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.

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Installation breakdown included in the instructions.

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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.

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New hard line attached to short flexible line on brake caliper. Parking brake cable attached.

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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

www.stainlesssteelbrakes.com
1800 448 7722
Stainless Steel Brakes
11470 Main Street
Clarence NY 14031

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