Full write up Z32/R32 brake upgrade Y33 Q *+ pics*

I don't ever make new threads on this site, but wanted to share this info with the other Y33 owners how may want a little bling behind their $$$$ wheels.

This is what you need, part by part. I've been working on this for like an eternity now, well, 3-4 months. I got the car back last week and being the first guy in the US to do this (possibly the world, I know Grant in Japan did this on his Y33 Cedric), there's no step by step guide I could follow. Comparing to the 240 swap which is what I had to do, it is NOT the same thing.

Front:
1. R/Z32 front calipers and pads
2. custom built SS brake lines (I went with Earl's since Earl's store #1 is about 3 miles from me). They DON'T make a SS replacement for this car, and even if they did, it wouldn't work because the new calipers have nipples vs. stock Q caliper which has banjo bolt. You have to buy the hose & fittings and assemble them yourself.  ZXtt brake lines may have worked, but I didn't think about it and neither did Tom at Earl's.
3. STOCK or aftermarket Y33 Q rotors. Z32 TT rotors are TOO SMALL. Apparently, the Y33 has 30mm rotors stock, but they're 11.75" Vs. the Z rotors which are 11.25", so the Q has pretty huge rotors, even stock. When the Z rotors were on, the brake pads were about .25" off the edge of the rotor, so back to R1 Concepts I went to exchange Z rotors for Q rotors.  Thankfully, the guys at R1 are way cool and gave me no hassle even though I bought them like 2 months ago.

Rear:
This is the easy part.
1. R/Z32 calipers and pads
2. SS brake lines made for the 300ZX TT
3. Q or ZX TT rotors (rear are same size and both cars use the inner drum park brake)
4. And you have to cut the dust shield to fit the new caliper
The rear swap on 240's require some different cables for parking brake but since the Q has the same internal drum parking brake, it is a direct swap.

Total cost:
front calipers ~200
front caliper clips, pins, springs, etc. from Nissan dealer ~50
front pads (Axxis Ultimates) ~65
front Y33 Q slot / drill rotors ~100
front SS brake lines ~100
rear calipers ~120
rear caliper re-build kit ~20
rear pads ~50
rear Y33 Q or Z32tt rotors ~80
rear ss brake lines ~100

Depending on the wheels you have, they either will or will not clear the new calipers. In my case, they did not, so I bought C4pres' 15mm Kics bolt on spacers, (1st rate quality, made in Japan). 15mm turned out the perfect amount, I had guessed at 10mm, but with 15mm spacers, you can fit TWO thick business cards between wheel and caliper and that's about it.  Wheels are pushed out more now, and I'll need smaller tires for a bit of stretch to stop rubbing front fenders. The rears amazingly don't rub because the fenders are rolled, they clear by like a credit card.  After driving on it for a few days now, I may actually keep this size tire, they rub less and it looks pretty sick to me.

Axxis Ultimate pads are DUSTY though!!!!  But man do they bite.

[IMG]http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z216/kdfalk/P1020491.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z216/kdfalk/P1020472.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z216/kdfalk/P1020469.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z216/kdfalk/P1020476.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z216/kdfalk/P1020462.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z216/kdfalk/P1020466.jpg[/IMG]

:applause:
 
thank you, now my turn on the g50.
 
question are the g50 and y33 rotors the same size, just wondering that way i dont buy z32 blanks, i already  have z32TT front calipers and rears, i am going to buy the z32/s13 conversion lines for the fronts, and what would u suggest to trim or cut the shield in the rear? thanks once again +rep

Use a die grinder (4" wheel) or draw a template and hack that ish!  lol, they used a die grinder on mine so the cuts are smooth and you can't tell.  As for the G50 and Y33 front rotors, I can't say for sure, sorry.

nice, they look great

I have a set of blank Z-rotors that I won't be needing after reading this so let me know if you need them Ricky

damn!! looks good

+1 nice upgrade and your ride to me is still one of the sickest!!!

So aside from looks hows the braking feel like?? Damn this pretty much ran almost a grand in parts!! 
 
Did you happen to try those adapters to run Z33 track rotors to see if they fit?

nice upgrade looks great...

[quote=burgy;177187]I have a set of blank Z-rotors that I won't be needing after reading this so let me know if you need them Ricky[/quote]
how much and what size pm me ur mathematics if possible

Thanks for all the comments.  The braking is insane, Axxis Ultimate pads have so much bite, you barely need to touch the pedal to get equal braking as before.  When I've done like 60-0 hard stops, it stops FAST.

