Upgrading 91 FJ80 front brakes to 95 brakes process (1 Viewer)

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Mar 20, 2021
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Location
Allen Texas
Just finished my front brake upgrade on my 91 and wanted to post the process. Hopefully, it will help the next guy do this a little faster.

I thought it would be a weekend job, and it would be possible, but I discovered a bunch of issues during the process. Ended up rebuilding the entire brake system!

Step 1: Buy parts.
Powerstop rotors and carbon fiber pads brake kit for a 95 FZJ80. Amazon product ASIN B005FKPR8K $186.43
47781-60100Splash Shield $58.03
47782-60100Splash Shield $58.03
47730-60061 Disc Brake Caliper (Right, Front) $150.55
47750-60061 Disc Brake Caliper (Left) $150.55
CityRacer Brake Booster for '90 to '92 Land Cruiser FJ80 Brake Booster for '90 to '92 Land Cruiser FJ80 - https://www.cityracerllc.com/collections/land-cruiser-80-series/products/brake-booster-for-90-to-92-land-cruiser-fj80. $250.00
13044707 CENTRIC Master Cylinder $59.89
Supplies: Moly Grease x2, tons of paper towels and rags, brake cleaner x4, BEER.

The parts below were purchased later when I realized I had a lot more work to do!
90310-35010 Drive Axle Shaft Seal (Front) $8.04
42183-35010 Rear Cover Gasket $8.99
12157-10010 Gasket Drain Plug $1.34
90311-47001 Drive Axle Shaft Seal (Rear) $10.03
BENDIX PDR0580 Rear Drums x2 $137.58
Wit's End Front Axle Offset Tool 80 Series Inner Axle Seal Offset Driver - https://absolute-wits-end.com/80-series-inner-axle-seal-offset-driver/ $38.83
Dorman Rear Wheel Cylinders x2 Security Check - https://www.carid.com/dorman/rear-drum-brake-wheel-cylinder-mpn-w37690.html. $28.65
Powerstop Rear Drum Pads Security Check - https://www.carid.com/powerstop/autospecialty-rear-drum-brake-shoes-mpn-b549.html $48.26
Dorman Rear Drum Brake Rebuild Kit Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PYN4MQ $11.00 (note on this kit, the pins that hold the pads on are not long enough, reuse your old ones)
Toyota Brake Cushion Stops Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HSN05UQ $11.00 (I couldn't figure out why my brakes lights wouldn't go off, the original pad broke off)
Wilwood Proportioning Valve Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011B4UX5U. $47.00
Dorman 090-107 Pipe Plug C.S. Hex M10-1.0 Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001SG8YOY $12.00 (this is a 5 pack, I have 4 left if you want to PM me) Brake Line Thread Adapter, Male M10 x 1 Bubble, Female M10 x 1 Inverted $31.77 on Ebay


Here is the kit and I thought it would be a quick job...

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Step 2. Started teardown. Look how tiny the 91 rotors compare to the 95.

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Step 3. Discover First Major Issue. Front axle seal failed.



I realized the axle had a slight groove where the seal ran on the axle.

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Did a little begging for help on this forum and the Facebook 80 series group. Came up with this expensive little gem that drives the seal in a further 2mm so it rides on new metal.

80 Series Inner Axle Seal Offset Driver - https://absolute-wits-end.com/80-series-inner-axle-seal-offset-driver/

Step 4. Button up the front hubs. Follow FSM for torque specs and seating procedure. There are also a few good videos on Youtube.

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Just tried to post a sixth image and got an error that I can only post five images. That's not very helpful. I will respond to this post and keep going...
 
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Continuing the thread here.

Step 5. Discover my second major issue. Rear axle seal failure. I noticed some oily grease on my passenger side rear drum so removed it to inspect. Yikes, no wonder I couldn't stop very well!

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Step 6. Rebuild rear brakes. Ugh, this is now been a 2 week ordeal with no end in site.

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Step 7. Master cylinder and booster. Looking good.

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Step 8. Bleed the system. Spent a lot of time bleeding everything.

Step 9. Discover something isn't right. I tested the brakes and they just didn't stop very well even after going through the break in procedure Powerstop required. I remembered a few threads about removing the LSPV which lead to much better braking. I got under there and the LSPV was a little greasy so decided I would replace it with a manual proportioning valve. I modified the factory bracket by drilling one hole. The top bolt fit in the factory slot. I also needed to plug up the return line up front.

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Ran into my five picture limit again...
 
Picking up again...

