Another Disc brake install

[Talyn]

Locking up your brakes doesn't mean crap. In fact, your front brakes should lock before your rears do. If your rears lock first your brake system isn't working correctly.

 

[multmigs]

I'm sure I am only going to say what one hundred other guys will say but, I did the same swap onto my '89. You don't NEED the P-valve. I have been running mine for a year with 34s and the brakes work fine. Scout the Craigslits and and other similar forums. You will find the parts cheap. basic hand tools and a jack or two will score you some serious stopping power. I just took the coils springs off the end off my E brake cables as illustrated in Eric Zappe's book and used the exact same tiny u bolts to secure them. worked great!! Your install looks great. clean, simple, functional. What els can a Jeep guy/gal ask for? Nice work.:firedevil

Can you explain better how to remove the end spring of the Ebrake cables, i can't figure out how to get them removed from the front adjuster bracket still so i'm stuck on this part and have no Ebrake

 

[Vanquish]

Locking up your brakes doesn't mean crap. In fact, your front brakes should lock before your rears do. If your rears lock first your brake system isn't working correctly.

Easy Tiger.

Fact is when you're on the brakes and your weight shifts forward, you should be able to lock the rears on gravel relatively easy. I couldn't get the rears to lock even on gravel before I played with the valve.

Point was, fix the valve.

 

[JNickel101]

Wondering what the hell kind of driving y'all do where you need to lock your brakes up on a regular basis.....especially on gravel....next you'll say you couldn't lock them up in snow/ice too....

....then I'll be really scared.

 

[Talyn]

Fact is when you're on the brakes and your weight shifts forward, you should be able to lock the rears on gravel relatively easy. I couldn't get the rears to lock even on gravel before I played with the valve.

Its still doesn't give any indication of braking performance.

 

[CharlesS]

Can you explain better how to remove the end spring of the Ebrake cables, i can't figure out how to get them removed from the front adjuster bracket still so i'm stuck on this part and have no Ebrake

When I did the disc brake conversion on my '98 8.25; I used a dremel with an abrasive cutting wheel and cut each turn of the coils.... While this was tedious.. I was able to retain the button on the end of the cable...

As for how to remove the end of the cable from the front parking brake adjuster arm; you can loosen the parking brake adjuster nut until you can remove each cable from the equalizer bracket, then use a small hose clamp to apply equal pressure on the cable retainer removing it from the backing plate and slip the button end out of the parking brake adjuster arm

 

[seanyb505]

Anyone have any reason that you cant use the ZJ cables on the XJ? Mounting them to the ebrake lever on the backing plate wouldnt be a problem, and they look like they would match the bracket where the XJ cable splits into two.

 

[smcdonaldaz]

Doug, did you happen to write down the part number for the longer wheel studs? The studs on my donor were rusted in.

Thanks!

 

[TekkaMaki]

Thanks for the post Doug, I subscribed to it last month and just got my rear discs done yesterday. They work great, better than stock, even without swapping the proportioning valve yet. Still need parking brake cables and to do something better with the hard lines.

Anyone thinking about doing this go to your junkyard now! My local pick & pull was loaded with C4C ZJ's. They had 18 Grands lined up all with orange painted engines, 4 or 5 WJ's too, it's kinda disgusting since most of them were worth more than my XJ. But I did get my parts from a ZJ that just had a brake job, brand new pads and the rotors were still shiny.

 

[spinnerdog]

For parking brake cables why not call Control Cables in santa Fe Springs California
(562) 949-0455 They make brake cables of all sizes and shapes

 

[CMAHON]

"Anyone have any reason that you cant use the ZJ cables on the XJ? Mounting them to the ebrake lever on the backing plate wouldnt be a problem, and they look like they would match the bracket where the XJ cable splits into two."

The cables are to short.

 

[DougJ]

Doug, did you happen to write down the part number for the longer wheel studs? The studs on my donor were rusted in.

Thanks!

I didn't get a part number ahead of time and I don't have my reciept from NAPA handy, but I just asked for rear wheel studs from a 94-98 Grand Cherokee. Same thing I did for the rotors, pads etc. It won't be an issue for you. I did have one of the ones I took from the ZJ axles at the P&P to compare it to though. In the pics you can see that I have two new studs on each wheel and the rest are from the ZJ. The backing plate studs are longer too as you can see.

EDIT: Just jumped on the NAPA site and got this # for a '97 ZJ with rear disc, rear wheel stud: BK 6411116

I'm glad this post was of some use! I sure like having discs all around now. Even if my braking power hadn't improved like it did I still think it would be a good mod.

I still haven't got to my parking brake yet. To much going on and I haven't been driving the Jeep much. I think I'll just mod my stock cables for now and look at KJ cables if I don't like that.

 

[smcdonaldaz]

But I did get my parts from a ZJ that just had a brake job, brand new pads and the rotors were still shiny.

Mine too, and on 1/2 price day too!

 

[smcdonaldaz]

Thanks Doug! I'm just going to buy 10 new studs and call it done.

As far as cables go, I'm going to go the wrap and clamp route.

 

[DougJ]

Good call smcdonaldaz, Studs are cheap!

Well, catching up on this thread got me motivated to finish what I started! I crawled under there tonight when I got home and went ahead and hooked up the stock cables. I picked up a couple of 1/8" cable clips at OSH on the way home so I too could "wrap and clamp".

Easy Job, I ended up cutting the return springs to 3 1/4" and they work perfectly, very positive return. I failed measure the length of the cables where I bent them, but I would guess it was at about 1 1/4' to 1 3/8" from the ends. I left the swaged ends in place.

The drive up to my house is quite steep and the parking brake was working very well on the first test before I even adjusted the shoes. I did adjust them of course after I made a few pulls on the handle. The brakes work super.

STILL not really finished though, I need to weld on a couple of small tabs for soft line mount points.

Doug

 

[camarors8992]

Is there any way you can post a few more closer pics ? I'm about to buy an entire rear brake setup I want to swap onto my 98 and would benefit greatly from some more detail photos of stuff like the brake lines, or parking brake cables ?

BTW it looks like you did a clean job, well done.

 

[multmigs]

I may have a spare set of the backing plates and calipers for cheap, if anyone wants them shoot me a PM

 

[altierior]

I may have a spare set of the backing plates and calipers for cheap, if anyone wants them shoot me a PM

interested. pm sent.

 

[XJ runner]

I just finished my disc brake conversion. I swapped the p-valve right off the bat, before I even test drove it. My brakes work perfectly. Stops twice as fast and the fronts will still lock up before the rears. I am impressed with my brakes now :cheers:

 

[Fastdemise]

The one thing I'm serious about is what people have done about mounting the soft lines. Mine have just been using the strength of the steel lines to keep them in place.