Sort of impressive...
Beautiful stainless line. Gold ends compliments body color.
Hidden secret...
Overall - a pretty easy swap. $108 for plated/drilled/slotted rotors and ceramic pads, $135 for rebuilt calipers that are also plated.
I think the spindle assemblies were $75.
Pop upper and lower ball joints, tie rod and brake line. Load assembly and done.
I don't think it will need an alignment, but I'm going for it anyway.
ExcellentThe hose looks close to the upper control arm - doesn't get too close under full lock on the steering? It would be a shame to ruin those nice new hoses from occasional contact.
^^^ I checked for full lock interference. Even though it looks close in the pix, there is room. That is why I added the "S" bend to the line.
Knew you'd have the insight to make sure there wasn't contact, but it's better to askOriginally Posted by boozehero
^^^ Thanks for checking.
Always better to have another set (or two) of eyes on a project.
It's surprising what individuals can see from a picture...
Pics are good - even when they're aren't of pretty and/or shiny things
She looks great! And likely stops a whole lot better now!
^^^ I am still breaking in the new ceramic brake pads, but honestly, with regular driving, it really doesn't feel a lot different.
I am sure that after a few hundred miles when the pads "Break In", it will be better.
Since I will be towing a trailer across country, it will be a bonus for stopping. The added weight will make stopping performance better.
That's a whole other post on this thread.
The other side... Right side is done.
Almost doubling the brake capacity, it really didn't make a huge difference - yet.
I am driving normally and have been "seating" the new pads.
The plating (nickle) is wearing off on the contact surfaces of the rotors.
The pedal feels the same, I was able to flush the old brake fluid and add synthetic DOT 4 juice.
All of the air was bled from the system.
Next - I'll post pix of the new class 3 receiver for a trailer towing package that I'm installing.
I think the brakes will come into their own with them being punished by carrying a load or 'enthusiastic' braking and driving. You should never experience the fear of brake fade ever again with this set up
^^^ I am pretty sure that brake fade is out of the question now - you are right. I have not yet pushed this rig very hard though.
The gearbox makes enough noise to be scary. I don't want it to blow up, although I think it will last as long as I don't try to pull wheelies...
I have a 5 speed, I just don't feel like grovelling on my back loading it into the truck.
Even with a 5 speed, and the Weber and exhaust mods, the truck still isn't what I would call a "performance machine" .
It does perform much better than when I first bought it, but it still isn't a threat.
If nothing else, at least the front brakes look sexy...
Brake and suspension mods seem to be a non priority with a lot of guys and their rides. The 5 speed is worth it but I hear you. I did a 5 speed swap in a Lancer/Celeste fastback on a driveway. That sucked, especially doing it solo. Inspect the tailshaft carrier bearing and rear transmission mount before tackling the gearbox swap just in case something has expired. The carrier bearing has to be pressed off and on to replace it.
Any ventilated will be an improvement over the oem solid rotor..... but they still are relativly 'tiny'
Should be ok while HP 'not a threat' & lower vehicle weight, so fade not an issue.
I'd think clamping would improve considerably with those big calipers. Designed to stop a what? 3500 lb suv ?
You should experience a noticeable change in braking with those mods including a performance pad and larger master cyl.
Funny, pedal pressure is very close to the same as prior to brake mods. I figured it would be, but again, I haven't hammered on this rig (yet).
Once the truck goes about 300 miles, I will be doing a few panic stops to see how good this mod really is. I am pretty sure it will not be disappointing.
I am a looooong way from home, and would rather not have to pay some cracker mechanic to replace the gearbox or have any other problems.
I am currently a parking lot hero, i have no place to work on this truck other than the storage unit I rent or some hidden parking lot.
Another issue here - there are few trees in SUNNY and HOT Carson City, Nevada. After 4 or 5 hours of sweating and groveling on the HOT asphalt, I'm done.
I can't wait for fall to arrive.
I mentioned that I am installing a class III receiver on this rig. I have to cut the tailpipe and install a 45* turnout to re-route away from the receiver assembly. I also have to remove the license plate mount assembly.
I bought a Curt "Multi Fit" receiver and have to modify the chassis mounting tabs. It looks like it will fit properly once I am done. Pix soon.
My plan is to rent a Uhaul trailer and load all of the crap I have here and drive to Baton Rouge, then to Syracuse, NY.
A pretty good hike.
More Pix:
Detail of frame mount
I had to cut almost 24" out of the tailpipe and install a 45* turnout.
The tailpipe would have run straight into the receiver.
There is a lot more clearance between the receiver and pipe. The pic is misleading.
Yes Dicky, that's a big pipey. (2.25" big)
Finished product.
I am pretty sure I should NOT tow a Caterpillar D8 with this, but a puny Uhaul trailer will probably be ok.
From a distance right there next to the Harley trike. Not a great pic for detail since there are too many shadows - sorry.
