I am wanting to start pricing a front disc brake conversion for Uma. JT outfitters has one and it is $547ish for the whole kit plus another $130 for shipping. It is really hard to convince the boss for $700+ for a "safety" upgrade.
disc brake conversion (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter mtn biker
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JunkCrzr89
Competent Ignoramoose
Most useful, practical, and safety-boosting upgrade for a 40, in my opinion. $700 is cheap when you think about the time and money spent on adjusting and fixing/replacing wheel cylinders, drums, and shoes compared to the 40-60k generally maintenance-free miles you’ll get out of disc brakes. Although my sample size for this is just n = 1, so perhaps I’m biased.
Surely someone else has a conversion kit other than JTO. Just saying.
This isn't apples to apples, but I put disc on the front of my '66 VW Van-totally worth the cost. Safety factor increase-priceless!
I had the ManAFre front disc conversion on my 40 and I loved it. I don't know if the "new" ManAFre is the same (it's a different site and it's now manafrelv) but I would use their kit just by the parts in the pics. 4 piston Willwood calipers (!) would sell it right away, rather than those s***ty single-piston clamp-type calipers on that other kit. Yeah I know the MAF kit is more money. It's just front brakes, no big deal...
bwesty
SILVER Star
I'd look around for a other vendor of the parts you need. Maybe Redline, Front Range, Valley Hybrids etc call around and see.
Might look into getting disc brake knuckles off a newer land cruiser.
When I replaced my ball & claw axles with Bobby Long’s I discovered that my spindle’s inner diameter was much smaller than the new Longfield axle.
Sean down in Tucson hooked me up with a set of knuckles and spindles from a FJ-62. The had disc brakes, are much beefier, and give me a little wider stance on the front. The larger stud pattern on the new knuckles caused me to have to get new steering arms from 4x4 Labs, but totally worth it.
Best safety upgrade to my FJ-40 after power steering
When I replaced my ball & claw axles with Bobby Long’s I discovered that my spindle’s inner diameter was much smaller than the new Longfield axle.
Sean down in Tucson hooked me up with a set of knuckles and spindles from a FJ-62. The had disc brakes, are much beefier, and give me a little wider stance on the front. The larger stud pattern on the new knuckles caused me to have to get new steering arms from 4x4 Labs, but totally worth it.
Best safety upgrade to my FJ-40 after power steering
make sure to check your axles first: I once encountered someone who wanted to buy my used disk conversion kit, but when he opened his early-40 axle, he discovered it was a ball-and-claw, not a birfield axle
I have forgotten the year of break-over from the ball-and-claw to birfields, but IIRC it was 68/69-ish
going to disk brakes was the single biggest improvement I ever made on my 40 - I bought the kit from Man-a-Fre, but that was always more expensive than the one from JTO, even 15 years ago - back then, the middle priced kit came from BTB, which is now Man-a-Fre LV
there is no conversion kit for the ball-and-claw - you'd need a newer axle
also: on a birfiield 40 axle, instead of using a whole 60 series (with housing) axle, you can exchange just the knuckles and keep your 40 housing - which is what Kevin did on my 40 when I went to fine spline birfield outers instead of the coarse spline for which I had the disk brake kit - the breaking was the best with the coarse spline set-up on my truck, but after I broke a coarse spline birf in Moab, Kevin encouraged upgrading to fine spline
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That's what I did
'cept I got the newer axle first and then found it didn't fit the ball & claw spindle 
Living in the Past
SILVER Star
Did anyone mention the smaller brake lines and single circuit brake line. All part of the the conversion. Then a adapter or cutting the rib on the firewall for a booster. Replacing the pedal bucket on the earlier which is not removeable like the booster equipped FJ40s. Starting collecting parts years ago for my 68 and decided at the time it was more cost effective and easier to just buy a later FJ40. Had disc brakes as well as ungraded with features.
murf
Lifer
Back when we did conversions, I used this company over a dozen times. Great product good price, and good service. Direct bolt on
www.tsmmfg.net
Plus your dealing directly with the people manufacturing the product and not a retail middleman.
Its the best upgrade you can do imo
Fronts here : 1963 - 1975 FJ-40 LAND CRUISER
www.tsmmfg.net
Plus your dealing directly with the people manufacturing the product and not a retail middleman.
Its the best upgrade you can do imo
Fronts here : 1963 - 1975 FJ-40 LAND CRUISER
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I don't remember having kits when I did this, but I don't think I was into it more than $300. (Of course that was then) I used a calipers and rotors from an 80s Monte Carlo. Found this.
Front Disc Brake Conversion (Chevy rotors and calipers) | IH8MUD Forum
Front Disc Brake Conversion (Chevy rotors and calipers) | IH8MUD Forum
On my old cruiser, I did the knuckles-out from an 85 mini truck-conversion. Worked great! I used the Poser brackets and misc parts for the rears.
Poser brackets no longer available, just sayin'