Rear Disc on an FJ60

[SBFJ60FIG]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone knows typically what GM caliper is used on the FJ60 rear disc conversations?

I have rear disc on mine and they are for sure GM calipers and they have parking brakes on them too.

Thanks for the help. I'll try to get some photos of them later today too.

 

[lehiguy]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone knows typically what GM caliper is used on the FJ60 rear disc conversations?

I have rear disc on mine and they are for sure GM calipers and they have parking brakes on them too.

Thanks for the help. I'll try to get some photos of them later today too.

I believe that those would be from a '79 Eldorado. Hard to find these days, and expensive if you do find them.

 

[SBFJ60FIG]

Thanks a ton...I'll look into it but thanks for the start.

 

[ColoradoLC]

The kit probably came from www.jtoutfitters.com I have one too and it came from there.

Not super happy about the parking brake any more, but it does stop a helluva lot better.

79 Eldorado is correct. Sounds like you may be looking for brake pads, huh?

 

[SBFJ60FIG]

No brakes and pads are good, just trying to do some bleeding and want to be prepared if I need to replace a caliper! And yeah, my parking brake is hooked up and works but barely...just barely.

 

[ColoradoLC]

Mines the same. I am always amazed that after 20 something years, some enterprising engineer hasn't come up with a good upgrade.

 

[esh]

Not sure what makes it worth $350 on JT, but you can source reman parking brake calipers for what appears to be $76 a side from a place like-

Auto Parts and Accessories Catalog - 1979 Cadillac Eldorado Brake Caliper

 

[Tinker]

Check this out - you may find the answer to your problems: FJ-40+ Land Cruiser

Also, Spook50 used a Lokar cable setup that fixed his park brake problems - try searching for it.

 

[ntsqd]

The GM Hydro-Mechanical calipers are notorious for the p-brake adjuster corroding and not working. Once that happens the service brakes start to decline in effectiveness because the pistons have to move further and further out as the pad wears. The adjuster is supposed to maintain the correct pad to rotor gair gap, but once corroded they won't.

Also, if the p-brake function isn't used religiously the adjuster doesn't get the chance to adjust often enough.

So the first then to do is to adjust the p-brake system. Get it working within spec. Then try your brakes and see how they perform.

For an over-the-top description of how these should work and how to get them to work like that have a read:
Classic Broncos .com - Tech: Rear Disc Brakes using Cadillac/GM Calipers - 66-77 Early Ford Bronco
Note that the author is a personal friend of mine. He's since given up on these calipers and gone to an Explorer rear disc system. I have no knowledge of such a thing being possible on a 60.

 

[lehiguy]

The GM Hydro-Mechanical calipers are notorious for the p-brake adjuster corroding and not working. Once that happens the service brakes start to decline in effectiveness because the pistons have to move further and further out as the pad wears. The adjuster is supposed to maintain the correct pad to rotor gair gap, but once corroded they won't.

Also, if the p-brake function isn't used religiously the adjuster doesn't get the chance to adjust often enough.

So the first then to do is to adjust the p-brake system. Get it working within spec. Then try your brakes and see how they perform.

For an over-the-top description of how these should work and how to get them to work like that have a read:
Classic Broncos .com - Tech: Rear Disc Brakes using Cadillac/GM Calipers - 66-77 Early Ford Bronco
Note that the author is a personal friend of mine. He's since given up on these calipers and gone to an Explorer rear disc system. I have no knowledge of such a thing being possible on a 60.

I too read that article. When I got down to trying to find a pair of these stupid Eldorado calipers, I just gave up and bought regular calipers without the e-brake. I still need to get an e-brake of some type. Since there is so much space available on the rotors, I'm thinking that some type of dedicated park brake caliper might work. Meaning I would not use it for primary braking, there would be no plumbing to it at all, just a cable, I can fab the brackets.

 

[ntsqd]

There are exceptions, but the few easily available mechanical calipers that I've looked at or been privy to the development of, were marginal at best for this application. I would consider something like the All-Pro or the HAD driveline p-brake systems (though I've no experience with that caliper). This location offers the R&P's mechanical advantage over placing the p-brake caliper at the wheel so the clamping force doesn't need to be quite as high. That is the conundrum of most mechanical calipers. By the time you get enough force multiplication designed into them, the lever's pull distance is too long.

The thing is that while discs are cool and all of that, a drum brake is far better for holding static position than a disc is. Discs are better for service brakes, but drums are better for p-brakes.

I wish that I had kept the drum p-brake assembly off my old SM420.
That would have been adaptable to the rear output flange of the 60's t/c. Since I never owned the truck it came in or have driven a similar truck I've no experience with how effective the brake is/was, but it would be an interesting thing to experiment with.

 

[lehiguy]

There are exceptions, but the few easily available mechanical calipers that I've looked at or been privy to the development of, were marginal at best for this application. I would consider something like the All-Pro or the HAD driveline p-brake systems (though I've no experience with that caliper). This location offers the R&P's mechanical advantage over placing the p-brake caliper at the wheel so the clamping force doesn't need to be quite as high. That is the conundrum of most mechanical calipers. By the time you get enough force multiplication designed into them, the lever's pull distance is too long.

The thing is that while discs are cool and all of that, a drum brake is far better for holding static position than a disc is. Discs are better for service brakes, but drums are better for p-brakes.

I wish that I had kept the drum p-brake assembly off my old SM420.
That would have been adaptable to the rear output flange of the 60's t/c. Since I never owned the truck it came in or have driven a similar truck I've no experience with how effective the brake is/was, but it would be an interesting thing to experiment with.

I was going to do the driveline brake, but after stuffing in the NV4500 and NP241, there simply isn't room as these two gear boxes extend just beyond the tunnel and my output flange, being 6" in diameter already, is very close to the sheetmetal. In fact I had to make some extra room, hammer style, for the CV joint to avoid tagging the body. I have to get creative.

 

[esh]

A linelock is another option for an ebrake. I will probably do dual linelocks with simple GM calipers when I get around to doing rear discs.

 

[Turtle60]

I know that some people are looking at the transfer case parking brake from the streetrod manufacturing co.

FJ 60 Land Cruiser

Might check that out.

 

[Tinker]

I have the TSM Tcase disc ebrake prototype & work on it 5 min a week, rain or shine. Just figured out bolts to replace the PITA Toyota 11mm splined studs that hold the U-joint yoke to the output shaft, which will also hold the disc. Cable mount is next using a late 40 ebrake cable. It should be trick because there is tremendous clamping force on the manual disc.

 

[Turtle60]

Great news, Tinker! Good to hear that you're on the move with your project. Can't wait to see it.

 

[ntsqd]

A linelock is another option for an ebrake. I will probably do dual linelocks with simple GM calipers when I get around to doing rear discs.

It's probably been talked about here ad nauseum but a distinction between a "linelock" and the Mico Lock should be made. Line locks require electrical power the whole time they are engaged. Lose power, lose brake function.
Mico Locks may or may not need power to engage, but line pressure differential (no pressure on m/c side) holds them closed.

The primary problem with either is that it is still a hydrualic system, which are subject to bleeding down over time. So a linelock or a Mico will work for getting out to check your line or to help in winching operations, but they should NOT be relied on if you need to get under your truck or for long term (say more than 30 mins).

The secondary problem is that if you loose the master you've got nothing. Most states that inspect for it require that the p-brake be a mechanical device for this reason. Granted, most p-brakes are only slightly more effective than Flintstoning it. Which is why they are rarely referred to any more as "Emergency Brakes" but are called "parking brakes."


I'm also looking forward to hearing how the SMC t/c p-brake kit works out. That looks very viable to me.