1959 Brake Booster

[Suainie]

I have a 59 Skyliner with the Kelsey Hayes underdash bellows style brake booster - B9AZ2005A.

Does anyone know if the 1958-1960 Thunderbird brake booster - B9SZ2005A will interchange?

Obviously there is some difference as it has a different part number but the 59 Ford booster is not available and the rebuilt Thunderbird booster is available.

Thanks for any information you can offer.

Harold

[Ford Only]

I think they are the same except for the mounting plate on the bottom where it bolts to the floor, you should just be able to swap them to get the right mounting plate.
There are places that will rebuild yours, you could check with the Thunderbird source.
Have you checked yours to see if it is really bad sometimes it just a matter of adjusting the pedal, it tells in the shop manual how to adjust.

[Suainie]

I think I have a slight leak in the bellows. This car was off the road for 12 years before I purchased it. I have been working on the brake system for the past two years. I have them that will stop on a dime for a couple times and then by the time you use the brakes 12 or 15 times you have no brakes at all. I have an inline vacuum gauge and all is okay there. When I had the booster off the last time I manually compressed the bellows while plugging the vacuum inlet and I could hear what sounded like a slight air leak.
Thanks for your input. I will check with one of the Thunderbird vendors. If it is a matter of changing the bracket that can be easily done. A rebuild kit for mine is available for $99 but the rebuilt unit for the Thunderbird is $215.

[1959retractable]

I purchased my brake booster rebuild kit from the Bird's Nest (A Thunderbird specialist company), but Mac's carries it as well. The rebuild kit works perfect for the 59 Skyliner as the only difference for T-birds is the bracket that attaches to the firewall. I rebuilt mine in one hour. This is the first time I had ever been inside this style of booster so one hour is pretty quick. They are simple and straightforward. Here is a link to step-by-step instructions walking you through building your own: https://ranchwagon.wordpress.com/tag/kelsey-hayes-brake-booster/