Having plenty of urge under the go pedal and the ability to sling shot through those corners is one thing but when you've got to stop in a hurry it's nice to know you can! This was ironically one area that didn't get much attention until after I had the aforementioned stuff, something that is probably fairly typical of a young clown with a fast car. Anyway, suffice to say, my brakes work awesomely now!

This is one area in particular where I wish I had access to the wealth of Z car information on the web. The new stoppers are a hybrid setup consisting of big fat Mitsubishi Sigma GSR turbo front discs and old Lockhead, AP four piston calipers, sourced, would you believe, from an Austin Princess!

Unfortunately the swap over procedure on initial inspection looked like it was going to be a very straight forward exercise consisting of about an afternoons work, at least that was the impression the mechanic gave me. In reality, I didn't see my car for a week and it came back accompanied with a huge bill! Oddly enough this mechanic hasn't seen a lot of business from me since. The rears meantime have remained standard and I can't see myself upgrading those in a hurry as the big finned aluminium drums seem more than adequate.

FRONT BRAKE CONVERSION

Toyota 4x4 four piston caliper conversion

From 240Dave's Page

This upgrade improves the braking of the stock 240-280Z by increasing the clamping force of the front brakes with the use of Toyota 4 piston calipers from a Toyota 4x4 pickup and the stock solid 240-280 rotors. These calipers will bolt directly to the Z strut, with no modifications. The reason for this, is that these calipers are made by Sumitomo, a brake component manufacturer, who manufactured brake components for Nissan/Datsun and Toyota. This really works out great for us Z fanatics, since they used the same bolt pattern quite a bit, which enables us to do this swap.

By using the larger front calipers, your brake torque for the front wheels is increased. Brake torque is what makes your car stop, the larger the amount of torque the quicker you can stop. There are two ways to increase brake torque. First, you can increase the clamping ability of the calipers, and secondly to increase the rotor diameter. Of course, if you do both modifications at the same time, you will substantially increase brake torque. If you take a look at any after market brakes, they are always larger in diameter than their stock counterparts for this very reason.

This particular upgrade, while effective, does not address the rotor warpage issue, associated with excess heat.

1. (2) Calipers from a '79-'84 Toyota 4x4 pickup. They should be stamped 'S12' on the side. (new or rebuilt)
2. (1) Get a set of semi metallic pads. There are many brands, I prefer Porterfields.
3. (1) 280ZX 15/16" master cylinder (new or rebuilt)
4. (1) DOT 5 Brake fluid.

Not required, but recommended:

1. Stainless braided brake lines and new hard lines.
2. New rotors, possibly cross drilled if available/desired (I wouldn't use cross-drilled, but that's your choice).
3. Proportioning valve (280ZX unit works well)

1. Remove your wheels (obviously), and safely jack up the car.
2. Disconnect the brake lines from the calipers.
3. Remove your old caliper and pad assemblies.
4. Remove the front rotors and bearings. Now is the time to check your rotor and bearing condition. If anything is questionable, take it to a shop and have it machined within spec, or spend a little cash and buy new parts. Although not required, I highly suggest a new set of rotors, since there is no point in doing this upgrade with old worn out rotors.
5. Remove the backing plate. This is an optional step, since the backing plate can be retained by cutting excess metal to provide clearance for the new 4 piston calipers. However, these plates were known to retain moisture on stock Z cars, and I suggest removing them entirely. While this will create a dustier condition, the moisture problem will no longer be an issue.
6. Remove the master cylinder. Disconnect all brake lines at the master cylinder, and remove it. You can retain the stock 240-280 brake booster. Be careful, as brake fluid is highly corrosive, and any spills should be cleaned up immediately. It is a good idea to keep some soapy water and a rag handy if you are at all concerned about your paint.

1. Install new 15/16" 280ZX master cylinder. This is a direct replacement for the 240-280 style. Reconnect all previously disconnected brake lines. Be careful to not over tighten, you might strip threads.
2. Install the new rotor and/or bearings/seals. Installation is reverse of removal. Use new cotter keys and nuts as well, these are very cheap, but necessary.
3. Install new brake lines. If you are retaining your old lines, then skip this step. Although, that would be a mistake in my opinion. I would also install the proportioning valve at this time. Although not deemed necessary, I feel the brake upgrade is incomplete without it. The reasoning for this, is that the new 4 piston calipers have a much greater clamping force. So, the brake system becomes unfairly biased towards the front. The proportioning valve alleviates some of this phenomenon.
4. Install new 4 piston calipers. Installation is the reverse of the stock 240Z caliper removal. These are a direct replacement, and require no special mounting. Make sure to have the brake bleed screw towards the top. You can install it the other way, but it will not function correctly. Bleed screw orientation is how you can tell the difference between the right and left calipers.
5. Re-connect all brake lines. Installation is once again, reverse of removal. Some minor bending of the hard brake lines is necessary to get them to fit correctly. Be careful not to kink any lines, and make sure that all lines are free of obstruction or interference.
6. Install new brake pads.
7. Bleed the brakes. Do this in whatever method you prefer, but be aware that most brake problems can be associated with improper bleeding. If you are in question, just take it to a local shop, and have them power bleed the brakes. This isn't expensive, and works far better than any backyard job.

REAR DISC CONVERSION

240Z Rear Disk Brake Conversion by Mike Wisdom.