You have added a lift, some traction adding
differentials, and now you have slapped on some bigger meats.
Uh oh... the rig does not stop quite like it used to. You
need a little extra whooa to slow that puppy down. Stainless
Steel Brakes Corporation may have the solution. Follow along
as we install their rear disk brake conversion kit on Project
RocKready.
Most people do not even think about upgrading their
brakes. After you have spent time and effort, not to mention
hard earned money, on everything else that you want for your rig,
the brakes are usually just taken for granted. Rear disk
brakes offer a good bit more stopping power on your 4x4. As
an added bonus, they are much easier to service and maintain than
drum brakes. The kit that we got from Stainless Steel even
comes with calipers that have a built in mechanical parking
brake.
This article walks you through a step by step process
of how to remove your stock drum brake setup and install the
new disk brake kit. The first step of course is to get rid of
the original brakes. Jack up your vehicle and place it on
jack stands. Remove the rear wheels (and in my case spacers)
and place them out of the way. Next take off your rear
brake drums, the following step is the nastiest part to me.
You have to drain your rear end because a 12 bolt axle is a c-clip
design, it uses c-clips to retain the axles in the housing.
Drain your oil and dispose of it properly. Now would also be
a good time to check your ring and pinion gears for any broken
teeth or improper wear that may need to be fixed. Once you
have this completed, the fun begins!
Complete kit including all parts and
rotors.
Click image for full size photo
Installation breakdown included in the
instructions.
Click image for full size photo
Since I have a Detroit Locker in my rear axle, the
next step for me is easier than if you have an open differential or
a limited slip. What you have to do, no matter what axle you
have, is remove the cross shaft and any other parts that are in the
way so you can remove the c-clips to get the axle shafts themselves
out. Once the cross shaft and "guts" have been removed, you
push each axle shaft in towards the differential, then the c-clips
will be exposed and easily removed with a magnet or a small
pick. Once that is done the axle shafts will just pull right
out of the housing.
Stock axle with the rear brake
drum removed.
Click image for full size
picture
Draining that great smelling gear
oil from the pumpkin.
Click image for full size
picture
Detroit Locker with cross shaft
ready for removal.
Click image for full size picture
Removal of c-clip from the
differential with a telescoping magnet.
Click image for full size picture
Once you have gotten the axles out, it's also a good
time to check your rear wheel bearings and seals. You have to
remove the axles to replace them, so if there is any question about
them, now is the time to change them. I replaced mine with
Timken bearings and seals. Next you will need to remove your
old drum brake components. First I took off the parking brake
cables from the frame brackets. Then it was time to
disconnect the hard lines on the housing from where they connect to
your distribution block on the end of the rear brake line. I
had made a couple of plugs for my distribution block so that I
could keep all my brake fluid from draining out while I was doing
the rest of the install. I purchased a short piece of brake
line with the proper flare and fittings on each end, split it in
half and crushed and rolled the ends to keep it from leaking.
Now you can remove the existing
hard lines from the axle housing and the brake wheel cylinder on
the back of each drum brake housing. Once they are removed
(you won't need them since the kit comes with new hard lines and
short, flexible lines for the brake calipers) You can now remove
the 4 bolts that hold the whole drum brake assembly onto the axle
housing on each side. Then you remove the whole brake
assembly as one piece. It was much easier than taking the
drum brakes apart. Now you have to remove the parking brake
cables from the housings ( this is a PAIN and there is no easy way
to do it. You just have to wrestle with it till you get it
out).
*** Please note, In certain
applications, such as with Lift Kits, the stock parking brake cable
may not be compatible with this disc brake kit. It is the
installer's responsibility to supply proper parking brake cables in
this situation.***
Axle, wheel bearing and seal are removed.
You can also see the four bolts that hold the backing plate
on.
Click image for full size picture
Here is the stock parking brake attached to the
tab on the frame of the K5.
Click image for full size picture
Rear brake hose where the hard lines connect for
each wheel.
Click image for full size photo
Stock brakes completely removed
as well as the wheel bearings.
Click image for full size photo
Now that all the stock components have been
removed it's time to put everything back together again. If
you have decided to replace your wheel bearings at this
stage, I would highly suggest that you take the time to make
an axle tube scraper to remove some of the built up gunk and crud
that tends to accumulate inside the axle housing, especially if you
have ever had a bearing or seal fail. If oil can get out,
water and dirt can get in. I made one out of a piece of brake
tube and some scrap metal. It's basically just a half moon
shaped piece of flat steel welded onto the end of about a three
foot piece of brake tubing. This is what I used to scrape and drag
all the crud out of the axle tube. After doing this,
reinstall your wheel bearings and seals.
The disk brake kit includes a set of simple and
thorough instructions, making the installation hassle free. There
is even a toll free tech support number to call should you have any
questions or difficulty during installation. I had to call it
twice and got quick, accurate answers to my questions. The
first thing you need to install on the housing is the caliper
mounting bracket. It mounts using four 3/8" bolts and lock
nuts, which are included in the kit. The brackets are
supposed to be labeled left and right, however if you find this
isn't done, the instructions tell you how to make sure they are
mounted in the proper direction. Install the lock nuts on the
bolts and torque them to the spec's in the instructions.
