BrakesThe brakes are common Ford and Chevy design parts and are readily available (and inexpensive) locally as well as on line. After-market manufacturers also produce pads, rotors and calipers so 'upgrades' are also available. A larger brake master cylinder and an after-market adjustable proportioning valve are also required to accommodate the larger volume calipers.
Pieces:
1)
Jeep J10/Chevy K10 Suburban front brakesPads - Wilwood PolyMatrix E Compound Brake Pads 15E-6102K
Rotors - StopTech Cryo Brake Rotors 127-68000CL, 127-68000CR (drilled/slotted, 1.25")
Calipers - Wilwood GM D52 Dual Piston Caliper Kits, for 1.25" rotor 140-11290-R
Lines - Wilwood Brake Flexline Kits 220-11718 (20")
Alternative:
Pads - Hawk HB103F-590, Wilwood BP-10 Compound 150-8939K
Rotors - Summit Racing StopTech PSR-8400PSL, PSR-8400PSR
Calipers - Raybestos RC4071, RC4072; Napa CAL SE4597, CAL SE4596 (semi-loaded, calipers & hardware), for 1.25" rotor 2.94" piston; Southwest Speed - NEW D52 Brake Caliper & Pad Set with Pins, for 1.28" rotor 203-6241, 2.81" piston
Jeep J10 1974-1975, Chevy K10 Suburban - 1971-1978. These are not the only vehicles these rotors and calipers were used on, but these seem to be the easiest to look up for parts. I usually search on '74 Jeep J10'. Calipers are model 'D52'.
There are several important things to note here:
1) Caliper piston size and master cylinder have to be matched to yield correct brake operation. There are several combinations that will yield moderately different 'pedal feel'. The primary configuration above will yield very similar 'pedal feel' to the Gen 1 Sport 3.0L 4WD brakes. (See
General below for more information)
2) Pads need to be matched to rotors.
DO NOT use OEM rotors with after-market, high friction pads.
If you choose OEM rotors - which I STRONGLY discourage - use OEM pads! If for some reason OEM rotors MUST be used, get the absolute best quality available. I highly recommend using 'cryo' (cryogenicly treated) rotors if using the Wilwood 'E' pads or an equivalent to get the longest life out of both rotors and pads.
3) Do NOT used drilled rotors on an off road vehicle - especially in a muddy, wet, sandy environment. Drilling a rotor serves only ONE purpose - that is to vent gas expelled from the pad under extreme temperatures and prevent gas build up between the rotor and pad. Gas build up creates the same 'hydroplaning' effect as water build up between a tire and the road. Drilling also decreases thermal efficiency and decreases the efficiency of a directionally vented rotor while introducing the possibility of stress/heat related fracturing. Slotting accomplishes the same thing without the drawbacks of drilling so having both is redundant
4) If a alternative brake pad is desired or required, choose a high friction pad that operates best (highest friction coefficient) in the 0-500 degree range and that will perform well up to about 1000 degrees. Any 'FF' edge code pad should be satisfactory. (See #2 above)
Note: Southwest Speed piston diameter 2.812"x1. Raybestos piston diameter 2.94"x1. OEM D52 spec 2.934"x1. Wilwood D52 piston diameter 2"x2.
Note: Wilwood 'E' pads are recommended for medium duty off-road use.
Note: Correct brake line length needs to be measured at time of build.
2)
Ford Explorer rear brakesPads - Wilwood ProMatrix Brake Pads 150-D0667K
Rotors - StopTech Cryo Brake Rotors 127-65052CL, 127-65052CR (drilled/slotted)
Calipers - RAYBESTOS FRC10630, FRC10629; Napa CAL SE5156, CAL SE5155 (semi-loaded, calipers & hardware), 1.88"x1 piston
Parking brake shoes & hardware - UP UP10766PB, UP 2979
Alternative:
Pads - Hawk HB287F-571
Rotors - Summit Racing StopTech SPH-126-65052SR, SPH-126-65052SL (slotted)
Ford Explorer 4WD rear rotors, calipers and pads - 1995-2001.
Note: Ford Explorer rotors are five lug so the rotors need to be re-drilled for the Chevy 6-5.5 pattern.
Note: The Wilwood pads should not be used with OEM rotors; they should be used in conjunction with the StopTech Cryo rotors.
Note: Drilled rotors
should not be used off road, especially in muddy/wet conditions. Use non-drilled & non-slotted) or slotted rotors.
3)
Brake master cylinder1 1/16" brake master cylinder
ACDelco 18M534
Raybestos MC39983
Mitsubishi MB699681
Alternative:
<placeholder> 1 1/8" brake master cylinder P/N<placeholder>
Dodge RAM 1500 1 1/4" brake master cylinder '98-'0? M12x1/M10x1 RAYBESTOS MC390426
Dodge RAM 1500 1 1/4" brake master cylinder '97 9/16x18/1/2x20 RAYBESTOS MC390257
(these are as yet unconfirmed by me)Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 w/ABS 1 1/16" brake master cylinder - 1991-1999? Specify late '90s for a parts search - I used 1998.
