Cruiser brake upgrades???

[Bluey]

Ok Chaps, I have a '85 BJ73 cruiser and want to improve my braking performance, or lack thereof. i have already fitted (front) hzj calipers and pads, can i put on hzj disks on the front as well? basically will it fit on to existing hardware with no modding and will it be worth the effort

i have also been reading about retro fitting rear disks, the best two options seem to be solid hilux disks and i think hilux calipers plus marks transfer case park brake, or gq vented disks with subaru calipers with bulit in park brake.

now to the question, will either of these two options go onto existing stub axles with no mods, and do you use the standard rear hub at all???


thanks heaps


Lance

[beanz2]

Hi Lance, can't answer most of your questions but I know the Hilux discs will fit on the rear hubs if you machine a bit of material off the back.

Have you considered a rear diff off a 1993 or newer 75 series? Those come with disc brakes and have built in park brakes. The park brakes don't work all that great though.

For the front, HZJ75 discs will fit but they are the same size as your 73. Are you using a master cylinder from an HZJ too? When I upgraded my HJ75 to HZJ front calipers (and 80 series master), the stopping power went up heaps better.

Dave

[MY45]

Bluey just whack on an 80 series master cyclinder. I have one on my 40 and can lock up all 4 37's on the tar Try that and if you are still looking for more stopping power go the other opions.

[joel HJ60]

Bluey just whack on an 80 series master cyclinder. I have one on my 40 and can lock up all 4 37's on the tar Try that and if you are still looking for more stopping power go the other opions.

Would this work on a 60 as well? What's a second hand 80s MC go for?

[MY45]

Bluey just whack on an 80 series master cyclinder. I have one on my 40 and can lock up all 4 37's on the tar Try that and if you are still looking for more stopping power go the other opions.

Would this work on a 60 as well? What's a second hand 80s MC go for?

Should be fine on the 60, i got a new one for about $100 if my memory is right. Just go new and them u should never have to worry about it again.

[joel HJ60]

$100 for a new one is reasonable! Thanks mate. Joel

[Bluey]

thanks for the replies guys. brakes got so bad last time offroading i ran the car in reverse when winching other vehicles so i wouldn't slide towards them. of cause i ended up busting a cv recovering a 100 series

sounds like trying master cylinder first would be a good step. do i need a 80 series booster as well MY45 or can i bolt it to my existing booster? i do also have another booster, think it is a 60 series one, think it produces more pressure but didn't work with my standard master cylinder.


Lance

[andrewfarmer]

Plumb another booster in series with the existing one.
Something like a VH44 would work well.

[80UTE]

I fitted an 80 booster and master cylinder to my 75 and it made a huge inprovement to the brakes. Ive made up rear disc conversions for 40's, 60's and 75's for years now and my kit is a straight bolt up job with no mods to the housing hubs etc etc. The only mod is to reshape the brake line to the caliper. My kit uses solid Hilux disc rotors and calipers.

Wally

[dow50r]

Gday Lance
Apparently, (i heard this from another list) an 80 booster will fit on the 7*, but you need to extend the rod that the pedal connects to, to get the pedal back to the correct height.
The 80 booster will make the pedal effort easier, so u can put more pressure into the system with the right foot.....
On a 60 series, the 80 booster bolts in without any mods needed.....ive done that b4 and got heaps better brakes as you have heard b4.
Im wondering if you are loosing vacuum or your booster is r/s....

[beanz2]

I fitted an 80 master and booster into my 75. Extended the rod with a union nut and threaded rod. The fluid level warning connector had to be changed to a newer style. The brake works heaps better.

But to use an 80 master, be sure you also have rear disc brakes or you will need to pump the brake pedal to stop. Did you guys down under ever got rear drum brakes in the 80?

Dave

[80UTE]

We did get drum brake 80's in Aus the early 90 DX ( base modle ) with a 3F engine was one that i came across when doing a V8 conversion and when building my 80UTE i brought a complete early 80 rolling chassis with 1HZ engine and it had rear drum brakes also.

Wally

[Bluey]

Thanks for the replies chaps, very helpful.

Andrew, not sure about loosing vacuum/dodgey booster, haven't really checked that yet. maybe i should.

glad you piped up about the rar discs Dave otherwise i would have gone ahead and bought 80 series booster/master cyclinder and then wondered why it didnt work properly.

don't have rear discs atm, was thinking about that rear disc setup you do Wally. but then i need a handbrake setup, 80 series booster/master cyclinder and just don't have the cash for all that now.


