Electric Vacuum Pump Kit - Black Bandit Series

Comments:
I have a fully restored 1971 Z28 Camaro, that does not make sufficient vacuum to operate the brake booster. I would stomp on the brakes and couldn't get the brakes to lock. Just driving in normal traffic, the pedal was never good and sometimes would give me that hard pedal feel, like you've just lost your brakes. I installed a vacuum can last year but it didn't really help. I purchased the Black Bandit pump last week and installed it the day it arrived. Installation was straight forward with all the necessary hardware included in the kit. The pump housing is big and heavy so if you want something inconspicuous this might not be what you are looking for. With the installation complete, I turned the ignition to the on position. I wanted to hear the pump without the engine running, and I could. It's not loud but is audible. Once I started the car and pumped the brakes a few times to activate the pump again, I couldn't hear it at all. I took the car for a road test and at 20 MPH slammed the brakes. They locked! For the first time, I was able to lock the brakes. It feels great knowing that you can stop the car when you really have to.
Thanks.

Comments:
I just completed the installation of the "Black Bandit' power brake vacuum pump on my hot rod last week. It works great. Over the winter I had changed from an 11" brake booster to a 9" booster for valve cover clearance and also put a more radical cam in the engine. The first drive of the car after those upgrades had the brake pedal being very stiff with seemingly no boost for the brakes. My 'Line Loc' would not hold the front brakes. After installing the "Black Bandit" on my car, the brakes work great and the 'Line Loc' holds the front brakes like they're suppose to. I like how quick the pump builds vacuum and how quiet it is. My next hot rod will have one of your pumps on it as well.

Comments:
 In 2020, I rebuilt the engine in my 1974 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to include a high-lift camshaft which helped it produce ~400 horsepower. Unfortunately, a cam like that doesn't produce much vacuum at idle which is a problem when driving in heavy stop-and-go traffic. In other words, the engine couldn't produce sufficient vacuum for the power brake booster when run in those conditions. Furthermore, my car has vacuum actuated servos to direct air flow in the HVAC system and the cruise control servo is also vacuum actuated. I should mention that this car is still my daily driver. I looked into various solutions to address this problem and ultimately put together what worked best for my application – a high-performance personal luxury daily driver.
 My solution was to install a LEED Bandit vacuum pump with an auxiliary vacuum storage canister. I chose the LEED unit because it's quiet, powerful and self-contained. The all-in-one design made installation easy and tidy. The instructions were straight forward and easy to follow. For my application, I drilled and tapped the mounting bracket to accept the bolts for the fuel vapor carbon canister then installed the pump in the space created when I deleted the carbon canister. The pump draws a lot of current so I wired it to a dedicated power relay. I mounted the auxiliary vacuum canister with gauge on the wheel well between the pump and the brake booster. I plumbed the vacuum line from the pump to the canister and from there, via a T fitting, one line goes to the cruise control unit and one goes to a 4-way manifold; one is pump/canister vacuum, one is engine vacuum via a one-way check valve, one is brake booster, one is HVAC. I wish I could post photos to illustrate my installation.
 I've been running this for ten-months and have been delighted with the results. All the HVAC servos operate without hesitation, the cruise control works better than it has at anytime in the 40-years I've owned this car, and, it should go without saying, the power brake booster never suffers from a lack of vacuum. I no longer have to sacrifice some creature comforts or safety in favor of horsepower; I get to enjoy the best of both worlds. I go to a coffee and donuts morning cruise on Saturdays and owners of some of the other cars at the cruise have asked me about my setup whereupon I give my endorsement of the LEED pump.
 M.V., Feb. 28, 2024