Note: The OEM manufacturer for Mitsubishi brake master cylinders is Nabco. Recommended is a new - not rebuilt - Nabco brake master cylinder. Raybestos & ACDelco source this part from Nabco. Verify manufacturer and bore size by checking the bottom of the brake master cylinder casting.
Note: OEM Mitsubishi master cylinder flare nut size: M10x1.0
Note: The 1 1/16" brake master cylinder comes with a 'cup' or filter that sits inside the reservoir. It has a top and a bottom and must be installed correctly right size up.
4)
Adjustable brake proportioning valveWilwood 260-11179
Wilwood "5-way" adjustable brake proportioning valve. Depending on several factors this may or may not be strictly necessary on non-ABS vehicles. Appropriately sized master cylinder, and front and rear calipers would not require the use of an adjustable proportioning valve. For the above noted caliper configuration, this is required.
An adjustable proportioning valve is required if the donor vehicle is equipped with ABS and an "ABS delete" is planned. The OEM ABS proportioning valve can not be used in a non-ABS system.
5)
Brake hardware3/16" steel brake line (25' roll)
3/16", 3/8x24 flare nuts
3/16", M10x1.0 flare nuts
3/8x24 Brake line t-junction (w/ mount bracket - rear axle)
L & R caliper to steel 'soft' lines (front & rear)
Rear axle to frame main 'soft' line
Brake line weld-on retainer 'tabs'
Depending on the complexity of the brake conversion, a good bit of steel line will be needed so its probably best to purchase a 25' roll considering how inexpensive it is rather than run short. New front steel lines from the proportioning valve to the front wheels, new rear lines from the calipers to the t-junction and new lines from the brake master cylinder to the proportioning valve will be needed. Brake calipers and hardware is SAE but Mitsubishi hardware is Metric so there will be an unfortunate mix of brake hardware. Something to keep in mind and to alert 3rd parties of that may be servicing the vehicle in the future.
Purchase the best quality soft lines available. Your life and the lives of others depend on these and they will take a beating over time.
Note: Depending on various pieces of hardware, flare, double flare, inverted flare or bubble flare fittings or some combination of those will be needed.
Note: The Wilwood adjustable valve noted above comes with 5 3/16" inverted flare nuts for the valve. If a different valve is to be used, additional hardware may be required.
6)
Emergency brake cablesCalifornia Cables
The Explorer uses dual cables like the OEM configuration. Unfortunately, the OEM cables are too short so they will need to be replaced with after-market units.
Measurements:
General:
There isn't a lot involved in the brakes. If one is ordering pre-built axles most of this will already be taken care of and will be unnecessary. However, even with a fully loaded set of axles, new hard lines will need to be run for the front calipers, the proportioning valve may need to be replaced as well as new hard lines run from the master cylinder to the new valve, and new soft lines will need to be run to the calipers as well as the main soft line from the chassis to the rear axle.
Strongly recommended are the slotted rotors and Hawk HPS or equivalent pads. Besides having a much longer lifespan than the OEM parts, the greatly improved braking performance will be appreciated.
The Mitsubishi 1 1/16" brake master cylinder is sized to work specifically with the Explorer and early GM single piston calipers. Any changes in caliper volume may - almost certainly will - require a change in master cylinder bore size. I recommend using Southwest Speed's D52 calipers for their slightly smaller piston diameter and because they are completely new castings. The re-manufactured calipers are getting pretty long in the tooth.
I selected the 1 1/16" brake master cylinder to work with the Explorer rear calipers and the GM D52 2.94" single piston front calipers. While this appears to work 'ok' on new rotors and pads, turning the rotors a couple (several) times shows that the brake master cylinder is still slightly undersized.
I do not recommend this configuration.Here are a few options:
1) Use the Mitsu 1 1/16" BMC with the Wilwood 2"x2 front & Explorer 1.88" rear calipers. Generally not recommended for off road use due to the lack of a 'dust seal' on the Wilwood D52 caliper.
This configuration is confirmed and yields a similar 'pedal feel' to the Gen 1 Sport 3.0L 4WD. Slightly harder and higher with a slight increase in travel and slightly more sensitive. Very linear braking. Hydraulic ratio 14:1.
2) Use the Mitsu 1 1/16" BMC with the Southwest Speed's 2.81" calipers. Untested on the road but after running this through Bill's calculator with my SAS and the Mitsu specs, this seems to be a good match. The big drawback is that the calipers are a 'custom' size and not widely available.
This should perform similar to #1. Since the piston area is slightly smaller than the Wilwood 2"x2 setup, this should yield a pedal that is just 'slightly more' of #1.
Hydraulic ratio 14:1.
