How To: Ultimate z32 Brake Swap w/Lots of Pics

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94_240sx
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Here we go. I've tried to compile as much as I can, so you don't need to look for the information anymore. This thread should be all you need for z32 brake swap. I'll update this thread if I find more information in the future. I'll start with some links that'll help you. Please go through them one by one.

Importnut z32 brake swap: You better read through this page.http://www.importnut.net/300zxbrakeswap.htm

5 Lug and Z32 Brake Conversionhttp://my240.epijunkie.com/5_L...rsion

Brake comparison: Iron or aluminum? 30mm or 26mm? This is how you distinguish them. Make sure to buy right ones for your project.http://www.importnut.net/300zx...mpare

Rebuilding z32 calipers: I rebuilt calipers myself and here's how to. zerothread?id=211697

BMC flare fitting: If you want to install z32 Brake Master Cylinder, you have to make sure it has 3rd fitting inside. If not, you can take it out from old s13/s14 BMC and press it in.http://importnut.net/300zxbrakeswap.htm#MC

Brackets for 350z track edition front rotors: I got mine from JSK, but there are many other companies making them like Punk racing and etc. http://www.jskinnovations.com/...r.htm

positron_'s z32 rear brake swap: I followed his instruction to do the rear.zerothread?id=277821

Anchor Bolt discussion: It's a critical part on e-brake system and you should get the right one. If not, you can cut the spacer from z32 hub and weld.zerothread?id=201187

Q45 e-brake hardware: z32 and Q45 use same parts for e-brake. More info here.zer...-here

z32 FSM: Come in handy when you assemble calipers and install e-brake.http://300zx-twinturbo.com/cgi-bin/manual.cgi

s13 FSM brake system: I used it when I bleed the lines.http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/240sx/91-94/BR.pdf

Courtesy Nissan: I got all my brake components from there.Ask for Jacob if you want to buy parts from Courtesy. http://www.courtesyparts.com/3....htmlh ... /3....html

s13 FSM front and rear suspension: I used them for torque specs.http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/240sx/91-94 ... -94/RA.pdf

z32 2+2 e-brake brackets from NICO market: These brackets made my swap much easier. I highly recommend them.zer...19827

z32 2 seater e-brake brackets: If you use z32 2 seater e-brake cables, you can make 'L' shaped brackets like this.zerothread?id=369693

First, I started with z32 BMC installation. I just unhooked the lines, plugged the holes with plugs that came with the z32 BMC and pulled it out fast. Brake fluid will mess up the paint, so be careful and use lots of towels.

Paint on my brake booster was peeling off, so I spray painted it.

This is a z32 BMC that I got from eBay a while back.

You must have a fitting in the middle hole. Luckily, mine came with the 3rd fitting already built in. I think several online shops sell this one including FRSport. Do this if you are missing the 3rd fitting.http://importnut.net/300zxbrakeswap.htm#MC

Below pictures are not mine. I'm adding them for reference. Take the fitting out of your old BMC and put it in the middle hole on z32 BMC.

Mine came in this way.

Back side. It's 17/16 BMC from Nabco.

If you have s13, you don't even have to bend the lines. It's a direct swap. If you have s14, you will have to bend the lines slightly. Importnut did the swap on s14, so you can find details there.

I was worried about the sensor plug, but it was a direct fit without any modification.

I've also heard that you can swap s13 fluid container with z32 BMC container to make the sensor plug work. As you can see, it should just pop out.

Many guys in suspension/brake forum recommended Valvoline fluid, so I got this from Autozone. This bottle was enough for flushing the entire brake system and refill.

I filled it up and pressed the pedal several times to remove all the air in the BMC. I heard you don't have to bench bleed z32 BMC, so I skipped it. If you want, you can go ahead and do it like this.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VMXC2xs ... GVnS4BetlA

BMC installation is done.

I moved to the rear brake.

Remove the wheel and take out the pin.

Cover will slide out and there's a black rubber insulator, so remove it.

Remove the huge nut and washer underneath it. I sprayed PB Blaster and used a breaker bar.

Remove the bolts and nuts one by one and disassemble everything.

I've heard that you can still do the swap without removing the knckle/upright from the lower ball joint, but I figured it's going to be hard to work on, so I decided to remove the whole thing. Ball joint remover from Autozone helped a lot.

I even took out the axles, cleaned up and spray painted them.

e-brake cable is attached to the subframe by 10mm bolt, so remove it.

To disconnect e-brake cable from e-brake handle, you need to turn it 90 degrees and push it up, so it can pop out from the slot. You don't have to remove center console. If it got stuck there for good due to rust, you will have to remove center console and take out the whole thing.

Rear upright/knuckle, hub, e-brake system, lower control arm and other arms have been removed.