Lance

[MY45]

I fitted an 80 master and booster into my 75. Extended the rod with a union nut and threaded rod. The fluid level warning connector had to be changed to a newer style. The brake works heaps better.

But to use an 80 master, be sure you also have rear disc brakes or you will need to pump the brake pedal to stop. Did you guys down under ever got rear drum brakes in the 80?

Dave

You dont need to have disks on the rear if you have a proportioning valve, i run an adjustable one from rocket industries.

[plowy]

80% of braking is done buy the front brakes so it would be flash to have disc on the back but not necassary
also a good option is the braided brake lines as they don't flex like the rubber ones making sure there is more prssure at the calipers

[80UTE]

80% of braking is done buy the front brakes so it would be flash to have disc on the back but not necassary
also a good option is the braided brake lines as they don't flex like the rubber ones making sure there is more prssure at the calipers

I developed rear disc conversions about 18 years ago as not many of the 4B's had rear disc's, due to be doing a lot of mud driving there was too much maintenance required on the rear brakes. Once the discs were fitted the need to pull all the brakes apart after an outing was gone and to change a set of disc pads was a 10 min job. As for braided brake lines the std rubber lines are braided so i assume you refered to stainless braided type this does not increase the pressure at the caliper ( have you heard of Pascals Law, first recognized by the French scientist Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), says that when pressure is applied to an enclosed fluid, the pressure is transmitted undiminished to every point of the fluid and to the walls of the container.) The pedal pressure is the only way to increase pressure the braided line gives you a higher pedal as the hose does not expand like a std braided rubber line.

wally

[plowy]

yes i meant stainless braided lines

[beanz2]

I fitted an 80 master and booster into my 75. Extended the rod with a union nut and threaded rod. The fluid level warning connector had to be changed to a newer style. The brake works heaps better.

But to use an 80 master, be sure you also have rear disc brakes or you will need to pump the brake pedal to stop. Did you guys down under ever got rear drum brakes in the 80?

Dave

You dont need to have disks on the rear if you have a proportioning valve, i run an adjustable one from rocket industries.

I respectfully disagree. I've fitted a 4 wheel disc 80 series master and booster to my HJ75 which had drum brakes at the time. The master cylinder has its residual proportioning valves (RPV) calibrated for disc brakes front and rear. A disc RPV maintains a much lower - app. 2psi - residual line pressure in the circuit than a drum brake RPV - app. 7 psi . The rear drums have return springs that have to be countered with a higher value RPV or the springs force most of the fluid in the brake cylinders to return to the master. This is what happened to mine. Everytime the brakes were applied, it took several pumps on the pedal to fill up the brake cylinders. If the RPV was correct for drum brakes, it wouldn't have taken several pumps on the pedal.

Hope that wasn't too confusing

Dave

[dow50r]

I fitted an 80 master and booster into my 75. Extended the rod with a union nut and threaded rod. The fluid level warning connector had to be changed to a newer style. The brake works heaps better.

But to use an 80 master, be sure you also have rear disc brakes or you will need to pump the brake pedal to stop. Did you guys down under ever got rear drum brakes in the 80?

Dave

You dont need to have disks on the rear if you have a proportioning valve, i run an adjustable one from rocket industries.

I respectfully disagree. I've fitted a 4 wheel disc 80 series master and booster to my HJ75 which had drum brakes at the time. The master cylinder has its residual proportioning valves (RPV) calibrated for disc brakes front and rear. A disc RPV maintains a much lower - app. 2psi - residual line pressure in the circuit than a drum brake RPV - app. 7 psi . The rear drums have return springs that have to be countered with a higher value RPV or the springs force most of the fluid in the brake cylinders to return to the master. This is what happened to mine. Everytime the brakes were applied, it took several pumps on the pedal to fill up the brake cylinders. If the RPV was correct for drum brakes, it wouldn't have taken several pumps on the pedal.

Hope that wasn't too confusing

Dave

Gday Dave
i ran this setup on my 60 series with rear drums no problem....definately from a 4w disc 80 series setup....maybe you had some trapped air in there.....they are a PITA to bleed....
Andrew

[beanz2]

Gday Dave
i ran this setup on my 60 series with rear drums no problem....definately from a 4w disc 80 series setup....maybe you had some trapped air in there.....they are a PITA to bleed....
Andrew

Hmmm, this is not the first time I've been wrong but when I fitted a rear disc brake diff, my brake pedal stopped falling to the floor.

Dave