DIY Tundra Brakes (BBK)

[paul r]

I wish. His eyesight isn’t great and he kinda botched it. It won’t cut. It’s ok. I’m thankful he tried to help. He’s a great neighbor.

I ordered a good step bit and reamer from Amazon. Will get back to this on Saturday.

Everything else is ready for me to just mount up the calipers, bleed the brakes, and out the wheels back on.

Bummer. Hopefully a sharp step bit will make it easier for you!

 

[Bryanmc]

Reaming out these holes is taking forever. I am trying to make it work with what the local hardware stores have on hand. I got through with a 1/2” step bit just fine. I have a larger step bit that steps up to 7/8. Bought a big Milwaukee 9/16 bit that is doing absolutely nothing for me. Says it’s for metal.

My neighbor is currently trying to grind down my 7/8” step bit.

Sunset was 20mpg ago. This is just annoying. I should have waited till after thanksgiving as we have company coming tomorrow, but it was 60°F out today. Good conditions for working on brakes!

If you read through this thread you saw my experience, it was miserable. Took me 3 days to drill out the four holes. I was doing everything wrong.

I finally made good progress with a cobalt bit:

Drill America - D/ACO9/16 9/16" Reduced Shank Cobalt Drill Bit with 1/2" Shank, D/ACO Series https://a.co/d/cA9FPtr

 

[LX Cruiser]

If you read through this thread you saw my experience, it was miserable. Took me 3 days to drill out the four holes. I was doing everything wrong.

I finally made good progress with a cobalt bit:

Drill America - D/ACO9/16 9/16" Reduced Shank Cobalt Drill Bit with 1/2" Shank, D/ACO Series https://a.co/d/cA9FPtr

I ordered that exact bit yesterday. Just need to wait for it to arrive. Also got some Tap Magic on the way.

I should have read the entire thread and ordered older Tundra calipers off eBay.

 

[FxFormat]

Getting ready to do this, might’ve been discussed already but can anyone confirm that calipers from a 2018 tundra will work? Not sure what changed but there’s diff part numbers for 15+

 

[LX Cruiser]

Getting ready to do this, might’ve been discussed already but can anyone confirm that calipers from a 2018 tundra will work? Not sure what changed but there’s diff part numbers for 15+

Yes, it has been discussed. Just get the 9/16” Drill America construction reamer bit off Amazon (easy to find). And some Tap Magic. Your calipers have larger mounting bolts, and you’re going to need this bit to ream the holes on the spindles out to the correct size. My ‘09 LX has 2017 Tundra calipers up front. It stops so much better.

 

[bjowett]

The 2022 Tundra, and possibly LX600, calipers have an improved design with heavier ribbing and pad retention. Hopefully they keep the same bolt spacing and ear offset.

 

[FxFormat]

The 2022 Tundra, and possibly LX600, calipers have an improved design with heavier ribbing and pad retention. Hopefully they keep the same bolt spacing and ear offset.
View attachment 3295860

Alright who’s going to be the Guinea pig? I’m on the hunt for the best budget brake upgrade possible. My Benz stops on a dime and it’s a little crazy when driving the LX.

 

[FxFormat]

Got the other side done today, no issues. The brakes feel great, even with already used pads and not being bedded in yet. The initial grab/bite is better.. basically it's easy to tell they simply have more leverage over the wheel/tire to haul down the speed of the vehicle.

Before:

View attachment 3012439

After:

View attachment 3012440

The various bits I used.
Teckis' modified step bit.
Bosch C2S2 5/8" countersink tool, about $11 on amazon.
Champion XSR "brute" step reamer. I paid about $60 for this online.

View attachment 3012441

The reason the cheap bit must be modified is we need the largest diameter to be 9/16", and these aren't readily available. Teckis is really clever and he chucked it up in a drill then spun it over a bench grinder to take off the larger diameter, and you have a cheap 9/16" step bit. This would work fine for most people if they have the tools to grind one down.

The countersink tool is used to debur and chamfer the holes after enlarging. Factory has a small chamfer around the holes, and it is good practice in through-holes like this.

The Champion bit is arguably overkill, but basically a more robust tool for this job. The longer steps do a marginally better job of stabilizing the bit (assuming you can put both hands on the drill), and a tool like this will most likely be made of better steel. Thing is, the knuckle isn't particularly hard metal, and most of this stuff will be used for exactly 4 holes for most people, so I don't see the cheap bit wearing out. But, no modifications, just chuck it up and go.