Anyway, you get the general idea. They do not make a class III receiver for this truck (anymore?) I looked.
"If you can't find what you need, find what works" Quote - Mr. Hack and Slash.
PLEASE Use towing safety chains & watch your speed ~ Along with the hitch/frame bolts, since I was a USNavy anchor builder I wouldah added a small easily reached with a grinder Tack Weld on each side just to be damn sure things don't come loose or rattle off ?? Have you changed all the tranny & differential gear oil to new synthetic ?? Have fun & are you coming back to Nevada ?? Folks on the road will grin with respect at the "DODGE" on your tailgate !!
Fun to see you having fun boozehero ~ Apt dweller George
I actually went to the tractor supply store and upgraded to grade 8 hardware from grade 5. I also used grade 8 lock washers. It's pretty solidly bolted to the frame, even though it wasn't made for this truck.
I am pretty sure nothing will shake loose.
The truck rides amazingly well. When I installed the front brake upgrade, I replaced the lower ball joints - which had very little wear. The uppers were tight.
The PO had installed Delrin bushings in the idler arm, so that is tight. I checked everything else and (surprisingly) everything is tight.
The dust boots have all rotted off long ago, I will be cleaning out all of the tie rods and installing new dust boots and grease.
I also ordered a (new) matching extra wheel and will order a new tire too. It was a surplus buy from a closeout.
One note - Going to 225/60-16 wheels and tires has to be one of the best handling improvements I've done to this truck. The tires "Z" rated - to 148 MPH - and you know this rig will never reach that speed.
The one good thing about having such a high rating on a light truck: The sidewalls don't move at all, and the ride is surprisingly good for such a stiff tire. The 14" stock tires weren't even rubber bands by comparison. They were mush.
I'm still hoping to find the A/C compressor brackets, but I guess that's sort of like finding a goose and the gold egg. Not happening.
I also ordered a new brown custom fit carpet to replace the rubber floor mat. I'll rip everything out, clean it to death, install sound killer mat and then the new carpet. The brown will be a better color match than the current beige rubber mat.
I also made an appointment to have the bench seat re-covered, but it isn't until November. Bummer
Anyway, that is the latest
NiceWheel upgrades are probably one of the best things to start with these trucks. The receiver hitch you've installed will be adequate for what your truck can pull anyway. I have asked on the forum if anyone can run a tape measure across the mounting holes on a 2.6 compressor bracket - I'm sure it will be compatible.
boozehero ~ have you changed the transmission & differential gear oil ?? Doing so with Royal Purple synthetic stopped the tranny input shaft bearing noise on my truck 133,400 miles ~ how many total miles is your planned trip..?
Much Aloha & Bravo to you for the hard work you've done which inspires us lazy folk !!
^^^ Yes, I changed both units. I ran Moroso "Climbing gear" oil in the transmission and Lucas synthetic in the rear end.
My assignment keeps changing, so I don't know when I'll be traveling.
The entire trip will be somewhere in the range of 3500 to 4000 miles. A walk in the park.
The truck cruises at 75 - 80 effortlessly (now). I'm sure I will be going slower pulling a trailer.
That's interesting to note. Maybe that should be advised to anyone who is having issues with their truck struggling past 55 mph as a possible fix with tuning and carb adjustments
Geezer- I have worked on too many import vehicles in the past 40 years... Every one that I have installed a Weber conversion has made an impressive improvement.
The header and large bore exhaust also made a large difference. The original tailpipe was 1.5" - a straw...
Advance timing a little, and the performance improvement is almost shocking.
The total combination completely changes the truck's personality.
I am going to install the 5 speed and look at lowering the rear gear ratio (numerically)
Isuzu Troopers came with Dana 44 rear end units. I have mentioned that it looks like a direct bolt in.
There are as many gear ratio sets for the Dana 44 as you may need.
My goal is to lower engine revs at 75 MPH. I'd like to hit the 2800 RPM range at 75. (A dream?)
It is currently 3800 RPM.
Stay tuned
I posted up the Australian spec tune... somewhere. These engines really respond nicely to some trial and error with ignition tuning (even a bone stock engine). The Mikuni is adequate for an engine that's tuned for peak torque between 3 and 5,000 rpm and meet emission restrictions but they are horrid. Not great power delivery, economy is garbage unless it is a fresh rebuild and adjusted spot on. Swapping final drive and uprating the tyre and wheel combo + the 5 speed will make a dramatic improvement to highway cruising. Getting the revs down to below 3,000 @ 120 kph is optimistic. Could be done with an extreme final drive but the power delivery through gear changes will suffer (meh, you already know this...) And you have to account for speedometer accuracy (if you got GPS on your phone it's better than a cop laser gun lol). I'd definitely do the 5 speed swap before going through a final drive swap. You may find the gearbox upgrade is adequate
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks