power brake troubles

hope someone can help. i am/was in the process of converting my slant six dart to power brakes. all was going well, untill i started the car

first thing i noticed, was the still rock hard pedal.

second thing i noticed, pedal did not return to "at rest" position---it stayed pretty much down, thus causing the brakes to drag. if you put your foot behind the pedal and pull up, the brakes release. needless to say the manifold vacum is definetaly pulling hard on the diaphram of the booster.


i dont happen to have my service manual nearby---actually, im not sure where i put it. i did find an 85 diplomat service manual, and best i can tell from that, the booster is no good as one of the tests says i should see no more than 12" of vacum at the check valve, i have 14-15" of vacum.

also, when you start the car, it pulls the pedal about 1/3-1/2 way down instantly. notsure why it does this either.

any ideas here? im at a loss. these boosters are supposed to be simple right? just a giant vacum cannister.

--chad