Joined the RedTJ club... Kinda

LBarr2002

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Tonight I installed the replacement driveshaft with all new joints and drove it to bed in the pads.

Without a doubt they needed to be replaced

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New pad sliders and greased the caliper bolts so hopefully they won't wear unevenly like the old pads.

I understand it's a big difference in weight and contact patch from 33x10.50 to 35x12.50, but this thing still doesn't stop like I want it to. I can actually feel some rear brake now, which is better, but I'm still not happy. On soft dirt, the fronts will lock up and the rears are stopping enough to slightly disrupt the tread pattern in the dirt but not locking. I know that's by design so the rear doesn't pass the front, but I wish there was a little more.

The fronts will not lock up on pavement. I can't spend the money for the Vanco kit and I don't want to do everything that's involved in WJ brakes.
 
I've wanted to gather the stuff to do the WJ brakes on my XJ, but alas i haven't. From what i have read it's worth the trouble compared to stock. The vanco is like $1000, just cant see spending that on a stock axle.
 

LBarr2002

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I've wanted to gather the stuff to do the WJ brakes on my XJ, but alas i haven't. From what i have read it's worth the trouble compared to stock. The vanco is like $1000, just cant see spending that on a stock axle.
Yes the Vanco kit is a grand, but the WJ swap requires changing your tie rod, drag link, shorten track bar and modify mount, modify sway bar mount, weld spacers in the knuckle and spacers between knuckle and caliper bracket. Rustys has a kit to do all that for $1325...
 
What about doing the aftermarket booster/ corvette style master cylinder kits. Navajo brakes is who started it all. Now there are tons of company's that offer the setup for just about any vehicle. upgrades to a better double diaphragm booster and modified corvette style master. You would probably do away with the factory proportioning valve and run an adjustable to dial in the rear brakes.
 
What about doing the aftermarket booster/ corvette style master cylinder kits. Navajo brakes is who started it all. Now there are tons of company's that offer the setup for just about any vehicle. upgrades to a better double diaphragm booster and modified corvette style master. You would probably do away with the factory proportioning valve and run an adjustable to dial in the rear brakes.
Haven't heard of this, know of any good writeups?


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usually these companies will offer 1 1/8" bore masters for axle swapped vehicles with larger calipers or 1" bore for stock applications. A lot of the CJ guys will swap to this setup on a stock jeeps because the quality of part store stock master cylinders are such crap you can't ever get good brakes, plus the double diaphragm booster is a big improvement over their stock single if it had power brakes. Late model xj's and tj's already have a double diaphragm booster but it still can be improved.

Another option would be to swap out your master cylinder to a dodge 2500 style but I'm unsure how it would do with stock axles and brakes. Most guys do this swap with 1 ton brakes.
 

LBarr2002

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Miller told me about the dodge master cylinder and said that's what he did on the XJ, but like you said I'm not sure how that will work with stock brakes. I was reading that a larger bore master cylinder will actually reduce your braking force with stock calipers. That doesn't seem right but I don't have a PhD in hydrodynamics so...
 

LBarr2002

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So after Brooks' near radiator disaster at Bumpass last fall, Dad has been wanting to get a radiator skid. He saw the Skid Row one on sale, but when he went back to order it the sale was over. He asked me to keep an eye out for them to go back on sale. I decided to get the right speedo gear for the 35s and happened to notice that Rustys had a radiator or skid on sale for $50 that protects better than the Skid Row one, and they had the gear, so I ordered 2 skids. FYI, Rustys shipped the gear with an oring that you normally have to buy separately, and a banner decal (anybody want a Rustys banner?).

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With this build I started pretty early with putting stickers of all the companies that I have used on the door of the storage box where they were hidden. I ran out of room and moved to the inside of the tailgate, now I'm running out of room there.
#Sponsors
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