I did not try the adapters to run track rotors, originally I was gonna but I wanted to keep the time getting parts down (lol, that didn't quite work out) and the cost (lol again).  I figure in the future, now that this is all done, trying out the track rotors with adapters will be easy to do.  However, I was nicely surprised to find out that the Y33 has 11.75" rotors to begin with, but 12.75" rotors would fill the wheels better.

Yeah, it did run close to 1g for everything maybe a little more when you add what I paid for the install, but that's still about 1/2 of a Brembo, Wilwood, Stop-Tech, etc FRONT ONLY setup would cost.

edit: Axxis Ultimate pads are Axxis' most high performance pads, they dust like crazy.  Your wheels look gun-metal after just a couple days, so I'm probably gonna swap them for Akebono Pro ACT.

Ricky, i will PM you later with pics.

looks good, I've been meaning to get that 300zx ss brake line kit.  where did you get yours?

Thanks!  Got the ss lines at Earl's.  It won't work if you are trying to use it with stock calipers though.  If you check out the original post, it's all described already.

Good job on the conversion =)

Thanks Freddie, you definitely helped me out!

i just had my conversion done two days ago on my g50 and i used stock brake lines :dance:

looking forward to pics with the track rotors!:biggthumpup:

great write up!  looks easy if youve done a S-chassis swap before.

[quote=urmyhero4now;177385]i just had my conversion done two days ago on my g50 and i used stock brake lines :dance:[/quote]
u used stock break lines all around, how about the rotors did you use g50 or 300z, cuz i need to know b4 i make my next move

[quote=F.L.S.;177354]I did not try the adapters to run track rotors, originally I was gonna but I wanted to keep the time getting parts down (lol, that didn't quite work out) and the cost (lol again). I figure in the future, now that this is all done, trying out the track rotors with adapters will be easy to do. However, I was nicely surprised to find out that the Y33 has 11.75" rotors to begin with, but 12.75" rotors would fill the wheels better.[/quote]
 
should have tried brackets with 04-08 maxima rotors (12.6" and hella cheaper). on my max i used s14/z33 track brackets, g50 calipers, and a34 rotors. on my g50 ill probably be tryin a z32 or stock calipers (depending on wheel clearance) on 12.6" a34 rotors.

By the way, did you use 30mm or 26mm calipers??  I have the 26mm so I'm curious.  Thanks

I used 30mm calipers, and the Q rotors are 30mm even stock.  So if you run the 26mm calipers, not sure what rotors you'd need to run.

BoB, are the Maxima rotors 30mm?  If they are that's great to know about.

^ Crap, Maybe i can find rotors, or I can just sell the 300Z brakes...

[quote=ricky cash;177490]u used stock break lines all around, how about the rotors did you use g50 or 300z, cuz i need to know b4 i make my next move[/quote]

z32 rotors...slight modification to the caliper.

Hows the caliper on the back for clearance?  I have a SL disk on my works and am not in the mood to run spacers.

The back cleared without any problem on O disk Work wheels.  I just wanted the front and back to be the same.  I love the stance w/ them too.

Awesome, I think I may be doing this real soon.

did you have any problems with abs?

Doesn't seem to be, no lights, and when I've mashed on the pedal you can feel it pulse as always.  I think since there aren't any sensors on the calipers, and the R32/Z32 had ABS too it still works as it should.

Factory Rotors, so all sensor will work perfectly!

ha.. im bidding on calipers as i write this.. haha.. great write up..

[quote=urmyhero4now;177693]z32 rotors...slight modification to the rotors.[/quote]
oh ok thanks disregard my question in the other thread, now what modification are you talking about

Would these solve some of the front brake line issues ya think?

[url]http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/240SX-w-300ZX-Z32-Front-Caliper-Swap-SS-Brake-Lines_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33562QQihZ007QQitemZ170245358767QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW[/url]

Man that's cheap!  They look like they might.  Where the nut in the middle of the line is you need to put a P clamp, Earls sells high temp ones, you need something to mount to the strut body. The stock lines have a T-block that screws to the strut, so you kinda need to keep a similar configuration.

Zipties = WIN!!!!  Bwahahahaha

Nothing says VIP like a zip-tie!  lol

Only thing I use them for is the HID balasts....  All 6 of them....

[quote=ricky cash;177715]oh ok thanks disregard my question in the other thread, now what modification are you talking about[/quote]

im sorry i meant modification to your caliper itself..it does not sit flush in the rear calipers...so you have to shave the seat down a bit..when you do it you will understand..as for the fronts..they bolt right up.just trim the dust shield and bolt it up. the stock line bolt is slightly too long so either shave it down two threads or use a washer spacer. and you will be all good.

[quote=F.L.S.;177648]BoB, are the Maxima rotors 30mm? If they are that's great to know about.[/quote]
 
i'm not 100%. i know maxima guys use the z32/g50 calipers on them, the guesswork would be in the diameter measurments.
 
[quote=golfkid777;177717]Would these solve some of the front brake line issues ya think[/quote]
 
i was thinking the same thing except with maxima conversion lines. either way its going to be a matter of matching the hardline fitting and length.
 
i just got done checking out the technafit website (maintenance related) and saw that they do custom conversion lines. i'm sure they have something close or could make something fairly easy.
 
theres a maxima guy who sells goodridge conversion lines (my brand of choice) so the same possibility is probably there too.

*sticky* post stat

I thought someone said that the Z32 to S chassis conversion lines were to short for our cars??

maybe the y33 but the g50 are like tha 240's, hopefully i am posting correct info

Been about 2 weeks now, so just a little update.  Axxis Ultimate brake pads make more dust than a saw mill, I got to get something different asap..  Plus they're noisy, but they do stop like no ones business.  I was looking at different pads, says the Ult's are good up to 932 degrees (rotors should be glowing orange at that temp), while their Deluxe (OE ceramic) pads are good up to 716 degrees which should be plenty for most us.  I think I'm going to order the Deluxe today cause the noise and dust is driving me crazy.  

I still smile every time I see these brakes behind my wheels though =)

looking good. nice job.

Looks really good. Nice job!

I have always used Akebono pads for non-big brakes, but they dont seem to make them for the z32 calipers.  They are silent and emit NO dust, and stop really well for not being a performance pad.

Yeah, 100%, Akebono are the shit, but I can't find them for this app.  Anyone use the Axxis Deluxe before?  Supposed to be low dust and noise and R1 Concepts where I got the rotors and front pads has them for like 36 & 35 bucks (roughly 1/2 price).  Also hear good things on Hawk HPS pads.

i'm suprised to hear that ultimates dust so badly since ceramics are supposed to be low dust. i've always used metal masters and justd ealt with noise/dust but in a vip application deluxe might be the way to go.
 
i've also heard good things about the hps but been happy with my mm.

So I ditched the Ultimates and have Axxis Deluxe pads in there now.  1 week, no noise and no noticeable dust.  SOOO much better.  Last week before the swap I pulled into the Y and there are speed bumps everywhere, so I'm slowing down for one *SQUEEEEEEEE* and this lady and her kid both do the brake-neck head turn, I was so embarrassed.  Thank God it's silent again.

Major benefit of this type caliper though, you can change brake pads on all 4 wheels in under 30 minutes!

do you need to use the z32 brake master cylinder? my pedal is really soft until the last few mm.

No, mine works perfect.  The pedal is very firm, and very little touch on it needed to slow down.  Possibly air in your lines or did you flush the system?

ive flushed it twice and still its like that.

i use generic hawk pads in the rear of my g50 they do all the work since my fronts are shot... i don't think they have much brake dust & they stop in good distance, i'll definately be thinkin about another set for the fronts!

[quote=urmyhero4now;182578]ive flushed it twice and still its like that.[/quote]


Then I'd definitely swap to either a Y33 MC or a Z32 MC cause mine is really firm. I literally just use my big toe / ball and a little pressure, I barely move my foot off the gas pedal (I do have drilled aluminum pedals which are larger than OE though) if I press hard it really bites.

your ride is so simple its freakin sick. :biggthumpup:

Thank you!!!  Clean and simple is how I like 'em.

Question? Did you use the stock caliper bolts to put these on? what suspension are you running.
 
the reason I ask is that I have been told that the Z/240sx/G50 mounting caliper bolts are 12mm and my Y33 has a 14mm caliper bolt.  when I say 12mm and 14mm, I don't mean the size of the wrench that goes on the head of the bolt, but the actual diameter of the threaded portion.   LMK, thanks!

yeah the stock caliper bolts for a z32 are 12mm and the stock caliper bolts for a usdm y33 is 14mm. So if you have the y32 coilovers you will have to use the stock z bolts for the brakes which are 12mm with the z brakes. now if you stick with y33 brakes you will have to drill them out. 

