Advance doesn't have the item in-stock. Add it to your cart and then go to checkout and you'll be greeted with an out-of-stock message.
Best bet is still to do the mail-in remanufacture.

Thanks for chiming in pampadori. I downloaded the Cardone form that parts stores need to fill out. I'll take that with me and show during inquiry w store clerk/manager.

FYI,

Scroll down and your links state:

CARDONE Remanufactured Power Brake Boosters are re-engineered, built and tested to match O.E. performance. Original designs are scrutinized for potential improvement and, where applicable, design upgrades are implemented to produce a more durable part than the original. All units are 100% tested to ensure perfect fit and function.

Nice catch Mike! Thanks for posting/alerting RE: product details. Great to know it is still Cardone.

I also revisited the O'Reilly version (BrakeBest). In product detiails, there is same/similar language, but does not mention Cardone.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/brakebest-brakes/brakebest-brake-booster-remanufactured/obh3/535755/v/a/67/automotive-car-1983-porsche-911?q=cardone+53-5755

Ideally, I would like to just buy a remanufactured one, install, and confirm proper function. Then, return the core. But, will have to see what they store clerk/manager says.

UPDATE:

I visited one local O'Reilly's and one Advance Auto (a former PepBoys). Here's what I encountered...

AdvanceAuto:
I showed the clerk the fotos that LJ851 posted here on post #21, and showed him a Cardone R&R form for AdvanceAuto to complete.
Clerk said they don't do that anymore --- they used to do that, but no longer. He the directed me to explore two local parts shops that are not associated w Cardone.

OReilly's:
Clerk looked up the part #53-5755 on his POS terminal. Part # came up but indicated NOT AVAILABLE. Clerk said that if it was available then he would put in request to Corporate to get process going. But since it is not available, he's unable to even initiate a request.

At this point I don't know what to do. I posted on twitter and tag'd Cardone, OReilly, and AA accounts to inquire.

There is some remaining fluid --- brake fluid or water inside booster. How do I even try to test the booster to verify if it is usable or definitely need a rebuild?

Hello, I started this thread. I’m pretty handy and ended up taking mine apart. The rubber diaphragm was like new condition. Media blasted all the interior parts, painted and reassembled with new master cylinder. Works very well. If you do this, you have to do a good job marking the halves so you can get it back in the same orientation. Was well worth my time.

Thank you for starting this thread Mark. The discussions have been helpful to me. I am exploring the DYI method as well. Good to know that I need to keep the same orientation between the two halves of the shell case. Thanks for pointing that out. I consulted w Kurt from Klassik ATS on Youtube. he suggested something similar.

On the Cardone side --- I called Carquest. They are a parts dealer that primarily serve repair shops, and are owned by AdvanceAuto. The guy on the phone said they do take in boosters for R/R with Cardone. I haven't walked in to dicuss w them and validate yet, but that might be another route.

Visited Carquest today. They do take in brake booster and send out to vendor partner for R&R. I provided the Cardone part # 53-5755 and also my 83 SC info.

Clerk called me back a few hrs later with a quote and 3-day turn around w a local partner --- they didn't say who. Quote was over $100 more than what is listed on Oreilly and AdvanceAuto websites for the Cardone R&R service.

I asked clerk if Carquest can provide a quote for the Cardone service. They said Cardone is not taking in boosters for R&R anymore.

I will call the Cardone 800# tomorrow to ask them if that is true.

At this point, I am leaning towards just cleaning the outside of the my booster, and what I can on the inside as well, perhaps spray some brake cleaner in there to evaporate out any remaining fluids in there.

I had mine rebuilt here. Great service.

Dennis W Butts
Zim’s Autotechnik
1804 Reliance Pkwy
Bedford TX 76021
Ph local 817 267 4451
Ph toll free 1 800 356 2964
Email: Dennis@***********

Sorry that they told you that. I work for Advance Auto in a corporate role and the Cardone R&R process SOP is still up and active. I'm not sure why they would tell you they no longer offer it. It is outside of the normal "scan the barcode and take the payment" sort of transaction.
Feel free to message me if you want to explore the option further perhaps with another store location.

@Joesmallwood - thank you for sharing Dennis/Zim's info and your experience there. I checked out their website and saw they offer the rebuild service. This is a great option for me to consider further.

Thank you for looking at this and chiming in @pampadori. I will message you separately in addition to the post below.

The shop I visited is in the vicinity of Pasadena, CA. It was a Pep Boys parts + services shop for the longest time. Then, in the past ~ 2 years, parts shop converted to AdvanceAuto. Maybe because of this, the staff are not as familiar w AdvanceAuto SOP (system/standards of practice?).

I even showed the clerk the foto on post #21 of this thread (from LJ851) with the receipt and transaction/product codes. That's when he said something like 'yeah, that's how we used to do it, but no more...'

I called him and worked out a scenario where he had one on the shelf, he sent it to me, I shipped him mine after I removed for a refund/core deposit. Honestly, he/they were great to deal with and no issues on my installed booster.

Thanks @joessmallwood --- sounds like great service and easy transaction!

Looking for help/advice on this question post. If anyone on this thread remembers how the dust filter (the felt blob) fits into the booster, please chime in.

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/12302015-post1.html

Thanks!

I recall placing it just inside the housing. Nothing fancy that I recall.

I'm currently working through the booster rebuild issue. My '81 SC being the first and only air cooled car I've ever driven, I figured the high-effort brake pedal was normal (hadn't been flagged by several shops and my PPI). Like the 60's MG's and Jaguars of my youth. Anyway, turns out my booster isn't functional. When I disassembled, it had lots of nasty fluid inside from leaky master cylinder.

I seemingly exhausted all possibilities like Advance Auto. None of Cardone's listed authorized vendors actually appeared to sell the service for our cars anymore. The helpful AA store manager mentioned by LJ851 had moved away. So I gave up on that direction. I considered the DIY repair described by MarkWard. As he notes, some destruction of the casing is inevitable rendering it probably unacceptable as a core. So if I couldn't fix it, now I'd have to fork out for a new one.

So, my booster was shipped off last week after talking to Dennis at Zim's Autotechnik. The base charge is $470, not including shipping. Dennis was very pleasant, said expect 2-4 weeks turnaround. The rebuild sounds workman-like and comes with a warranty. I'll report back when I have the rebuilt unit installed.

Thank you MarkWard for chiming in with your recollection. Inside the housing does make more sense, from a visual standpoint. I will attempt to fit it into the barrel of the housing.

Cheers!

rwel - appreciate you sharing your experiences on this issue. Like you I also tried AA a few times to no avail.

I did contact Zim's in Dallas as well and got same info as you stated. Then, I decided to check with Kurt @ Klassik ATS (Automotive Technical School) on YouTube. He suggested cleaning and drying it. So that's the approach I'm taking. I did not split the housing, but the dust/air filter (the felt thing-y) popped out. There was some brake fluid in the booster housing, but not much. I'm now going to put it back together, along with a spank'n new ATE master cylinder, and then see how it goes. I will report back here. Look forward to your next update as well.

My brake booster came back from Zim's Autotechnik in just about 3 weeks, (Dennis at Zims said expect 2-4). This was not an exchange, but my original unit rebuilt and repainted gloss black. Zim's warranties parts for 1 year, but Dennis Butts said they had used the same rebuild service for years and had not had one returned. Zim's price was $470 plus $20 insured shipping. I reinstalled it with a new ATE master cylinder. The system is working properly now, based on a 45 minute test drive.

As previously posted, I had no luck finding a vendor for Cardone's service, despite many phone calls, and other options were more expensive than Zim's. I was reluctant to try the repair myself, because my master cylinder had leaked badly into the booster internals, and it was likely new internal parts would be needed and I could find no source for those.

In any case, I was happy to find Zim's and I'm very satisfied with the rebuilt booster. Dennis was very easy to work with. I took pictures, but basically the booster looks like I imagine it did new.