Kaiser Willys Disc brake How to

This is not a post about which kit is better etc.... Simply a look into what comes with the kit and what is involved with the swap. 

 

Here is what you get with the kit.... (the dual master is a separate kit) I will post details on that later this week.

Raise and secure the jeep. Remove front wheels. 

Remove rubber flex line, Hose shield and steel S line from the wheel cylinder. 

Remove locking hub or drive flange. 

Once spindle nuts are exposed remove spindle lock nut, washer, nut and thrust washer. 

Once all nuts and washers are removed, 

Slide the drum and hub off of the spindle. Have a rag over the hub to catch the front wheel bearing as you slide the hub off. This will expose the brake shoes and spindle. Remove the 6 3/8 bolts holding the backing pate to the knuckle. 

Remove the spindle

next you will need the spindle, caliper bracket and dust shield. Clean the spindle and knuckle sealing surface. I wipe a small amount of grey rtv on the knuckle and the threads of the bolts. I also use longer than stock bolts to hold the caliper bracket on. I use 3/8-24 x 1.5" with lock washers. This helps maintain full thread engagement after adding 1/4" thick caliper bracket. Its a personal choice if you want to upgrade to socket head cap screws upgrade. It would be a good time to do this if you feel so inclined. 

This is the correct order of how the parts are installed. Note the bend in the caliper bracket goes back towards the knuckle. 

The ears where the caliper mount face outward. 

Some grinding is required. The caliper wont hit when the pads are new. As the pads wear the caliper will move contacting the knuckle in the area where the wiper seal bolts are located. A small trough should be made nearest the bolt in the photo. I also removed a little from the knuckle and a small amount from the caliper. Test fit and remove the desired amount. this is something you could do after some miles are put on the kit. If you chose to do that just make sure you frequently check for clearance as the pads and rotor begin to wear. I decided to do it all right now so I don't have to worry about it later. DO NOT let this step detour you from making this upgrade. Its nothing structural and once its done and painted you wont ever give it another thought. 

Prepare the new hub for bearings. all these parts are included in the kit. 

You could use a press but I just use a hammer and a brass rod. the bearings drive in easily. 

Make sure they are seated all the way.

Locate the correct caliper. They are marked with L or R on the back side of the caliper. Remove the slide pins... (3/8 Allen wrench) ensure the pads are installed correctly and set the caliper on over the rotor and reinstall slide pins as shown. When done correctly the bleeder screw will point upward and be at the highest point. 

The caliper should mover freely a small amount left and right. Since its a new caliper you do not need to depress the piston. 

This photo shows the area the was ground off and why it is important. 

Bend steel brake line back to stock location and prepare the included rubber flex hoses. 

There are many ways you could mount the hose. I prefer to use the stock location on the axle. this method requires no modifications. 

It offers ample clearance and works great! There is ample room to run tire chains with this setup. 

Reinstall your hub or drive flange. Follow your normal bleeding procedure to removal the air from the system 

Reinstall you wheels and you are done!

I am running stock 16x4.5"  cj2a wheels. I use 1" spacers and there is tons of room to clear the calipers. With out the spacers they do rub. I would estimate a minimum spacer of 1/4-1/2" would be needed to clear the calipers with stock wheels. 15" wheels from a later cj5 or scout clear with no spacers. 

later this week I will install the Kaiser willys Dual reservoir master cylinder. I will chronical that project as well. Thanks for watching! 

Here is a detailed step by step video. 

Happy to help! Thank you for reading it! 

Thanks. That is correct. That’s how all the older Dana disc brake axles were setup. It’s the same procedure on a factory disc brake Dana 30 from a cj5 or cj7. The good news is. Very few people put enough miles on them to need rotors very often 😆 I’ve been driving the wheels off my tdi jeep for 6 years and the rotors are still perfect