There are four large holes on the outside edges of the mounting
brackets, take the 7/16" bolts included in the kit and install them
through the backing plate. Next slide a large spacer onto
each bolt and install the caliper splash shield followed by the
actual caliper mounting straps. On the bottom bolt closest to
the front end of the vehicle you will also need to slide the
parking brake cable mounting bracket over the bolt, then put on the
supplied lock nuts and torque them to spec's.
Home made axle scraper doing its
thing.
Click image for full size photo
Mounting plate mounted to the
flange on the axle tube.
Click image for full size photo
Large bolts, spacers and caliper splash shield on
the backing plate.
Click image for full size photo
Caliper mounting straps placed on after the splash
shield.
Click image for full size photo
Parking brake mounting bracket
on and bolts tightened to torque spec's with lock nuts.
Click image for full size photo
All caliper mounting components
installed and ready for brake calipers.
Click image for full size photo
Now that all the mounting brackets are installed,
you can re-install the axle shafts, differential components and
re-fill with gear oil. Next you need to take the brake rotors
and spray them liberally with brake cleaner to remove the
protective packing coating. Slide the rotors on to the axle
shaft and install six rotor bushings over the lug studs and tap
them into the rotor holes. Temporarily secure the rotor with
one of the wheel lug nuts put on backwards.
It is now time to mount the brake calipers.
Install the calipers so that the parking brake levers are pointing
down. Slide them over the rotor and line up the holes in the
caliper mounting straps with the holes in the calipers. Mount them
with the included 12mm x 1" bolt and torque them to spec.
***Please note that my calipers would not center
on the rotor. After calling tech support I was instructed to use
flat washers as spacers until they were centered. This worked
perfectly and the washers were the only part not included in the
kit***
Next you will install the flex hoses
to the caliper using the supplied banjo bolts and copper
washers. Torque them to spec and you are ready to bend and
install the new steel brake lines.
Since the brake calipers have to be connected to
flexible line (because they move a little when the brakes are
applied), the kit includes new hard lines that you have to bend to
fit. The kit also includes short, flexible brake lines to
attach to the calipers and the hard lines. The hard brake
lines come with the spring cover over their full length and it was
very easy to bend them into shape by hand. I did have to
shorten and re-flair the passenger side line, but it was very easy
to do. Once bent, install them on your axle housing using the
same welded on clips that the old ones came out of. Now you
may hook up your parking brake cables. Take all the slack out
of your parking brake cable adjuster, feed the cable under the axle
and through the hole in the cable mounting bracket. Push the
outer cable lock into the hole and make sure it snaps in. Now
attach the ends of the cable to the parking brake lever on the
caliper and for the moment, just tighten up the cable
adjuster enough to take the slack out of the cables. The final
adjustment will be made after the brakes are bled.
Stock brake lines going to the stock drum brake on
the passenger rear tire.
Click image for full size photo
New hard line attached to short flexible line on
brake caliper. Parking brake cable attached.
Click image for full size photo
There is usually a modification to the
distribution block (sometimes known as the proportioning valve)
that is required on disk brake swaps. I called the Tech
Support people and was advised that on my particular vehicle that
no modifications to this block would be necessary. Upon
discovering this, the next step was to fully bleed the
brakes. Since the front system was not modified, I only
needed to bleed the rear and I accomplished this by the gravity
method (and with some help from a friend). If your brake
fluid has turned brown or muddy looking, it's time to replace
it. The change in color occurs as it absorbs water, so
if it's not clear, change your fluid! Once you have bled the
brake system, you can now make the final adjustments to the parking
brake. Pump the brake pedal about 40 times and then tighten
your parking brake adjustment until the brakes have a slight drag
at two clicks of the foot pedal. The brake should not create
any drag when the pedal is released.
Now the most important part. TEST
DRIVING. Find a safe place to test drive your vehicle.
I used an old school parking lot on the weekend and took the K5
there on a trailer. Drive slowly and apply the brakes
gently, but frequently, to seat the pads. Do not use
anti-squeak adhesive on the back of the pads. This will
degrade the performance of the caliper. Do not drive until
the brakes stop the truck without feeling spongy. If the
brakes do not operate correctly, contact one of the technicians at
customer support for assistance.
Below are
some pictures of the individual components of the system as well as
a shot of the whole kit , installed and ready to run.
As far as the stopping performance goes, the
Stainless Steel disk brakes are right on the money. I ran
trial stops from 40 mph, before the installation using the stock
drum brakes and then after installation of the Stainless Steel disk
brakes. The results on average were about 12 feet, more or
less, of a shorter stopping distance in favor of the Stainless
Steel disk brakes. I only ran trials from 40 mph due to the
limited area in the parking lot. The disk brakes make it
easier to feel when the rear end is going to lock up, giving me
much more control of the braking. I am extremely pleased with
the experience I've had since installing the Stainless Steel disk
brakes.
Any questions or comments, please
feel free to e-mail me at the address below.
See ya on the trails!
Glenn
depdog@off-road.com
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