Silver Mine Motors Rear Conversion Kit
This kit includes everything you will need to install into your z. Some situations might need some modification that will be on, YOU, the owner.
Edan is the owner of Silver Mine Motors, which produces fabulous products for the s30 chassis as well as other models. He mostly sells brake products but also sells some suspension components. His products are cheapest and he does his best to keep it that way. If you happen to find a brake kit cheaper, send him the link and he will match it! Edan has amazing customer service and responds to his emails/calls quickly. Check out his website to order your kit!
http://www.silverminemotors.com/main.sc
Facts about this kit:
-You should really upgrade to a 15/16 master cylinder OR the more available 1inch master cylinder. This is important if you already upgraded your front brakes. You should also consider a proportioning valve.
-My 15inch panasport wheels (15x6) WILL NOT FIT. The minimum is a 15inch wheel HOWEVER it will depend on the WIDTH and OFFSET of the wheel. In consideration is also the design of the wheel. Some spoke design might be to concave, and hit against the caliper. Too much of an inward design will hit the caliper, be sure to test fit the wheels.
-First things first, I have a 76 280z so other years might differ slightly.
Tools you will need:
19mm: wrench.
17mm: wrench.
14mm: wrench.
10mm: wrench.
Sawzall: cut backing plate.
Screw driver.
Cotter pins: Have a couple. They don’t need to be large, medium or smaller ones work fine.
Rubber mallet or 5lb mallet: Optional to beat out your drums.
PB Blaster: This is your friend use this A LOT.
Needle nose plier.
Getting started:
1-First off, more than likely your drums are stuck onto your car. So use the mallet to beat the drum off the stub axel. If it breaks off (the drum) it is ok, the parts are not going to be used any more.
2-Once the drum is off, you will be looking at the brake shoes and springs, as well as the cylinder holding the parking brake cable.
3-Behind the backing plate are the hard lines for the parking brake. These are no longer needed and must be removed. The only line needed is the hardline from the main braking system. Be careful removing the parking brake hard lines, and then remove the parking brake cable, save the bolt that holds it in place. Push the cable aside, as it will be needed later on.
4-With the screw driver or needle nose, remove the springs carefully of the brake shoes and it will come off.
5-Once the brake shoes are off you will be able to see 4 bolts that are holding the backing plate in place. Remove those carefully. They are not in the best position, so they will be prone to stripping if you aren’t careful.
6-Once the backing plate is loose it is now ready to cut. If it isn’t loose, hit it a few times with the mallet until it is loose.
7-Once loosed, CAREFULLY use the sawzall to cut the backing plate in two sections. It is best to cut in a “V” shape on both sides and bend the plate repeatedly to snap off. If done carefully, you should hit nothing and it should come off fairly easily. Again be CAREFUL not to hit the stub axel or the parking brake cable, or even your brake line hose.
8-After the backing plate is removed, you should have all the pieces of the old braking system in a pile and ready for the new kit to go in.
9-The kit is very easy to install, I recommend ordering the stainless steel brake lines.
10-The mounting bracket should have the “silver mine” logo facing toward the differential and should be mounted opposite of your strut assembly. Use the 3 bolts with lock washers and bolt it in place with the 17mm wrench.
11-With the bracket in place, put the rotor on and use the lug nuts to hold it in place.
12-Put the caliper in place with the pads in it already and use the 2 bolts to bolt in the caliper, 19mm wrench. If you have the stainless steel line, screw that into the caliper before you bolt it in the bracket. Then screw it into the hardline.
13-Now the parking cable is ready to be installed. The cable is held on a bracket to avoid rubbing against the driveshaft. If necessary, remove the bracket to obtain proper length and install the parking brake cable, using the previous bolt to hold it in with a cotter pin.
-With all that done, you are ready to drive! Go to an open area with no traffic to test it out.
Special thanks to Edan at Silver Mine Motors for providing a great kit and pictures. Also a special thanks to David Palermo for providing great pictures.
Pictures now:
We're converting this one into an article and posting it on the datsun page! I'll send you the link when it's done. Good job!