SO y32 coilovers and Z brakes are the best combo. Hell the evo brembos and the adapter brackets and z32 rears make your car into a braking *****.....

I'm 90% sure they had to drill the holes in the Z32 calipers to accommodate the Y33 bolts.

On that note, they still fuckin squeak.  And I put my 3rd set of different pads in yesterday, Sumitomo, same brand as the calipers.  But I didn't sand down the rotors to clean off the glaze from the old pads so I'll try that tomorrow and see what happens.

I got 2 sets of hardly used pads for sale!! lol, AXXIS Ultimate and AXXIS Deluxe if anyone need a set.  Cheap!! I got the feeling they wouldn't squeak w/ solid rotors, but I've had slotted rotors before and they never squeaked.

Sweet!!! I don't have to drill the holes only get 300Z calipers( which I was already doing anyway!!)  Thanks all!

no problem i foudn that out today..

^ Nice, I will be getting cutom lines done here in town for real cheap and then be ready to rock!  Suspension and Brakes will have to go on at the same time.

Nice!!

In looking at my stock parts last night to shoot and put for sale, the Y33 bolts are still with everything, so they used the Z32 bolts I guess.

^ wonder if that is the root of your squeeking? I may be tradeing for skyline calipers so I will post up if I do.

What's "teafring"?   I'm gonna sand the rotors to scrub off the film from the old pads and see what happens.  Everything is very solid, no movement in the system.  I'll post up if it helps, my mechanic told me I need to get the old film off and I need to just scrub them with sandpaper, I'm doing it after work today, so we will see.

Nice. Teafring=tradeing typed on blackberry while on the can! :smiley-rofl:

LOL!!! I'm like "ok, I should know this" lolololo

you said axxis pads were super grabby and you mashed hard on these and it's left a glaze on your rotors.    

If these are performance pads then noise is normal.   Also you might have mashed on the brakes too soon.   You are suppose to break the brakes in.    This might be the problem with your glazing.    I used to use Hawk +P or whatever and that was grabby as hell the first day...I thought I properly broke them in but a few weeks later they were loud as shit.    Like a grinding noise kinda.    Basically grabby pads eat away at the rotors like crazy.

I've worked at a number of shops over my years and done countless brake jobs. I follow Brembo's procedure of accel to about 60, hard on brakes to about 10, repeat 5 or 6 times, then brake hard from 50 to zero a few times, then drive for about 10 minutes using the brakes as lightly as you can to let them cool down.  I know the Axxis Ultimate pads are performance pads, and the braking performance was never a problem, just the noise and dust.  So I put on Axxis Deluxe pads and they didn't squeak for about 2 weeks, then they started squaking. Now I have Sumitomo ceramic pads on there, and they don't squeak as much as either of the Axxis pads did, but still they squeak. When I get back from Japan, I'm going to have the rotors turned and see what happens.

As for glazing, all pads bond with the rotors and when you bed them, what your doing is heating them way up and they transfer a film to the rotors. It's not the same as glazing, but the pads do transfer a film.

Even these Sumitomo Ceramics are super grabby, I mean, this brake system stops on 1/2 a dime, it's frickin awesome, I just want it to be silent, and then it will be perfect.  I've had slotted rotors on other cars and never had any noise problem.  Had drilled rotors on sport bikes and no noise, but I haven't ever had slotted/drilled rotors, but I can't believe that's the issue.  We'll see after they are turned what happens, hopefully that will cure it.

awesome, only down side is inner wheel clearence

Well, Grant was kind enough to drive me around his area of Tokyo and drive me and Dominik to Daikoku-futo Friday night which was a great day.  We bought some stuff that he says will cure the squeal at a Super Autobacs. Now I can't wait to get back to the States and put it on to see if it works!  Sure as hell looks like it will.

you ass wipes went to japan and no invite?

Lately I go almost every year =)

lets go next year?

^ Thailand next year for me.  Eventually on to Japan too though

great lets make a big trip out of it....

Haha, I got another buddy who's going to TAS in the winter, lest make a winter trip!  I've been to Japan in Oct 2x, Nov 1x and in April 1x, never when it's actually real cold.

I'M DOWN....

thanks to F.L.S and VIPFlame  

I did it 

good look

well fool post pics lets see them! LOL!

so i know this thread is hella old...but i would like some clarification...2 years later there is still no conversion lines for the Y33, and the 240sx to 300zx conversion lines are to short? I have skyline calipers...not sure if that makes to much, if any difference...and they might be from an r33 is what i was told....