I used these in a standard dewalt 20v cordless drill. I often use the faster speed 2 for this type of job, and simply throttle the speed way down. I find that with less gear reduction if the bit grabs there is less inertia in the motor to dissipate into my wrists. These brushless drills are particularly good at stuff like this, and mine had zero issues.

Really.. each hole was less than a minute, if I could have both hands on the drill. You'll want to pay attention to keep the bit mostly straight, it is totally possible to get it crooked. I found looking around the back I was able to see the back of the hole that was larger than the protruding bit, and keep it straight by making the gap around the bit even.

For the two holes today I played with using a cutting lube, with no discernible benefit. I could see a situation where it could buy some buffer space for someone that isn't as experienced working metal and has more trouble walking the line of speed/pressure to keep the drill cutting correctly.. but for most it won't be important.

If you are changing backing plates which requires removing the hub and bearing, I recommend doing all drilling before that part, even though you'd technically have a little better access with the backing plate out of the way. With my drill everything cleared with it in place. Once you remove the bearing drill shavings can get inside the ABS tone ring cavity. If backing plate is left in place, do your drilling and chamfering, blow everything clean with compressed air, then remove the bearing to get at the backing plate.

View attachment 3012442

Chamfering the holes after drilling. To get access to the back you'll need to turn the steering, or if you have one (I did) use a right-angle drill adapter.

View attachment 3012443


The following clip is using teckis bit. Drilling one-handed made the tool much more shaky.. when I got rid of the phone things were nice and stable with good healthy chip production. Excuse the fan noises.. it has to be within 3 feet of me to keep the clouds of mosquitoes away.



This clip is drilling with the specialty bit. Less stable with one hand, but more stable with two. I actually ended up with this hole a bit crooked at half-way due to being distracted with the camera, but was able to rescue it before finishing.

Finally combed through the entire thread, looks like I’ll be going the teckis route and grind down my cobalt step bits. Can’t see myself spending $60 for a champion bit for what is essentially a one time use. I found 2018 tundra calipers with the hardliners and soft lines attached for like $75 each. My oem lx pads are pretty new so I’ll re use that, all I need to get now are rotors. I’ll be in this for less than $300.

I’ll take your guys words for it that this upgrade is worth it, I plan on adding sliders and a roof rack and 33” tires and camping gear. Need all the stopping power I can get

 

[LX Cruiser]

Finally combed through the entire thread, looks like I’ll be going the teckis route and grind down my cobalt step bits. Can’t see myself spending $60 for a champion bit for what is essentially a one time use. I found 2018 tundra calipers with the hardliners and soft lines attached for like $75 each. My oem lx pads are pretty new so I’ll re use that, all I need to get now are rotors. I’ll be in this for less than $300.

I’ll take your guys words for it that this upgrade is worth it, I plan on adding sliders and a roof rack and 33” tires and camping gear. Need all the stopping power I can get

*$40 + free 1-day prime delivery for the 9/16” reamer bit I used.

I tried the step bit method, and two of them wore out on me. I ruined those and three carbide-tipped 9/16” bits from HD getting one hole reamed out. This reamer bit literally reamed each of the three remaining mounting holes in >1 minute with Tap magic cutting oil.

 

[bloc]

*$40 + free 1-day prime delivery for the 9/16” reamer bit I used.

I tried the step bit method, and two of them wore out on me. I ruined those and three carbide-tipped 9/16” bits from HD getting one hole reamed out. This reamer bit literally reamed each of the three remaining mounting holes in >1 minute with Tap magic cutting oil.
View attachment 3295911

I couldn't get that bit to work at all on mine with various cutting oils.

Whereas the expensive custom 9/16" step bit and ground-down el-cheapo both worked beautifully.

I suspect all of this has a lot to do with bit pressure (aka technique and "feel") and the starting hole size, as to whether it'll be difficult or destroy certain bits.

 

[FxFormat]

Good info, i have a few step bits at my shop that i can grind out to try, if it doesn't work then i'll spend the money but i dont see why it wouldn't, i've bored through stainless steel that's an inch thick before.

 

[LX Cruiser]

Good info, i have a few step bits at my shop that i can grind out to try, if it doesn't work then i'll spend the money but i dont see why it wouldn't, i've bored through stainless steel that's an inch thick before.

