Better brakes for the LJ

[I Lean]

Just remembering something. Few weeks ago, my buddy Tim, who has ridden tens of thousands of miles in the passenger seat of my LJ, riding shotgun. State highway, cruising 70, spaced off and blew past our turn. Hauled her down to turn around and Tim said "ain't never felt the Jeep stop like that before!".

Sums it up pretty well.

- DAA

That one makes me smile a little.

 

[astjp2]

Well I have the Elocker in my family room, 30 spline shafts for the HP 30 and 4.56 gears on the way, still need ball joints, brake pads and a few misc items and I will have a new diff for the LJ. I am hoping the higher pinion will allow me to reduce the angle and keep the sway bar brackets from hitting the steering when I am wheeling. I also hope it will solve my bent axle problem. BRR-236 Rotors are ordered from Amazon, I still need wheel bearings, ball joints, and brake pads. I am split between the z23-1455 and the z26-1455 pads, it seems like the 26's are a better pad for a couple of dollars more. Tim

Does anyone want to come over to the shop and install new lockers and gears in my Diff's some weekend? I would provide beer afterwards and Prime rib dinner! I will have the diff's removed and out on the bench.

 

[astjp2]

Brake pads are ordered, went with the Raybestos SP1455PS on advice from Blaine Johnson of black majic brakes.

 

[astjp2]

I dont know what is wrong with junk yards these days, I ordered a used caliper mount for a 330 mm rotor, and they send me one for the 350 mm one. it was almost $40, not worth the headache to send back, so I just did the rock auto thing for the same money. ?

 

[astjp2]

Ok, where did you get the bolts to mount the calipers? I went to Marshalls, they have the 14x2.0mm but the calipers are supposed to have 14x1.5mm, in 10.9, also where are people getting the washers for spacers? I need .180", .187" are too thick and rub...Tim

 

[DAA]

I ordered the bolts online. Lots of places have them but I think I used Belmetric.

Washers for spacers? No idea.

- DAA

 

[astjp2]

Well I goofed up and bought 16mm bolts instead of 14mm so I will just take them back. They only had 8.8 in stock which should be strong enough but I am now going to just get the bolts from Belmetric once I figure out the proper length. I also discovered that an AN960 washer added to a stanndard washer will equal .181" thick so I have all of about $2 invested in the spacers. Well I am slowly trudging on. Tim

 

[astjp2]

Belmetric bolts are on the way!

 

[DAA]

Brake story with a happy ending...

Cruising through a green light at about 35 MPH. All the sudden right in front of me in the middle of the intersection, there is a lady in a shiny new little shit box that had gone through her red light, coming to a stop as she realized she was about to T-bone a car that was oncoming to me. Setup perfectly for ME to T-bone HER. LJ came to a complete stop with maybe 4" between the winch guard on my front bumper and her driver side window.

Absolutely no doubt in my mind I'd have slammed into her with the old brakes. And given the height of my bumper and the height of her face, it would have been bad.

Thanks again Carl!

- DAA

 

[I Lean]

Brake story with a happy ending...

Cruising through a green light at about 35 MPH. All the sudden right in front of me in the middle of the intersection, there is a lady in a shiny new little shit box that had gone through her red light, coming to a stop as she realized she was about to T-bone a car that was oncoming to me. Setup perfectly for ME to T-bone HER. LJ came to a complete stop with maybe 4" between the winch guard on my front bumper and her driver side window.

Absolutely no doubt in my mind I'd have slammed into her with the old brakes. And given the height of my bumper and the height of her face, it would have been bad.

Thanks again Carl!

- DAA

If all the other anecdotes weren't enough, this one incident TOTALLY justified your upgrade.

 

[UNSTUCK]

Where's that parts list again?

 

[I Lean]

Where's that parts list again?

Page 1, post 1 of this thread.

 

[UNSTUCK]

I knew that, silly. Guess I should have put a smiley up.

 

[phatfoto]

I first saw this upgrade over at Cherokeeforum.com a few years ago. I've gone back and looked into it a number of times since. But it is quite nice to know someone LOCAL has done this swap and that it works as expected. Lucky me, I have the early XJ knuckles in question, on hand. I've never been happy with the stock brakes on my 95 ZJ, regardless of pad or rotors used. Part of me has considered just doing a WJ front axle and steering swap all at once. I've even considered JK axle swapping as well. But no budget for that at present. Larger brakes will require wheel change, as I have XJ 15" wheels right now...

 

[DAA]

These brakes have been one of my more favorite mods. Up there with the 32 gallon gas tank. Every time I feel the need, or just want, to step on them, and feel the stopping power, I smile.

- DAA

 

[astjp2]

rear axle has new brackets, front will be back with new lockers and 4.56’s then assemble with the new brakes

 

[astjp2]

Jk upper bushings, need to just install everything, then the front is done. Shop that did the gears in the rear didn’t flush out the grit from the sand blaster, so now I get to pull the carrier and flush…

 

[astjp2]

More hiccups, the 30 spline carrier dana 30 bearings were installed on the carrier, but we missed the fact that the inner seal needed to be a d44 seal. Then I was putting in the short side shafts, and it was 1/8” too long so I either need to cut the shaft or figure out what changed with the elocker. Then the brake rotor didn’t fit over the hub, it will be some lathe work there. So pressing on! Shafts were new in the box revolution…

 

[astjp2]

It was about .050 oversized on the hub, a few light passes and good to go!

 

[astjp2]

Didn’t clear the new shock mounts.