How thick of a spacer do I need Toyota 4x4 Brake Upgrade

[danman]

I am doing the 1995 Toyota 4x4 V6 caliper with the 1984 300zx vented rotor. I have a 240Z and a 260Z. I understand there is a difference between the two hubs so both spacer measurements would be great.

 

I need to buy some aluminum to take over to my friends house to machine the spacer and don't want to waste material/$.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Daniel

[Trevor]

The spacer, you will need will depend on what hub you have on your Z. On most 240Z's and early 260 Z's, you will need a 1/2" spacer. On late model 260Z's and 280Z's, you will need a .350/.375 spacer. You can get the spacers from alot of sites on the web. Or you can have it made at your local machine shop. Check on both ways and take the cheapest way you can. I am running a 280Z hub on my 240Z and had to use the .375 spacer, had it made by a local machine shop.

 

The full post / thread:

http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=98425

[danman]

Thanks Trevor,

 

I just wanted to clarify something. "you will need a .350/.375 spacer"

 

Did that mean the late model 260Z hub will require a .350 spacer and the 280Z hub will require a .375 spacer?

 

Thanks again.

 

This site is great. Nowhere can you find so many different helpful people. Thanks to everyone who posts and shares knowledge.

[GrommitZ]

Hi Danman,

 

I had half inch spacers machined for my 240 hubs. This turned out to be too thin. I think you best bet is to mock up the setup with washers first. Make sure your calipers can clear your particular wheels. A friend's wheels started to rub when the brakes got hot. You can optimize the spacers for your setup this way.

[RedNeckZ]

Make sure that you mock-up your setup first. Some of the hubs have small differents in them. I needed the .375 size to make it work on my Z (280Z hub on 240Z spindle). But I do know of guy's needing the .350 size for the 280Z hub on 280Z spindle. On the standard 240Z hub most need the .50 size. Good Luck and let us know how it went. Rich.

[sleepyzzz]

here is what i did, and grade eight flat washers and bolts were used. everything turned out great. no problems lining it all up. also the spacer on the front was my original rear drums that we used to give the wheel clearance between the callipers.

 

[johnc]

I'm surprised you guys are looking at .375 and .500 thick spacers. I've done a few of these and all I've done (for the 240Z) have required a .625" spacer.

[danman]

Thanks again for the info. Looks like I really need to mock it up and do the last face of my spacer once we measure. I dig the grade 8 spacers.

 

I bought four pieces of 6" diameter 1" thick 6061-T6 aluminum from a local machine shop for $15 each piece. I then pulled the hub off my 1971 (really a 1970 sold in 1971) 240Z. It had late model 280 hubs. I pulled my early 260Z wheels and it has round hubs. 240 may have been in accident?

 

Anyway went to friend's house who has the monster garage with the mill and lathe. They tried to hole saw center hole, bad idea, almost killed themselves when a wrench holding the chuck tight launched itself across the room. I am their saftey officer, I wasn't around of course for the first one. Next three we did the safe slow way. We drilled a hole in the center, then brought in a bit and slowly but surely after many passes I opened the center hole to 77mm. We then went in 10mm at 81mm diameter so the spacer will center and key onto the hub. We then faced that side. After three hours I had four rotor spacers with 77mm/81mm holes.

 

Now I wait, my friend has a small hobby mill with digital read out so he can locate my four holes. Then when I get that back we will mock up the brakes and get our measurement. Then we need to face the last side down to the right thickness.

 

This was my first experience with a lathe, so it was a lot of fun. After three hours the lathe auto feed gear seized on the shaft, broke part of the case open. So after lunch I got my first lathe repairman lesson. I took apart the machine under my friends guidance and we pressed off the gear, sanded the shaft, lubed it for the first time in twenty years, welded the case back together and off we went. Only about a 1.5 hr. delay.

 

I will post pictures of the final product when my friend drills the four hub bolt holes. Hope to have it done in a few weeks, we only meet every two weeks to work on cars and his 1970 Mustang with a 2003 Cobra motor takes precidence over my project.

 

Thanks for all the help

[danman]

Update to finsh everything, installed and tested calipers and master cylinder upgrade, works well. Made spacers under my friend's supervision on a lathe and drill press. We built in a shoulder on the side that faces the rotor, which centers the spacer against the rotor. The side that faces the hub has an internal step which centers on the hub. (Note we had to cut an angle at each internal step on the hub side to match the slope the hub makes.) My friend is very smart guy, and I had a great time doing all the work on the lathe.

 

I wanted to drive away with new brakes, so we did the bolt holes the quick, semi-accurate way. He used a marking liquid and laid the rotor against the spacer. He then scribed the holes, eyeballed the center punching, then off to the drill press. Always secure your part before drilling. Stepped up a few times to right size. Wouldn't fit just right, stepped up to next size drill bit on good set, meaning not much bigger than bolt. Used grade 8 bolts, 40mm long if I remember, not sure of pitch number, but course thread for sure.

 

Rotor spacer was faced to .375, that was not enough, rotor rubbed on caliper. Faced spacer down to .355, just right! I am very good at taking my hub on and off now with all that mock up.

 

Used a master cylinder off a 1979-1981 280ZX if I rember, anyway it should say 15/16 on the side, and my Raybestos one came with fancy reservoir caps with the uh, oh I don't have any brake fluid sensor. We put those away for when I rewire the car and install a light along with everything else. Side note first box had wrong part in right box, didn't figure that out till master cylinder bottles leaked at the cracks reman worker put in reservoir bottles. Also check that the master cylinder bottle retaining rings are not screwed too high, thus cracking the bottles, as the previous Raybestos rebuilding expert had done. Very strange, usually have good luck with Raybestos stuff, not this time.

 

Brakes seem good, have yet to put them to the 120 to 65 test though. Need to find better pads for track day, some day when the car is ready for it.

 

You can see pictures of my spacer in my album. I would recommend you buy them from one of the many vendors that make them or support your local machine shop, most people don't have the equipment to make them. It is also quite a bit of hours in front of the lathe. I learned a lot though and had a great time. Except for the fancy lathe and drill press everything else can be done in the street if needed, if you buy the spacer from the different guys that sell the spacer on the internet.

 

They had their project car on the lift, so I had to do it in the driveway on a jack, with a hammer and a wrench to get off the caliper bolts, because the impact gun wouldn't fit. Used a hammer screwdriver to take off dust shields, vise grips would have worked too. Just saying a little imagination can overcome tool availability. Panasport 16" cleared with room to spare, no issue of making wheel spacer.

 

Another side note, I called my boss after I went to the machine shop to find some aluminum and worked out my schedule so I could apprentice over at the machine shop an hour or two after work each day. The guys at the shop let me stop by each day and work/learn to make items. I get to sneak my own projects in now and again. This place is awesome, every machine you could want to make things. I am making a half inch stainless exhaust flange and got to use the biggest drill press I have ever seen. It drilled my 2" hole with a huge bit after a few steps up, then got to learn about a boring bar on the mill to bring it out to 2 1/4", they don't have a 2 1/4 bit funny enough, 2 1/2", but not what I needed, or he wanted to show me how to use a boring bar.

 

Machinists are really cool people, these two brothers have been machining since 1950 or so, the happiest guys in the world. I am very lucky to know them and the father/son team that helped me make the spacer and install it as well.

 

Thanks to everyone who posted, keep the Z's alive!