To be honest, I may have been impatient. But even with cutting oil, those HD carbide tipped bits wouldn’t hardly do anything. Good luck! That’s really the only difficult step. If you get OEM Tundra rotors, pads, and brake lines, it’s just bolt up, bleed, and go.

 

[FxFormat]

This is what i'm looking at, looks like it comes with all i need. Just need to dig through my buckets of bolts and find the correct length M14 bolts. btw M14 is the same size and pitch as lug nut studs.

 

[turbo8]

This is what i'm looking at, looks like it comes with all i need. Just need to dig through my buckets of bolts and find the correct length M14 bolts. btw M14 is the same size and pitch as lug nut studs.

You should get the factory brake caliper bolts.
4x 90105-A0336

 

[bloc]

You should get the factory brake caliper bolts.
4x 90105-A0336

I second this. Plus they aren’t expensive.. might as well get a spare or two to have in the tool kit for trips.

 

[FxFormat]

I did the tundra brakes today, I had a set of oem 2018 Tundra parts so I had to drill out the ears. I used. 9/16 reamer. I can see why some of you have trouble using that bit if you’re not familiar with drilling. It’s a combination of force and finesse as well as having a powerful drill to not get jammed up. I didn’t have cutting oil so I used power steering fluid and it worked lol. Each hole took maybe 45 seconds using constant pressure and drill speed.

This is the only pic I took because it was late in the day and my wife is hungry at home and wants to go get hot pot. Check out that rust free front end hehe

Now for the review, it feels good! Bites hard and gives me more confidence doing hard stops. I have 33” E tires and had no issue stopping them now. Definitely worth the time and money, thanks to all who provided information and parts number to make this an easy job.

The original dust shield will work, just bend it away from the rotor where it’s scraping and it’ll be okay. Also make sure you ream those holes straight, if it’s crooked you might cross thread your caliper esp if you use an impact gun. Total I have in this is $350 and about an hour of labor. I’m a mechanic with a lift so it’s quicker

I bought a pair of oem rotors and oem pads from someone on FB for $175, calipers and lines $150, the 4 caliper bolts were $2 each.

If I had to do it again, I’d just get 2016 LC/LX calipers so I don’t have to deal with the tundra hard lines.

 

[kms254]

I read this whole thread tonight and I have a dumb question. Why wouldn’t you use a m14 to m12 thread reducer in the 2016+ caliper and skip enlarging the holes in the spindle?

 

[bloc]

I read this whole thread tonight and I have a dumb question. Why wouldn’t you use a m14 to m12 thread reducer in the 2016+ caliper and skip enlarging the holes in the spindle?

I personally wouldn’t trust my life to that combination of parts, given uncertainty on grades of steel, weird things with differing thread pitches, etc. But that’s just me.

Interesting idea though.

 

[supercarrera]

I did the tundra brakes today, I had a set of oem 2018 Tundra parts so I had to drill out the ears. I used. 9/16 reamer. I can see why some of you have trouble using that bit if you’re not familiar with drilling. It’s a combination of force and finesse as well as having a powerful drill to not get jammed up. I didn’t have cutting oil so I used power steering fluid and it worked lol. Each hole took maybe 45 seconds using constant pressure and drill speed.

This is the only pic I took because it was late in the day and my wife is hungry at home and wants to go get hot pot. Check out that rust free front end hehe

View attachment 3306584

Now for the review, it feels good! Bites hard and gives me more confidence doing hard stops. I have 33” E tires and had no issue stopping them now. Definitely worth the time and money, thanks to all who provided information and parts number to make this an easy job.

The original dust shield will work, just bend it away from the rotor where it’s scraping and it’ll be okay. Also make sure you ream those holes straight, if it’s crooked you might cross thread your caliper esp if you use an impact gun. Total I have in this is $350 and about an hour of labor. I’m a mechanic with a lift so it’s quicker

I bought a pair of oem rotors and oem pads from someone on FB for $175, calipers and lines $150, the 4 caliper bolts were $2 each.

If I had to do it again, I’d just get 2016 LC/LX calipers so I don’t have to deal with the tundra hard lines.

What brand reamer did you use? The one I had was not effective at all.

 

[FxFormat]

What brand reamer did you use? The one I had was not effective at all.

i used the Champion reamer, along with a milwaukee fuel drill. Steady hands and firm pressure i was able to cut through the hole pretty easily. Trick is to find the correct pressure and speed as not to warp the drill but enough to cut into the metal. Whatever toyota used on those knuckle, the metal is hard as hell.