Step 10. Bleed and test system without LSPV. Big difference. The rears are easy to lock up, but that is not a good thing as you can lose control. I dialed in the proportioning valve so the just barely start locking on aggressive stops. However, the fronts still didn't feel right. Again begging for answers on various posts and found my solution thanks to @jcardona1 and his suggestion that the booster arm was not adjusted out far enough to build pressure for the front brakes. Here is the thread for reference: HOW-TO: 5th Gen 4Runner Brakes on an 80 - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/how-to-5th-gen-4runner-brakes-on-an-80.1247625/page-2. I also looked up the procedure in the FSM and Toyota has a tool specifically for this: https://toyota.service-solutions.com/en-US/Pages/ItemDetail.aspx?SKU=09737-00013-01. No way am I buying a $214 tool for one time use! So, I made the tool out of wood for $3.

Buy 1/2" square dowel and a 1/4" round dowel. Grab a paint stick from the Home Depot paint department. Cut the square dowel and round dowel into 4" long pieces. This is very important that they are all the exact same length. Cut an additional 2" square piece. Glue it up and drill a 1/4" hole for the round dowel to fit into. Make sure it is pretty tight but not so tight you can move it in and out.

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Step 11. Use the tool to adjust your booster push rod length. It would have been much easier for me to do this before installation but I was able to remove the MC and take my measurement and make adjustment to the push rod. It wasn't long enough. I don't think those with ABS could easily pull off the MC so be sure to do this prior to installation!! To take your MC measurement push the round dowel out pretty far. Push the square dowels until they touch the base of the MC. Then using the other end, place that on the booster and see how far you need to adjust the push rod until it just touches the dowel. Now you know it is the perfect length. Don't get greedy and try to give it an extra turn, it doesn't help, ask me how I know.

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Step 12. Button everything up, check for leaks, bleed again and test. Whoa! Big difference! Now it feels like a more modern car, the brakes really feel good. I still can't lock the fronts but I think that is ok. The difference is night and day compared to the stock brakes. One thing to note though. It seems like when I start out with cool brakes the first couple stops are not as grabby. Once they warm up they just keep getting better and better. I believe this is due to the carbon fiber brake pads requiring a little warm up. Anyone have thoughts on that? Regardless, this was a great upgrade for my 91. It was easy and straight forward even with all the challenges.

Hope this helps someone!!
 
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Now you need to do the next brake upgrade and replace your rear axle with a disc brake axle 👍🙂
 
Totally agree! Gotta save my penny's for awhile though. This set me back more $$ than I was ready for.
I did it to my 92. Assuming you don't have to rebuild the new axle your only cost will be the axle itself. It's direct bolt in. Make sure you get the ebrake cable from the donor vehicle too.
 
Nice did this for my buddies 91, as far as the seals in further or less I have also just used a seal driver which will let you go as far or less as you want, I bought the harbor freight kit for 20 bucks
 
Nice did this for my buddies 91, as far as the seals in further or less I have also just used a seal driver which will let you go as far or less as you want, I bought the harbor freight kit for 20 bucks
I borrowed a kit from Autozone and none of them would fit the axle opening to drive the seal in further. Your kit had one?
 
Yes I have aluminum kit from harbor freight bought back in 16 I think it was
 
Why didn’t you go with OEM rotors? Cross-drilled rotors can pack mud and dirt.
 
Excellent write up !!
I’m running the same power stop brakes with drilled and slotted rotors on my dedicated trail rig rock crawler with out issue.
They are a big improvement over the stock bigger brakes on the 93-97 80s
Especially stopping 39s that I run !!
I have never heard about them getting packed with mud or dirt !!
But then again IH8MUD

PS a Silver Banner $20 a year gets you more privileges including up to 10 pictures a post. 🤷‍♂️ and supports Mud.
 
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Excellent write up !!
I’m running the same power stop brakes with drilled and slotted rotors on my dedicated trail rig rock crawler with out issue.
They are a big improvement over the stock bigger brakes on the 93-97 80s
Especially stopping 39s that I run !!
I have never heard about them getting packed with mud or dirt !!
But then again IH8MUD

PS a Silver Banner $20 a year gets you more privileges including up to 10 pictures a post. 🤷‍♂️ and supports Mud.
Didn't know about the Silver Banner, will look into it.
 
Wanted to update everyone on the brake upgrade. I have a bout 2,000 miles on the brakes and I have mixed reviews. The Powerstop brakes with carbon-fiber ceramic pads work amazing once they are warmed up, usually 4-5 normal stops. But those first few stops it feels like the brakes are not grabbing and I noticed increased braking distance. After that they just get better and better the warmer they get. Does anyone else have a similar issue? I think I may need to switch to semi-metallic pads, thoughts on that?
 

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