3) Use a 1 1/8" BMC with the Wilwood 2"x2 front & Explorer 1.88" rear calipers. This will yield a pedal that requires a little more effort but a shorter total pedal travel. Hydraulic ratio 13:1.
4) Use a 1 1/8" BMC with the OEM GM 2.94" calipers. Untested on the road but the 1 1/8" and 1 1/4" BMCs are the size the 2.94" caliper was originally matched to. Calipers are only available re-manufactured. This is a good, cheap, suitable for off-road use alternative to #1 and should yield very similar 'pedal feel'. Hydraulic ratio 14:1.
5) Use a Dodge 1 1/4" BMC with OEM GM HD 3.15" calipers. If 'wishes were fishes', my preferred setup. This should yield a pedal that is similar to #1 but slightly firmer overall with a little less overall pedal travel. Hydraulic ratio 13:1.
This configuration should accomplish two important things over the previously discussed configurations. This should yield a slightly less sensitive pedal with a shorter overall travel (good for off road use) and it starts out with a more balanced front to rear bias. With this configuration, front/rear bias can be easily balanced with an adjustable proportioning valve. An 'unintended consequence' of this configuration is extended time between pad changes due to the thicker pads.
Master cylinder - RAYBESTOS MC390426 (M12x1, M10x1)
Calipers - WAGNER CR98954, CR98955
Pads - Wagner QuickStop ZX153, Friction Thickness of 0.662" (Inner Pad) and 0.572" (Outer Pad)
Note: These calipers are physically interchangeable with GM D52 calipers, however, the pads are not. The HD calipers require D153 pads which are thicker than D52 pads.
Source: 1979-1986 Chevy K20 Suburban V8 5.7L, '82-'86 6.2L, 8,400 Lbs GVW, RPO JB7 13" rear drum, Dodge RAM 1500 '98-'0?, 1 1/4" bore diameter
Disclaimer: All of this is based on a 6800 GVW, 42" vertical CG, 59" horizontal CG, full 'panic' stop from 80 MPH and a 60-65 lb pedal effort for maximum braking. And experience. Once a car leaves the drawing board, a large part of 'braking' is subjective. What feels good may not stop you the fastest, and what stops you the fastest may not feel good. YMMV.Any of these selections will 'work'. Effectively, what will change between them is 'pedal feel'. All five options will have a little different travel and sensitivity and all five will perform a little differently. IMHO, any of them will adequately stop the vehicle provided it is driven the way it should be driven.
"The higher the hydraulic ratio, the less pedal effort required and the longer the pedal travel. The lower the ratio, the more pedal effort required and the shorter the pedal travel." While there is a significant difference between, say, 15:1 and 13:1, there isn't a huge difference between 14:1 and 13:1. And, while mathematically quantifiable, for the average driver this will be totally subjective.
Note: The first four options require the use of an adjustable proportioning valve to reduce pressure to the rear calipers. The fifth option may or may not, but it is still recommended.
Note: Centric Parts, the manufacture of PowerSlot and SportStop rotors, has renamed the rotors to StopTech Sport rotors. Otherwise, the parts are unchanged.
Reference:
BillaVista - The Brake BibleNote: Mitsubishi Montero Sport Gen 1: Pedal ratio 4:1, Booster ratio 7:1
Pictures:
Updates:
2/22/2016:
A complete system running the above parts including the Mitsu 1 1/16" BMC, cryo slotted/drilled StopTech rotors, Wilwood D52 calipers, Wilwood D52 E and Promatrix 667 pads, and the Wilwood braided lines for the front is now in installed.
1) The 20" lines are EXACTLY spot on on my vehicle. YMMV depending on the length of the limiting straps and where the frame mount tabs are positioned, but somewhere close to 20" is probably reasonable. Note, the Wilwood lines use AN fittings which behave a little differently than standard soft brake line crimp fittings. The lines don't flex as much close to the fitting so slightly longer lines are necessary.
2) Wilwood pads REALLY need to be 'bedded'. Follow the instructions supplied by Wilwood for this process. They will also squeak until they are bedded. Don't bother calling Wilwood complaining about squeaking until you have bedded the brake pads, 'cause they'll just tell you to go do that before they'll talk to you.
Note: The E and Promatrix 667s were REALLY nosiy for the better part of 100 miles. They are quieting down quite well. I don't expect them to ever be as quiet as standard OEM type pads.
Overall, brake performance is excellent. IMHO the braking performance is better than both the Gen 1 and Gen 2 OEM brakes by a good margin. Pedal feel is comparable to the Gen 1 OEM brakes - same amount of travel, but less required pressure. I haven't tried locking the brakes up front and rear to see what the bias is like since I still do not have an adjustable proportioning valve installed but I have no doubt at this point I could lock them without a lot of effort. Under heavy braking the feel is very even front to rear and side to side - no difference at all from OEM. Braking is also very linear and very consistent from cold to hot. I disliked the cold/hot transition with the Wilwood BP pads. That is no longer noticeable with the E and Promatrix pads.
Edward