Disc Brake Conversion Options

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SuperT

SuperT

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Sep 15, 2007
Threads
14
Messages
188
Location
Littleton, CO
Hello All,
This is my first post here and I'm a bit behind in doing an intro. I bought my 75 FJ55 in September of 2007. I'll try to do a short write up on it soon.
I'm looking for opinions on which front disc brake conversion I should do on my pig. Do I go with the willwood conversion where I basically just swap out drums for rotors, or do I go with another conversion where I also have to change out the knuckles and birfields and such? I've done brakes before, but never replaced birfields and knuckles, etc.
Also,It now has 33's, but I'll be puting 35's on it eventually. Do I really need stronger birfs for the 35's?
Thanks for any suggestions or advice.
 
Welcome! (:flipoff2:)
First, 2 questions...
Do you have power steering?
How many times do you want to do a front disc conversion?
Have you looked in the tech links?
 
If you do a disc swap do it with Toyota parts. It makes life MUCH easier down the road when you need pads or bearings or other bits and pieces. They can look up parts easy that way. My '67 FJ45LV has the disc parts from a Toyota mini truck, not the ideal as it doesn't have the vented rotors or the larger caliper pistons but it is certainly adequate and a big improvement from drums and in my opinion, superior to a Wildwood or other third part setup..
 
SuperT said:
Hello All,
This is my first post here and I'm a bit behind in doing an intro. I bought my 75 FJ55 in September of 2007. I'll try to do a short write up on it soon.
I'm looking for opinions on which front disc brake conversion I should do on my pig. Do I go with the willwood conversion where I basically just swap out drums for rotors, or do I go with another conversion where I also have to change out the knuckles and birfields and such? I've done brakes before, but never replaced birfields and knuckles, etc.
Also,It now has 33's, but I'll be puting 35's on it eventually. Do I really need stronger birfs for the 35's?
Thanks for any suggestions or advice.
Click to expand...

Welcome to MUD T!

Where are you in Colorado?

I plan on taking knuckles, birfs, discs from a 60 series Cruiser to put on my Pig...
 
Welcome.:flipoff2:

You don't say how many cruisers you've had in the past but one thing many of us have found is that you seem to end up amassing a supply of parts for these rigs in the form of complete parts vehicles.Got lots of space?:D
The later model FJ55's came stock with disk brakes on the front so you may be able to find an entire front axle unit to swap into yours.Check in the classified section here on MUD.
Good luck with the option you choose.

Now - Post some pics!
 
Pighead said:
Welcome! (:flipoff2:)
First, 2 questions...
Do you have power steering?
How many times do you want to do a front disc conversion?
Have you looked in the tech links?
Click to expand...
I have saginaw ps that needs to be redone, but I will probably stick with saginaw.
One time. Brakes are fun, but not that much fun. Plus, doing the Toyota conversion looks like quite an adventure. Are you implying that a willwood wouldn't last?
I've checked out the tech section and I'm sure I'll go back there again for more help...already printed out the "how to remove a birfield"

PabloCruise said:
Welcome to MUD T!

Where are you in Colorado?

I live in the Denver area.



oldfj40 said:
Welcome.:flipoff2:

You don't say how many cruisers you've had in the past but one thing many of us have found is that you seem to end up amassing a supply of parts for these rigs in the form of complete parts vehicles.Got lots of space?:D
The later model FJ55's came stock with disk brakes on the front so you may be able to find an entire front axle unit to swap into yours.Check in the classified section here on MUD.
Good luck with the option you choose.
Now - Post some pics!
Click to expand...
This is my first 55, but I've had 2 Fj40's a '79 and a '76 and I also had an '81 Toyota pickup. I don't have any parts left over from any of those though. I also don't have lots of space.

I'll get some pics up soon with a quick intro. Maybe even this weekend.
Click to expand...
 
What I would do.

Stick with a Toyota disk brake axle. Gonna come with fine spline birfs anyway. Might even be able to come across one off a cruiser. Thats a bolt on fix.

Then get a cruiser brake master for a late 70's brake master for disk brakes. Bolt it on.
 
Not implying a wilwood won't last, Implying that someday you might want the bigger studs and bolt pattern and bigger birfs if you're someday gonna run 35s.
I did the minitruck knuckles/vented 60 rotors/V6IFS calipers. I thought it was about the best Toyota had to offer that I could bolt on.
 
I like your way of thinking here. I like the idea of planning ahead and doing it right the first time. I'm already having to redo things the PO did to make this pig right and safer.
It has a SOA lift, so the 35's will come. It's just a matter of doing the things I have to do, before I do the things I want to do. If I need the stronger axles, studs, etc. for the 35's, I will definitely go with a newer Toyota setup. The willwood setup is attractive, because it is a little cheaper and a whole lot easier to install, but if that setup won't work with 35's, it won't work for me.
 