The lines on the rear are direct bolt on 240 or 300 lines, but I had the fronts made @ Earl's in Gardena for myself and Jermaine (33flavors).  Like you said, it has been a while and I don't even have my Q any longer, but I remember the fronts were pretty  much replacement Y33 lines, and you have to pull the little pin in the middle of the nipple on the 300zx calipers so they work right. IMO you should be able to buy some 300zx ones and they should *should* bolt right up. You could always buy a set of zx ones and Q45 ones and return the ones you don't use, or worst case, you throw away 50 bucks.

[QUOTE=F.L.S.;335928]The lines on the rear are direct bolt on 240 or 300 lines, but I had the fronts made @ Earl's in Gardena for myself and Jermaine (33flavors). Like you said, it has been a while and I don't even have my Q any longer, but I remember the fronts were pretty much replacement Y33 lines, and you have to pull the little pin in the middle of the nipple on the 300zx calipers so they work right. IMO you should be able to buy some 300zx ones and they should *should* bolt right up. You could always buy a set of zx ones and Q45 ones and return the ones you don't use, or worst case, you throw away 50 bucks.[/QUOTE]
 
 
actually, what i think im gunna do...is try and use the 300zx lines...from some more reasearch, i am at the conclusion, the hard line that mounts next to the frame of the vehicle is the same between the R,S,Y,and Z chassis. The S and Y chassis tho, utilize the banjo style bolt when mounting to the caliper and the R and Z chassis utilize the hard line to the flexible line...so, if i just mimic that style, it would be the hella cheap way to get this to work...and it would function like stock Z or R chassis....all i would need to buy is like 6 inches of hard brake line and the proper screws that would attach to the 300zx brake line and the 300zx caliper...I.E.
 
my materials would be...
 
6" of hard brake line - like 10 bucks?
4 screws for the brake lines - 5 bucks?
300zx brake lines and they are super long... (rubber) - 23.99 (advance)
all four skyline calipers are costing me 150 bucks
the calipers come with pads...used...but it will work for now...
and stock plain q rotors are 46.00 new, each, at advance.
 
so, total...im guessing a little under 300 duckets for everything...and i still get to do the rears...but...right now...not worried about the rears...

Sounds like the plan man! I spent about 700 all said and done on my setup. It's seriously a nice upgrade, it looks great, but it works great too. I highly recommend the Axxis Deluxe pads when you do get new ones, they're not expensive either, from R1concepts like 50 for front, and about 40 for rear. Great bite, and very little dust. As you can see if you read the whole thread, or scanned through it, I went through 3 sets of pads before settling on the Axxis Deluxe.  I've already put them on my new car as well, and I'm gonna get the same R1 slotted/drilled rotors too cause the EBC slot/drill ones it came with SUCK.

I know this is an old thread but no one has brought up that the bolt sizes to bolt the caliper to the knuckle are different sizes and how they got around that. I'm stuck trying to figure out how everyone has done it. The 12mm bolt is to loose in the y33 knuckle. Please help guys.

I think u have to get a shim. I haven't touch mine since kev got the equipment but I bought the shim and brackets myself.

^that's what's up J. You either have to shim it, or drill it out to the larger thread pitch. Shim it is easiest.  However, this has been a good while and I don't even have that car any more, I got no clue where we got them.

Does anyone have a pic of these shims? Are you just shimming the hole so the bolt fits better or are there some actual purpose built shims?

[QUOTE=drifter808;399148]Are you just shimming the hole so the bolt fits better ?[/QUOTE]

this :biggthumpup:

i got mine off YAJ - but my guess is - its been done before - id take it to a machine shop and have it made

Ok I've been in my buddies shop all day and I think we got it. Just made a sleeve to fit in the original hole and welded it in to be safe. Should be driving tomorrow. Thanks guys.

So all you did was drill and re-thread the hole on the caliper to fit the Y33 bolts?

No since the z32 calipers are aluminum and the threads are a steel insert, if you were to drill and retap the insert there would be no material left on the insert. So we made a sleeve that was 12mm inside and about 14mm outside and welded that into the knuckle. Took some time but worked good in the end.

I just bought y32 coilovers and called it a day. Everything just swapped right inane the bolt holes were same size on mounting tabs since all of it was of similar vintage