Is anyone aware of a disk brake retrofit for a BJ74? Not sure it can be done, but these drums are a drag... (or not enough of one...)
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Well, Marshall did just give me brand new front calipers, cleaned up, adjusted and installed new rear drum pads, rebuilt my master cylinder, and adjusted the proportioning valve for the rear brakes. They do work damn near 100% better, but I keep filling my rear drums with mud and sand. I think disks would be so much easier to keep operational... But you're correct, when operating correctly like they do now, the truck stops very nicely...Disc front and drum rear is a great setup if it is completely 100% dialed in.
My 60 and 70 stop better than my 80 series ever did.
Clint, thank you for the information, I shall investigate these options. I agree with you on the drums in the mud. This is the second time Marshall has had to go through my brakes in less than a year, because I trail close to home and much of it is mud... Thanks again. Oh yes, I agree with you on the handbrake, utterly useless... :/Some of the later model MWB 70 series came with rear discs as standard so it is certainly possible. Drums inside the discs for the handbrake. The handbrake on those is actually quite crap & If I was wanting to swap disc brakes onto the back of a Cruiser i would think about getting some factory discs, then adapting on some calipers that have an integrated park brake rather than the separate drum- some guys use Toyota MR2 calipers IIRC.
Note you'll also need replace your master cylinder with a bigger diameter one to match the calipers - an 80 series one should bolt on. For even more braking mojo an 80 series dual-diaphragm brake booster is an almost bolt-in mod that is well worth doing if you have big tyres.
Drum brakes have no place on a vehicle used for muddy offroad - discs are definitely the way to go.
Cheers
Clint
Excellent. Thank you for the post. I look forward to any additional info you can provide. I definitely want to move to discs on the rear...Hello Allen,
I got pre-1990 axles for my Troopie (no idea if there's a match for brakes and/or axles between 75's and 74's), and i had discs put on. My builder installed low budget discs, and they were not good; i recently had those replaced with Terrain Tamer brakes, much better quality. When i find out, i'll post results. Just to say discs can be found for these cars, but you will need to keep track of parts numbers as soon as you move away from factory items; i will post up the numbers i got as soon as i can.
I thank you also, Clintnz, good to know.
Is there commonality between FJ60 and a BJ74 axles and brakes?I upgraded to the factory 4runner calipers and good quality pads and rotors,Front brake 95 4runner calipers on 85 FJ60 and installed a 1991 FJ80 master, back brakes will lock up under extreme braking.
As for mud, we run in deep water and mud all winter, 3.5 years later and no service, still braking strong.
Rob![]()
Is there commonality between FJ60 and a BJ74 axles and brakes?
Sorry a little behind, but what's years on the 80 are you guys using for the booster and master?
I upgraded to the factory 4runner calipers and good quality pads and rotors,Front brake 95 4runner calipers on 85 FJ60 and installed a 1991 FJ80 master, back brakes will lock up under extreme braking.
As for mud, we run in deep water and mud all winter, 3.5 years later and no service, still braking strong.
Rob![]()
Marshall tells me my drums are always packed full of dried mud. Not sure any level of adjustment will affect my problem (besides rear disks).I agree with Beno. I have had the rear drums and rear discs on 70 series and there is no difference in braking ability if set up correctly. Once I got the rear drums set up right, they stayed that way for a long time with little maintenance.
Marshall tells me my drums are always packed full of dried mud. Not sure any level of adjustment will affect my problem (besides rear disks).