Next step is z32 e-brake assembly.

I used z32 2+2 cables and part numbers are here.

This is how they look on z32. Judging by the mounting point, these are 2 seater cables.

This seahorse looking thing gets pulled by the cable and push brake shoes outward to grab inside of rear rotor. That's how e-brake works on z32.

I got mine from junkyard, cleaned up and spray painted the dust shields. I used this diagram to assemble it.

This is the correct anchor bolt for my hub.

There's a small bolt that holds the anchor bolt in place in the back of dust shield. This anchor bolt must be secured like this otherwise it may make some noise.

If you have this type of anchor bolt, you can cut #1 and weld it to #2. Actually, it all depends on what kind of hub you have. I stayed with original s13 4-lug hub, and that's why I used thicker anchor bolts.

Now, I have to disassemble s13 knucle, dust shield and hub to install z32 e-brake assembly.

This is the back of s13 knuckle.

I sprayed PB Blaster, put wrench like this, stepped on it and hit the wrench with a mullet.

They just fell apart like this after I removed 4 bolts in the back. Sometimes it won't happen due to rust and stuff, so be ready for it.

I test fitted anchor bolt and it went in with no problem. This anchor bolt is not the right one for my project. I just used it for test fitting. You might have to use a Dremel to remove rust inside of the hole.

I spray painted the hub with high temp aluminum paint.

I also painted knuckles too. Got the idea from positron_.

Install z32 e-brake assembly to s13 knuckle like this.

It's done.

If you want to use rear z32 upright/knuckle, you will need fork type lower mounts for your shocks/coilovers. Here's the detail.

As you can see, lower mounting points are different. Besides these eveything's same and rear z32 upright/knuckles are direct bolt on to s13 rear.

This is how it looks like on s13 shocks/coilovers.

You need fork type mounting brackets for rear shocks/coilovers. For example, SPL offers fork type lower mounting brackets, so you can ask for them when you order KTS coilovers.

Here's side by side comparison of s13 cable and z32 2+2 cable.

Subframe mounting points.

Can you see how this z32 cable bracket would work? It'll fill up the gap, so z32 cable will bolt on to the floor just like s13 cable. This bracket made my swap much easier. You can get a set from NICO fabricator's market.zer...19827

Now it's time to install everything back to the car.

I got a set of new rear lower control arms.

I just love the look of fresh looking ball joint and bushing.

I was lucky enough to find the very last set of rear lower control arm covers from Nissan. One is from Nissan warehouse in CA, and the other one is from a dealership in Denton, TX.

I also bought new bolts, nuts, clips and pins from Courtesy Nissan.

A friend of mine gave me these Nismo arms for free, so I installed them too.

s13 knuckle/upright is on the car now.

To install the cables, you have to remove this mounting bracket on the cable. It won't go through the hole on subframe.

Install rubber gromet like this.

I put the mounting bracket back and tried to bolt it on to the subframe, but there was not enough room on the cable, so I just zip tied it to the frame. It should work fine this way. If you don't secure the cables right, they will hit the driveshaft and make noise while you are driving.

Mount the cables and brackets to the floor. If you are using 2 seater cables, make 'L' shaped brackets like Dammitboy did.zerothread?id=369693

Remeber that huge nut removed from the hub earlier? You must make e-brake work to tighten it.

I bought a set of PowerSlot rotors front and back and took them to a machine shop to redrill them to 4 lug.

The shop had a CNC machine equipped with 4 lug drilling program, but unfortunately holes were like 0.5-1mm off. I had to use Dremel to make the hole bigger and it worked out just fine. This attachment worked the best.

I weighed both rear rotors. It turned out stock s13 rotor is 8lb and z32 PowerSlot rotor is 14.5lb.

Now, it's time to fine tune the e-brake. You can use these 2 controls to fine tune it. There's this dial thingy right below the hub and it'll move the brake shoes outward and inward if you turn it.

There's a hole right below e-brake handle and you have to use 10mm deep socket to reach it. I played with these 2 controls for a while to get the perfect setup. You need 6-8 clicks to fully engage according to z32 FSM.

I bought a set of new black rubber insulators and pins for the axles from a dealership and tightened the big nut. If you don't have insulators, you might hear rattle noise from the axle.

Done!!!

Moving on to rear caliper installation.

I bought the hardware kit from Courtesy, Project Mu B-Force pads from ProjectNissan and installed them on my rear calipers following FSM.http://www.courtesyparts.com/4..._4399&

I ran into a small problem here. I got front and rear conversion brake lines from ProjectNissan, but it wouldn't fit without removing the bracket and small hardline attached to the back of rear caliper.

I wanted to keep the bracket and hardline, so to do that, I needed replacement z32 stainless steel braided lines. This is stock z32 rear brake line, and I needed exact same one but stainless steel braided.

