I've seen many articles about a rear disc brake conversion but I'm curious as to whether or not there are any upgrade options for the front brakes on a 1987 Toyota Pickup SR5 4x4. I'm restoring one in my garage and am not a huge fan of the OEM brake caliper and how the rotor is such a pain in the butt to get off.

 

The rotors and calipers from '92 to '95 V6 4Runners are larger than stock '87 brakes, and will bolt right up with a little trimming of the backing tin.

It is also possible to do a couple different master cylinder/brake booster swaps, But I have no personal experience there.

I just changed out the front rotors and calipers for the larger type and I was satisfied with the Improvement with that.

Seemed that my pedal might go ever so slightly lower, but I gained extra braking with less pedal effort.

 

will the v6 caliper swap reduce the "difficulty" of removing the rotor as in the stock setup?

 

No. Exactly the same hub/ bolt on rotor setup. when I upgraded mine, I changed the rotor/hub assemblies complete from spare parts I had.

 

How much larger are these rotors?

 

Rotors are the same size for 86-95 Pickups and 4Runner regardless of any other factors.

V6 calipers have larger pistons and use larger pads. These calipers should be used with the corresponding larger master cylinder otherwise you'll get longer pedal travel. This is due to the 4 cylinder master cylinder's smaller bore. It pushes less volume of fluid per unit of stroke. Since the V6 calipers have bigger pistons they require more fluid to be moved.

The biggest upgrade is the V6 dual diaphragm brake booster. This makes a huge difference over the stock single diaphragm booster from a 4 cylinder.

FJ80 rear wheel cylinders bolt right in and have a larger bore to increase rear brake performance.

Make sure the booster pushrod and brake pedal pushrod are all adjusted correctly. Make sure if you get used calipers none of the pistons are seized. Do not delete the LSPV.

 

V6 rotors are the same diameter, but they are NOT the same thickness. The late !FS rotors are substantially thicker and must be changed in along with the larger piston calipers.

 

I never noticed that but a bit of research does show 5mm more thickness on the later year V6 rotors. All else unchanged, this won't affect braking performance directly, but the thinner rotors would heat up faster and possibly fade sooner.

 

Thanks, ArLindsay! This would work even with stock rotor and caliper, correct?
I hope someone can share his first-hand experience on this one.
I may have to do this because my brake pedal feels like there's a notch that eventually releases as I step harder. Very intermittent and seems to happen only with vacuum = when engine's on. I figured I'd have to gather replacement parts first before even taking things apart.

 

How often are you guys changing the rotors for them to be a problem?

 

Excellent point. I was also contemplating disc in rear BUT realized I only hav to replace shoes so infrequently, so parked that idea.
Front disc pads are so ez ti replace, too. No special tools required. I wud just be religious with that.

 

This is my same thought when people do the fuel filter relocation on the 22R-E...

 

I agree with both points. The fuel filter easily lasts 200,000 miles and 30 years. Zero benefit to relocating it. I've replaced the filters with OEM only when getting new engines dropped in. Drum brake shoes last over 100,000 miles, the parking brake is the strongest you'll find, and you don't have to worry about the semi float axle sliding back and forth and separating the pads like what happens on a disk setup.