SSBC Dana 35-c Disc Brake Coversion Kit

So, I just got this kit in the mail today and I must say...I think I'm in for a ride with this one.
-They sent me a new Master Cylinder, which I believe to be totally unecessary on a 2001 and was not listed on the kit contents list.
- They have no instructions on what vehicle all of their stuff is stock from so you can't order pads and rotors except through them (I contacted them asking for this information, we'll see how that goes).
- The mounting brackets they sent for the hard line/soft line connection dont fit the soft lines and they left out the forks.
- I'm a little ticked they have you reuse the hardware to mount their caliper brackets.
- They instruct you to more or less deactivate the proportioning valve instead of giving you a shorter spring.
- The kit contents says "bearings, lines and seals" but all I got were the hard lines that come off of the T on the axel and 2 short soft lines which I would like to replace.

I'm going to call Quadratec tomorrow too...I think this is going to be a bad experiance.

(this is the list of contents from Quadratec)
Single-piston aluminum calipers with built in parking brake and a 45mm piston

10.5” x .9375” rotors

pads

caliper mounting brackets
splash shields

lines
bearings, seals and necessary hardware

i pulled all my zj disc stuff at the junkyard along with getting some new bearings and tj backing plates and new pads and rotors

For what they charge for that kit you shouldn't have any issues like you are having.

The master cylinder isn't dual diaphragm, its the booster.

duh...

any idea if this disqualifies me from using a Super -35 kit? Supposedly some of those only work with drum brakes...

Why go with the Super 35 over the 8.25? Even with the upgrades offered by the Super kit the housing and tubes on the 8.25 are still stronger. No to mention cost wise. You can probably find a good used 29 spline 8.25 for $75-$100. I don't see why this kit wouldn't work on a 8.25. The bolt pattern is the same and the parts look like ZJ or Explorer brake components. When transferring a ZJ brake setup to an 8.25 all you need to do is open up the hole in the backing plate for the axle tube a bit.

I have no easy way to get a new axel home from somewhere that would sell me one reasonably...and none of the local yards will sell me an axel without the other axel and without wheels...ie...minimum price ~$900+

Ok, for future searchers looking to drop $$ on this kit...
these people are a mess, forgot to ship my rotors, the brackets for the parking brake don't have the correct size hole, this can be fixed, but I was not prepared to do it when and where I was, so this was a major setback.

-The master cylinder is nice, but the bracket for the proportioning valve doesn't fit it. You will have to remove the bracket or cut it to fit the larger diameter.
-They screwed up my master cylinder hardlines, put the wrpng fittings on the prop valve end. I had no desire to learn to cut, bend and flare hardlines at 2AM so I dumped their whole MC setup and went back to stock. Hopefully they will send me the right lines and I'll do the upgrade....again...
-Because of the position of the parking brake attachment on the calipers the cables are stretched to the max, one or both will probably need to be lengthened, esp. the driver side. Mind you this is not a parking brake adjustment, this is the fixed length sheath that contains the moving cable that is too short.

They are getting a phone call in the AM, but for $1k, this is not what one should expect.

Wow, that's really disappointing. After doing some poking around on their website and reading the article about them in ORA, I figured they had their act together and was considering them for a brake upgrade somewhere along the way. You would think that for as much as they charge for their kits, they would at least try test fitting them on the vehicle they were intended for prior to distributing them. Think my mind has been officially changed... (you did buy the correct kit, right?)

I did the tera-flex kit and it was no better. leaks ,wrong parts, caliper bolts that you couldn,t get a wrench on, more leaks, more leaks, preload spacer not thick enough, bad info on wheel stud size, more leaks stud heads hitting springs on parking brake. parking brake marginal at that,more leaks, I didn't know I would be doing my own r&d to make all this stuff work. Finally after some machine work, more hunting at junk yards the brakes work, and great at that !!!! But the hassel of getting there was a bit of a PITA for what I paid for the kit . Here is a helpful hint , Use mosser bearing retainers, much easier for the on and off of the axel and make sure you use sealer on the axel seal outer edge. makes life alot easier.

So, the final word on this is..."sucks for you"...to explain a little better I was told that, "Every Jeep that comes off the assembly line isn't the same, the factory workers just grab whatever parts are on hand and throw them together to make a working vehicle, they aren't concerned with what you might have to do with it down the line or with standardization, therefore, we can not be responsible if our kit doesn't fit your application."

The parts in this kit were good...I wouldn't necessarily say that you shouldn't get it, but be prepared to troubleshoot (this isn't a Vanco PBS product --shameless plug--) and overcome SSBC's oversights. I am frustrated because I wound up putting 12 hours into this project just to not have the ability to install a critical component because of the fit (bracket) and hard line issue. I was without my primary vehicle for days when this should have been an easy job. I'll update tomorrow on the success of the MC install and the final product...and how much extra it cost me to have someone else do the MC install.

ugh...I'll bring back this thread with some new developments. They suck, my rear drums were shot, and for a while I was just riding on the front Vanco conversions, with few issues. Now that I am swapped over and broken in, the performance is worse than with just front discs. I'm concerned because they had me dump the spring out of the prop valve, but really, I tried it with the XJ and ZJ springs and without, and I couldn't tell the difference. The pedal has little travel and the vehicle doesn't come close to where I was before. Not even close to locking up the wheels...I can't think of anything except maybe putting the ZJ spring back in and bleeding it again.

that sucks you should have gone with the zj brakes. it only took a wire brush and a rattle can to make them look new and from a junk yard the parts only cost me 60

are you leaking fluid? check all of the fittings for leaks and your sure you don't have a bubble any where?

wow, you must have the most expensive d35 out there, considering you still have stock gearing, stock shafts, and no locker.

http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1018307

89xj said:

wow, you must have the most expensive d35 out there, considering you still have stock gearing, stock shafts, and no locker.

http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1018307

Click to expand...

I hate my life....

no fluid leaks, it doesn't feel like an air issue

This kit needs an adjustable prop valve. The Grand Cherokee setup doesnt direct enough pressure, while an open system directs a little too much. Your results may vary, but removal of the spring from the distribution block, along with the removal of the rubber gasket on the piston directs full pressure to the rear allowing these things to work. I'll have an adjustable valve in the mail soon to see if I can fine tune it to stop the spin under heavy braking loads. SSBC was good to work with on this and we finally solved my problems.arty:

You will be using the stock prop valve in open operation in conjunction with the adjustable p-valve then? What does the piston do when the spring is removed?

Talyn said:

You will be using the stock prop valve in open operation in conjunction with the adjustable p-valve then? What does the piston do when the spring is removed?

Click to expand...

Without the spring, under pressure, the piston cuts off all or most flow to the rear. Removing the rubber washer allows for free flow. I'm not exactly sure what the adjustable valve will require or how it will fit into the system.