SuperT said:
I like your way of thinking here. I like the idea of planning ahead and doing it right the first time. I'm already having to redo things the PO did to make this pig right and safer.
It has a SOA lift, so the 35's will come. It's just a matter of doing the things I have to do, before I do the things I want to do. If I need the stronger axles, studs, etc. for the 35's, I will definitely go with a newer Toyota setup. The willwood setup is attractive, because it is a little cheaper and a whole lot easier to install, but if that setup won't work with 35's, it won't work for me.
Click to expand...
Howdy! Just find a 76 or newer front axle from a 1976 or newer FJ40 or 55. The axles and driveline, less driveshafts, are interchangable. Rumor has it there may be a few Landcruiser addicts in the central/nothern part of Colorado to help you locate parts. Check the Rising Sun club page elsewhere here on MUD. John

P.S. Welcome to the Piggy Party!!
 
I did a search on this topic and read through a couple hundred posts. My head hurts. I'd say about 90% of the posts suggest going with the Toyota swap over a bolt on kit, but the few that have the bolt on kits seem to like them.

I'm not worried about finding parts for the wilwood setup. I know of a local dealer that would probably be even cheaper than MAF or Summit.

I am worried about breaking my stock birfs if I have 35's. Some seem to think this is a topic of concern, some say it depends on how you wheel. I'm a mild wheeler, won't do any rock crawling or hardcore trails. If I really need to go with stronger birfs to run 35's, I figure I might as well do the Toyota swap and kill two birds with one stone.

Also, I have a hy steer set up from 4x4 Labs that I am happy with but I'd have to change my small bolt pattern arms with the large bolt. Not a huge deal, but it just means more $$.

I'm going to have to sleep on it.
 
Howdy! I don't really do any extreme wheeling, but I do like to play in the rocks, since they are just about everywhere around here. I ran 35's on my stock Birfs over 15 years before I managed to break one, and that was when I let myself get talked into something I really did not want to do. I went ahead and upgraded to 4340 chrome molly for the repair. Just carry one stocker in your trail kit and you should be fine. If you ever snap one, then you're covered, and you can decide on the upgrade then. John
 
Supert

you should've been at the rising sun meeting last night. we had three pigs there. would've been cool to have four.

the pickup/late model cruiser disc swap is easy. best setup is post 79 cruiser. you remove everything from the housing ends, hit the ends with the grinder for a mere moment to clearance the larger birfields and bolt everything back on. then remove residual valve from brake master and install a prop valve. very simple. if you need help, i'm in commerce city and always willing to help cruiserheads.

best bet is to get the parts off an fj60, along with the booster/master and prop valve. if you don't want to grind, find the above parts and i'll take those and you can have the disc parts off my pig:D
 
PabloCruise said:
Ige,

3 Pigs at the meeting?!? Oh man!!!

Do you have a pic of how much needs to be ground on the housing to clear the big birf? I am ascared to grind mine.
Click to expand...
yep, me, arthog and redcruiser. this keeps up and we'll have to have swine only parking;)

i might have pics from when i built the 68. i'll try to remember to check tonight. not much has to be done. i did most of it from the bottom, very little from the top, but i would think that doing both equally would be better.

iirc, i would grind for about 30 seconds, then check birf clearance and repeat until the birf fit in.
 
nuclearlemon said:
Supert

you should've been at the rising sun meeting last night. we had three pigs there. would've been cool to have four.

the pickup/late model cruiser disc swap is easy. best setup is post 79 cruiser. you remove everything from the housing ends, hit the ends with the grinder for a mere moment to clearance the larger birfields and bolt everything back on. then remove residual valve from brake master and install a prop valve. very simple. if you need help, i'm in commerce city and always willing to help cruiserheads.

best bet is to get the parts off an fj60, along with the booster/master and prop valve. if you don't want to grind, find the above parts and i'll take those and you can have the disc parts off my pig:D
Click to expand...

I would've rather been looking at the other local pigs than doing what I was doing- fighting with a header to get it and the intake manifold bolted up. I thought I had blown a gasket because It was backfiring a lot. The gasket was fine. I think the bolts must have just been loose, 'cause it doesn't seem to backfire now.

I was wondering if I could use 60 parts for that conversion. When I get the funds I'll look for that stuff on craigslist. The more "new" parts I could get the better, but I realize that would also mean more $$. I may need your helping hands or brains once I get started. Thanks for offering. I'm rebuilding the rear brakes this weekend. We'll see how that goes.

When I first bought my 55 it looked a lot like your green one that I saw in a picture taken from the passenger side, but I had the SOA reduced a little bit by taking out a few leaves (back to stock number of leaves), de-arching a bit, and puting on some lower profile perches. I think I can still fit 35's though.
 
nuclearlemon said:
i might have pics from when i built the 68. i'll try to remember to check tonight. not much has to be done. i did most of it from the bottom, very little from the top, but i would think that doing both equally would be better.

iirc, i would grind for about 30 seconds, then check birf clearance and repeat until the birf fit in.
Click to expand...

Ige, that would be awesome - I am trying to find a pic before I grind...
 
nuclearlemon said:
no pics...sorry tj. it really doesn't take much grinding though.
Click to expand...
Howdy! 2x on how little it takes. From start to finish with just a little Dremel tool I spent less than an hour to do both sides. When I test fit my new Birf before grinding, it looked like I could of tapped it in with a 3# hammer. It's not hard to do at all. Just remember to take equal amounts off the top and bottom so the Birf stays centered in the knuckle. John
 
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