticeable difference while towing.

That mod to your car will give a big bump in braking power. Certain brakes work very well in that car.
Have you looked at brake calipers/rotors to see if they’re modified also?

You are correct,someone spent a lot of time on that car with a lot of attention to detail. Looks to be well sorted car,am sure it’s fun to drive.
Likely more things done to it you haven’t noticed yet that will be a pleasant surprise. Nice car!

Looks like a standard SA booster to me, with standard MC and front calipers on 13" wheels. Tidy car though, someone has certainly maintained it well.

Booster only modifies pedal feel, it has nothing to do with braking power.

Thanks for the info on brakes. People have mentioned the solid brakes on these cars, and they do work well.

Just another part...Holley fuel pressure regulator.

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nice! :icon_tup:

YMMV,on same type truck listed above,I fitted hydroboost from 1ton variant-kept same brakes on truck booster went into. Massive improvement. Larger wheels/tires and towing was reason for it. More than doubles line pressure from what single vacuum booster can apply. Easily lock up brakes with 35” tires.
1 ton dual diaphragm vacuum booster on 1/2 ton truck mentioned above with 32” tires makes a large improvement in brake assist and stopping distance,not as much as hydroboost system but worthwhile upgrade.

The brake booster modifies pedal feel, that's all it does. The ability to lock the wheels is determined by the quality of the rest of your brake hardware. In your stated example, the booster cannot "double line pressure", the pressure is determined by the master cylinder. The booster just assists you to reach maximum line pressure with less pedal pressure. Remove the booster entirely and you'll still be able to lock the brakes, you're just going to have to stomp on the pedal a lot harder. I don't mean to hijack this thread but this is a common misconception. In any case, the OP doesn't have a dual diaphragm booster anyway, so this is all pointless.

Yes,pointless. The hydroboost system referencedgives the amount of assist to easily double the amount of pressure brought to bear on master cylinder designed to work with it than could be developed without the assist.
It is not possible to mash the brake pedal hard enough,short of a gorilla to duplicate any where near stopping distance with hydroboost which develops 2000+lbs of hydraulic force to apply to brake hydraulics
Losing hydroboost from a failure is a scary situation in a truck so equipped,been there more than once.
Have repaired bent steering columns and distorted firewalls in trucks that had this failure and operator desperately trying to stop truck.