I contacted a local shop(http://www.sportbrakes.com) and was able to get a set pretty quick, but quality on ProjectNissan brake lines were much better than sportbrakes.com's.

Rear caliper was a direct bolt on without any problem using stock bolts and washers. Make sure that the bleeder valve goes to the top, not bottom and clean up the rotor with brake cleaner. Finally rear is done!!!

I had to turn my car around in my garage to work on front brake and I only used e-brake since I hadn't bled the lines yet.

Front is easier than the rear. I've seen people removing and bending the dust shield, but I decided to trim it nice. I used sheet metal cutter and it's easier if you cut it through counter clockwise.

I spray painted like this and came out very nice.

Removed stock rubber line and installed ProjectNissan conversion line.

This little fitting on the brake line moves, so you can find good spot to mount it on the shock body.

I also weighed front rotors. I used 350z track edition rotor, so it was heavy. Stock is 11.5lb and PowerSlot 350z track edition rotor is 20.5lb.

I also got the front hardware kit from Courtesy and Project Mu B-Force pads from ProjectNissan. http://www.courtesyparts.com/4..._4202&

It was bit tricky to install these small clips, so follow the FSM carefully.

Front caliper is ready.

I bought brackets from JSK Innovation. I bought black annodized ones. They come with all necessary bolts and washers.

This is how it looks like from the back when installed. #1 is stock bolt and washer. They go to the threaded hole on the bracket. #2 is a long bolt and washer that came with the brackets. #3 is a washer/spacer that also came with the brackets. #3 is very important. If you don't have it, your rotor won't be centered inside of caliper. Again, make sure that the bleeder valve goes to the top, not bottom.

As you can see, rotor is perfectly centered.

I've heard about these two issues with big brake upgrade before.

First, your pads will hang like this. It's because there's not enough space for the bracket to move to the center.

350z track edition rotor is big, so z32 caliper won't be able to cover whole area.

Connected brake line and secured it to the strut with a new clip. I needs 4 clips for the front and 4 clips for the rear. If you remove brackets and hardlines on rear calipers, you would need total 6 of them.

Front is done. Now, all you need is bleeding the lines.

Start bleeding it from driver's side rear --> passenger side rear --> passenger side front --> driver's side front.

Old fluid was in more yellowish color.

I attached a small clear hose to the bleeder and bled one by one. Luckily, all the caps came with the calipers when I got them, so I put them on after I finished bleeding.

Finished product.

I took it out for a spin and followed this brake bed-in process.http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

It's much easier than you think, so I highly recommend z32 brake upgrade.
Modified by 94_240sx at 9:00 AM 4/14/2009


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simmode1
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94_240sx wrote: TO BE CONTINUED.....
Good job, though!

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tramp_drift240
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i see so many red x's.

must be fixed so i can read more and learn.

FIXED, I SAY.

props so far though.

94_240sx
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tramp_drift240 wrote:i see so many red x's.

must be fixed so i can read more and learn.

FIXED, I SAY.

props so far though.
If you see red x's, right mouse click on it and select 'Show Picture.' Pictures should show up if you do that.

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nismofly
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so you decided to keep s13 brake booster and uprights?

i cant remember if z32 uprights work with 4 lug or whatever...but yeah

anyways, awesome thread, ill be using this for sure when the time comes

94_240sx
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nismofly wrote:so you decided to keep s13 brake booster and uprights?i cant remember if z32 uprights work with 4 lug or whatever...but yeahanyways, awesome thread, ill be using this for sure when the time comes
Vert came with a slightly larger booster than coupe/hatchback, so I decided to keep it. DME triangle strut bar wouldn't fit on vert because booster is on the way, but it fits well on coupe/hatchback. z32 upright has a fork fitting for the lower shock. You know? When you order KTS coilovers, you can choose lower section for either s13 or z32 upright.

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nismofly
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yeah but you can then order a different lower mount fairly inexpensively and change it over in order to get the z32 uprights

i dont know how much stance charges if they even do it, but SPL will send me a pair of fork style lower mounts for like $70 ish iirc so i can swap them over

but i may be getting new coilovers at the same time i do all this so it may not be necessary...i just know a couple people who have done it this way so i wasnt sure if that was something you considered

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positron1
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Excellent work man, this thread has all the info a person could need! Sticky and well done!!!

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tramp_drift240
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the ebrake stuff was a LITTLE hard to understand. for me anyway.

but very nice work on the write up. im definitely gonna be using this when the time comes in the next few months.

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positron1
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94 and his clean @$$ car....

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duffman1278
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O how I wish I had a write up like this when I did my Z32 rear brake swap!! Good work man! I agree sticky this!! but someone should add in the Z32 Upright swap as well but either way the rear swap was a PITA.

