[MDPotter]

Also, the power steering/hydroboost plumbing odyssey has come to an end. I will put a lot of detail into this post for others to reference.

The hydroboost is off a 95 Astro. I took it apart to put in a new o-ring where the two cases come together since it is a common leak. The master cylinder and prop valve are off the Astro as well. The brake warning switch wire runs to a relay. My understanding is that this is a brake pressure differential switch. So if a leak occurs at the front or rear brakes, the cylinder inside the prop valve moves and the pin on the switch drops and grounds out. This ground is what triggers the relay and turns on the warning light on the dash. From looking at the Astro donor, the rear line goes to the front brakes and front line goes to the rear brakes. The brake line that runs from the master cylinder threaded right in, but I had to get a reducer bushing for the brake front lines. I threw out the old backing plate and made a new one and drilled holes to match up with the brake pedal bracket. In one of my previous posts I show how I matched up the push rods inside the cab.

The pressure lines is where I had the most trouble. I looked at 4 different hydroboost posts from different members and decided I didn't want to spend the money on custom braided lines so I went with mostly OEM lines. One post I had looked at showed pressure lines from a 2004 1500HD worked, but that post didn't include the inner fender which is the cause of most of the struggle as well as the fact that the high pressure and low pressure fittings are not the same size. The fact is, there is very little clearance between the top of the steering gearbox and the inner fender. So through several renditions of this setup, here is what I ended up with:

Hydroboost/master cylinder/prop valve: 95 Astro (rear drums, front disc)

Pressure line from pump to hydro: Sunsong 3401292. I had to make a minor bend to keep the line from touching the pump.

Pressure line from hydro to steering gear: Fitting/end out of hydro is Sunsong 3401299, fitting/end out of gear is Edelmann 71065. There is a guy at one of my local NAPA's that makes custom brake lines and hydraulic hoses. He took the ends I gave him (hard lines) and brazed fittings on them so he could crimp a piece of flexible hose to put the whole thing together. He gave me the hose with the ends attached (uncrimped) so I could mock it up to get the clocking right, then I took it back to him to crimp.

Low pressure return from gear: also custom from NAPA. I ordered a return line end fitting from Rock Auto, but the bend was not tight enough to work. So I had my guy make up a new one and I actually had to bend it a little tighter to fit.

Low pressure return from hydro: 3/8" trans oil line (3/8" barb on hydro and pump)

Pump: 2004 Escalade EXT 6.0 (with hydroboost, so came with 2 return barbs)

I probably have close to $100 into this hodge podge hose now. So if anyone wants to go this route, here is my info. Feel free to ask questions.