WJ brake conversion?

[emr1101]

Hey, yes this topic has been covered a lot but I will be doing a bunch of axle junk very soon, and I'm getting new steering probably from JCR but I am slightly considering a WJ setup for the twin piston calipers and knuckles, can anyone offer me insight into this swap in terms of difficulty? I did a lot of searching but I got confused between different write ups, or could someone point me to a good write up because I am having trouble finding a worthy one. I'm not a fabber but I have access to power tools and such dremels and drills and perhaps some slight welding. But I'd like to avoid any fabbing...

 

[jwtrapper]

You can have a machine shop drill rotors, ream knuckles, and weld up your spacer. The hardest part was changing the ball joints. You have to weld up your drag link and tierod. If you can do thoes things everything else is just putting things together. It is well worth doing just for the brakes.

Search for frankz's write up, this is what I based mine off of.
wj knuckles (2004)
spacer for knuckle
wj front rotors (redrilled to 4.5)
wj akebono callipers (2004)
wj ball joints
unit bearings (2000 xj)
brake pads (2004 wj)
bolts to mount callipers to knuckles
drag link
tierod
high steer trackbar bracket
re/build trackbar
16" rims or 1.5" wheel spacers
4 washers to space calliper from knuckle so that the rotor is centered in the calliper.

When I did mine I did a TnT Truss w/trackbar bracket and upper mounts, TnT coil buckets. Ballistic fab lower control arm mounts. Blazer tierod ends ("Chevy 1 Ton") 1.5"x.25" DOM for Draglink and Tierod. Summit Racing drilled slotted rotors (wj front/explorer rear) and greenstuff brake pads. It works good and stops great!!

It was a week project for me, a few hours every day. Cut off old hardware mocked up new. Replaced balljoints, a pain in the @ss. Mounted knuckles, back under jeep. Burnt home new brackets. Mounted brakes, measured for tierod/draglink. Made tierod draglink, mounted. Rebuild trackbar, mounted. Put spacer on, put tires on, driveway alignment, test drive. Get passengers nose to touch dash with new brakes on 35's priceless.

 

[aparke4]

dumb q - the WJ balljoints are a must for the WJ knuckles? the dana 30 ball joints do not fit or cross over do they?

 

[MoparManiac]

It's the lower ball joints that are different.

 

[cal]

dumb q - the WJ balljoints are a must for the WJ knuckles? the dana 30 ball joints do not fit or cross over do they?

The lower balljoint has a different taper than the XJ dana 30 balljoint. It would *FIT*, but it would not be right.

 

[Dundy]

Take a look at JKS spacers, Tie Rods and drag links. I just finished the swap on mine and everything is WAY better. Stopping easily in 4lo while going downhill is priceless. And definately go over the knuckle.

 

[urban yan]

Did you see the Aussi 300mm kits? They're pretty much the equivalent of the WJ set-up. Here's mine:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=940044&highlight=300mm

 

[cal]

Did you see the Aussi 300mm kits? They're pretty much the equivalent of the WJ set-up. Here's mine:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=940044&highlight=300mm

Thats closer to the Vanco kit.

The WJ kit also offers far superior steering - which is a bigger benefit than the brakes.

 

[urban yan]

But don't WJs have rotor/warp issues?
And doesn't that vanco kit use oem WJ calipers?

In any event, I'm pretty happy with my Aussi kit. It cost $200 less than the vanco kit, and it came with slotted rotors, and powdercoated calipers.

 

[cal]

But don't WJs have rotor/warp issues?

Early WJ's had rotor warp issues. That was an issue with those cars, fixed in later years, and not with the brakes.

And doesn't that vanco kit use oem WJ calipers?

Nope. There is more than 1 Vanco XJ/TJ kit. The 'lesser' of the kits use top of the line ford explorer parts, I'm not sure with the 'bigger brake' package uses.

In any event, I'm pretty happy with my Aussi kit. It cost $200 less than the vanco kit, and it came with slotted rotors, and powdercoated calipers.

Good that you are happy with it, but its not the premium kit out there.

 

[Talyn]

Good that you are happy with it, but its not the premium kit out there.

And neither is the Vanco kit.

 

[urban yan]

Good that you are happy with it, but its not the premium kit out there.

I think the only premium part of that vanco kit is the pre-assembled knuckles and the price.

 

[cal]

I think the only premium part of that vanco kit is the pre-assembled knuckles and the price.

Actually, I would say the service is even better than the knuckles or the price. But please, show me a better kit?

I've installed all three mentioned kits, and if I had to do a dana 30 over now, it would be Vanco.

 

[Talyn]

You have installed the Aussie kit?

 

[cal]

You have installed the Aussie kit?

well, reinstalled. Ran into a guy who had it on the rubicon, and had a broken shaft. Helped with repair, asked about the kit, took a min to look it over while it was off.

close enough.

 

[Talyn]

Did you happen to catch the guy's name?

 

[cal]

no. dark blue TJ on xterrains.

 

[urban yan]

Well. I haven't heard a single complaint from the 10 or so guys that bought the Aussi kit. My only beef with my kit is that the powdercoat on one of my calipers is starting to peel (lol, but that's hardly worth a complaint). I'm not saying the Vanco kit is bad; I'm just saying the Aussi kit was a great value.