94_240sx
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duffman1278 wrote:Good work man! I agree sticky this!! but someone should add in the Z32 Upright swap as well but either way the rear swap was a PITA.
Thanks! I've just added z32 upright swap even though there's not much about it. I borrowed a picture from posi's write up.

My rear swap was very easy. I think it's all about how much rust you have. I had none, so it was super easy disconnecting everything.

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ddgsxr504
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NICE writeup!

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BMAR240SX
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Don't want to be a pita, but do you have a price list on how much it was for the entire project or links to where you got your goodies. I found some stuff but its all mixed up

94_240sx
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I can give you some rough figures.

Front calipers: $150 used from eBayRear calipers: $100 used from eBayPowder coating: $140 + $10 shipping from trgcoating.comBMC: $100 new from eBayRotors(F&R): About $420 from autoanything.comPads(F&R B-Force): $180 from projectnissan.comStainless steel brake lines: $100 projectnissan.com & sportbrakes.com350z rotor brackets: $120 jskinnovations.comBrake fuild: $10 from Autozonee-brake assembly: $150 from junkyard

I wonder if I missed anything. I also spent some money on brake rebuilt kit from Courtesy Nissan, but that's optional, not required.


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ddgsxr504
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I also found this, very informative.... I vote that it be a sticky.

http://my240.epijunkie.com/5_L...rsion

94_240sx
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ddgsxr504 wrote:I also found this, very informative.... I vote that it be a sticky.

http://my240.epijunkie.com/5_L...rsion
Good find! I've just added the link to the list of helpful links at the top.These are my calipers in the picture BTW.

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maj Andres
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You say that your BMC came w/ the fitting already, then I say you holding up a fitting in one of your pictures, I was wondering if you'd consider selling me that fitting? I've tried this one:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...A1318but the line will not thread into it (I've sent the first one in and have now tried the other one he sent me, but it had the same problem)Good job on this too! I did so much research when I did my brake swap and this thread just compiled it all! I have the rattle that you mentioned too, (I remember misplacing a seal) so a new seal would cure that?
Modified by maj Andres at 2:38 PM 1/19/2009

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ddgsxr504
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Bump

94_240sx
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Sorry for the delay.
You say that your BMC came w/ the fitting already, then I say you holding up a fitting in one of your pictures, I was wondering if you'd consider selling me that fitting?
Sorry. That's not mine. I just got the picture from somewhere for a reference purpose. Why don't you take one out of your old BMC?
Modified by 94_240sx at 8:10 PM 1/21/2009

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maj Andres
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ahhh, oh well. I don't wanna take the chance on hacking up my BMC and getting nowhere. I'll just have to get one from the junkyard and see if I could get it out successfully.

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mt05
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awesome write up! are those relocating brackets interchangeable between s13 and s14s?
Modified by mt05 at 5:45 PM 2/14/2009

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homeslicej2
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Yes, great write up. Pricey, but good one to spend the money on. Your car is incredibly clean in those pictures!! Has it been restored at any point or has it just been taken care of very well?

94_240sx
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mt05 wrote:awesome write up! are those relocating brackets interchangeable between s13 and s14s?
I believe so. Brackets bolt on to the holes where calipers go. There are many s13s and s14s out there with z32 calipers, so yes they should work for s14s too.
homeslicej2 wrote:Your car is incredibly clean in those pictures!! Has it been restored at any point or has it just been taken care of very well?

It has about 150,000 miles(on KA & chassis), and I used to DD for 8-9 years. It's just been taken care of very well.

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94_240sx wrote:It has about 150,000 miles(on KA & chassis), and I used to DD for 8-9 years. It's just been taken care of very well.
Well, I can definitely tell. I wish the previous 3 owners had taken better care of mine. It's in good shape, esp. the interior, but not nearly as clean. The underside is a bit nasty and could use a new undercoating.

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Stripes
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This may have been answered somewhere before, but could I use a z32 master cylinder with stock s13 brakes? I need a new bmc so I figure why not go z32?

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Stripes wrote:This may have been answered somewhere before, but could I use a z32 master cylinder with stock s13 brakes? I need a new bmc so I figure why not go z32?
I don't know the details, but your front might lock up too fast.

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D1S13
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one of the Best write up's EVER!

1 question; can I use the same caliper adapters for the 350z track rotors with R33 GTST calipers?

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D1S13 wrote:1 question; can I use the same caliper adapters for the 350z track rotors with R33 GTST calipers?
No, they won't work. I bet ear length is different. Adaptors are for z32 30mm aluminum and iron calipers only. You have to make something like these.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfWxjeWbxAc

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slim_240
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would i need to purchase the JSK brackets even if i weren't using the z33 track rotors? can i just bolt on my 30mm brakes?


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