Ok as promised in my previous thread heres the short writeup on my disc brake conversion.
Search Keywords:
Disc Brakes ; Disc Brake Conversion ; Rear Disc Brake Conversion ; Brake Conversion ; Toyota Rear Brakes ; Replacing rear drum brakes ; Drum Brake Alternatives ;
*It's very important to include the above as this helps people find threads of this nature.. The sole purpose of this thread is to HELP others learn from MY dumb mistakes and SMART decisions... and all the crap inbetween. =P
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First and foremost I'd like to DIRECT ALL YOU to
Elvota's Disc brake conversion writeup found here @ yotatech:
http://www.yotatech.com/f116/rear-disc-swap-107749/
His writeup covers all the important aspects of this conversion. You will find all the neccessary part #'s that I
won't repeat here! So READ IT!
Here are a few more links for information regarding this conversion:
http://www.mindspring.com/~jayk3/toyota/discs.htm
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...=281059&page=1
I'll only be detailing the CHANGES and DIFFERENCES I encountered in my disc brake conversion. If I didn't encounter obstacles different from Elvotas I wouldnt really have a purpose of writing this .. Repeating is unneccessary. =D
I used Sky Manufacturing's:
-Caliper Brackets
-Milled Chevy Rotors
-Rear Flex brake lines
$485 after shipping! (just for skys stuff, the other parts required cost more $... read on) ... headache cost saved $? $Infinite... It all came in one box. I didnt have to deal with a dumb a$$ at a machine shop or try and source brake lines from 10 different trucks ... but if you want save $ by ALL MEANS
READ Elvotas writeup. THERE ARE CHEAPER METHODS! ... I've found when i try to tackle saving $ I end up redoing my mistakes ... IE... this whole conversion is a result of REDOING DRUM BRAKES that only ended up the same condition as the brakes i replaced a year earlier...
mud, water, sand, grit DO NOT MIX WITH DRUM BRAKES!!!!!
Here is a glamour shot of all the neccessary parts needed for this conversion:
NOTE: I find it important to mention that Skys brake lines come tagged with a note stating they are NOT DOT approved brake lines. The Load proportioning valve from Summit racing is also NOT DOT approved. They are tagged "FOR OFFROAD USE ONLY". If you are concerned about laws in your area I'd reconsider this whole swap. In my case I don't give a rats butt about the rules in my area because my rig is not checked by any state official, ever. There are no emission checks or anything of that nature. In other words do this swap at YOUR OWN RISK. Dont say no one warned ya =)
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To remove the OEM backing plates which are SEPARATE from the bearing case on your rear axle you must:
A) remove them yourself by removing the wheel bearing and retainer (dont forget the C clip or retainer clip, whatever people call it)... Sliding the axle out removing the backing plate (punch out the 4 studs!).
B) Pay a shop to remove the backing plate.
C) Cut the mother off!!! YOU WONT EVER NEED IT AGAIN! Say goodbye to that PIECE OF CRAP!
This is the backing plate you will be removing. It's sole purpose is to allow a place for the drum brake mechanisms to mount to and provide the rigidity withstand the forces of braking. I estimate its made of about 3/16" steel (sorry didnt care to measure!)
