Ke1x Brake Upgrade Tips

[camerondownunder88]

Hi,

Other weekend I did a brake up grade on my KE15 to KE70 brakes to make it stop a little better.

 

Now I followed the WiKi and what I knew and a few things I noticed that were not in the FAQ I though Id share to hopefully make less people ask less questions about the whole process.

 

Some of it might be well DAH obvious but it all helps we don't all know cars back to front up downa nd left and right and well all directions

 

Now the Wiki Article goes like this:

1. Attach KE30 disc rotors to KE20 wheel hubs. This is by four 12mm or 14mm bolts. Make sure you do them up nice and tight.

 

2. Disconnect the brake lines to the front drum.

 

3. Remove the outer part of your front drum brake.

 

4. Prise off the locknut cover with a flat head screwdriver. This is the big knobby thing right there in the middle.

 

5. There should be four bolts within the brake assembly holding the assembly to the stub axle. Undo them.

 

6. Use a pair of pliers to remove the retaining pin from the lock nut and undo it.

 

7. Remove drum assembly from car.

 

You should now be left with the drum assembly off the car and a front strut with no brakes on it. Now is a good time to replace wheel bearings.

 

8. Attach the backing plate to the four bolts that previously held the drum to the strut.

 

9. Get the hub/disc assembly you put together a few minutes ago.

 

10. Put this new assembly onto the stub axle.

 

11. Fit the locknut but not tight and don’t bother fitting the retaining pin yet.

 

12. Attach the caliper (and new pads) to the backing plate and over the disc.

 

13. Hook up the KE30 brake line onto the bracket on the KE10 strut (this will screw straight in).

 

14. Do up the locknut so the wheel will rotate freely but without wobbling around. Also put in the retaining pin.

 

15. Fit the wheel and do the same to the other side of the car.

 

16. Check all your bolts to make sure you did them up tight!

 

17. Bleed the brake system.

 

18. Do a test drive (drive slowly) to make sure everything works alright.

 

19. Don’t forget to be gentle on the brakes for a few days to let them bed in too.

 

The whole upgrade will be very cheap if you can buy all the parts at one place.

 

Now what I found is below with the information for the set it was involved in numbered the same as the step:

 

1.

-First thing in the FAQ it says to attach rotors to bubs here. This is if you have front durms if you all ready run the small KE1X front Discs I found stripping all the front parts off now and start them soaking in cleaning tanks or cleaning parts now was better as while you did the rest of the sets you can have paint drying on parts or can jsut have them cleaning so they go on fresh as.

 

- I have a KE15 so all KE15/17 that got factory front discs (I believe it was the SL model only) you can use your stock hubs doesn't need to be KE20 items don't waste money here. Also Mine were attached using 14mm bolts. Also since my hubs were 40 years old I blasted them on the OUT SIDE only blasting the bearing area can ruin the tight fit the outer race needs to stay in the hub. Then painted the hubs with high temp brake paint same as my rotors and then the small land on the back of the hub where the rotor gets tight and is meant to centralize it I got some 1200 grid paper and polised this area. don't paint it the disc might not go on then. The reason for polishing was after again 40years rust had started to affect this area in the form of pitting and I didn't like that.

 

2.

-If you have front drums can split them on thsi step still wont affect anything. But A tip while removing brake lines. GET SOME OF THOSE CROW FEET SPANNERS (think thats the right name) They WONT round the hose fitting getting the hose off then. Mine were rusted in pretty good after 40 years. don't want stuff breaking off or making the job hard now.

 

-Also 1 week before I started this conversion I got some penatrating oil (eg WD40) And soaked bleeding nipples, brake lines, bolts on strut etc so when undoing stuff it came off EASY.

 

3 to 7.

- I didnt need to do all these sets as I all ready had front discs. So I wont comment and make any speculations here.

 

8.

- I did a KE70 brake upgrade to do this you need KE30, 55 backing plates. They are bolted on with LARGER bolts. a few options here to attach the new backing plates.

1- Use small KE1X bolts with lock tight. Now shank of bolt wont be on the plate but the still provide clamping force and the stub axle will still hold the brake central. This way but under hard braking

the plate might shift fowards a tad and might slowly oval out the holes and bolts will come lose thats why I recomend lock tight.

2- Drill tap out holes to larger thread fit the KE30/55 backing plate bolts to the strut. DONE safer still use lock tight..LOL

3- KE70 backing plates can be used BUT bolt holes MUST be weld up and redrilled they are not a square pattern like KE1,2,3,4,5 series rollas. Fiddly time consuming BUT can drill plates with smaller

KE1X size holes and save tapping and drilling the struts.

9.

- Again get the hub assembled in step one. At this point I installed NEW wheel bearings NEW greese

 

AND

 

Most of all I got new split pin for the lock nut and lapped the thrust washer that touches the bearing.

 

WHY. This washer transfers the load from the nut to the bearing if it isnt flat load not transfered correctly can lead to fast bearing wear. So how do you lap something FLAT as at home. Get a sheet of 1200 grit wet and dry get a sheet of about 10mm FLAT glass put paper downa dn with washer flat on it rub it on the paper in a figure 8 motion on both sides it will make it parrell and flat again. As mine had HUGE marks from previous bearing installs and was screwed really. BUT note doing this makes the washer a tad thinner the nut might then be out of alignment with the split pin holes to fix lap the nut easy. Also My castle nuts that hold the bearings in wasn't flat either due to previous damage/ fix up jobs and wear. ALSO lap this no good making a flat thrust washer but the nut isnt flat.

 

10.

-JUST DO IT

 

11.

- In my manuals it says to do nut up to 30Nm of torque here spin disk this seats bearings then losen then with socket in your hand do up HAND tight with no bar on socket this is enough. To tight and bearings will run hot and die fast.

 

12.

- I got brand new nuts to do this didn't want the disc caliper coming off and I used lock tight.

 

13.

- Ah brake lines I get asked about this HEAPS. KE1X have a smaller outer diameter than KE30,55,70 lines so you need new Toyota pins. Yes there called that. Went to my brake shop and said I need those flat clip things and Toyota must of patented them first and well that's there industry name apparently.

 

- ALSO KE30,55,70 brake lines will screw into KE10 brake fittings NO problems. So options are:

get all new brake lines.

Use KE1X upper hose then a new KE55/30/70 lower hose

Get long one piece hose.

 

- I at first fitted KE55 brake lines the strut to caliper was long enough :P BUT wheel arch to strut was TO SHORT. So I drove off to the local brake shop with a stock KE1X upper hose in hand and a Lowwer KE55 hose in hand and got a 1 piece braided line made up with the top half the length of a KE1X hose the lower half the length of a KE55 hose. I also opted for a 1 piece hsoe to have one less spot for a leak.

 

14.

- Refer step 11 I tightened my nut straight away and put new split pin in and installed dust cap to STOP dirt entering bearing while fitting lines etc.

 

15.

- I bleed the brakes at this point with the wheel off the car much easier to access stuff and to look for leaks :P

 

16.

- Do this also do it as you go I used lock tight on certain bolts for piece of mind lock wire techniques will also work.

 

17.

- did earlier

 

18.

-If test drive slowly passes road test BEAD the brakes in consult maker of the new rotros/pads how to do this different brands say different stuff also different compound pads needs different beading in processes.

 

19.

-Done in step above.

 

Now After those few hints I have some photos and more info BUT I'm to tired atm so I am going to bed and will edit this later and prob add it to the FAQ

 

Cheers

Cameron