peterls

So i think i got everything to do the upgrade, but I just opened the box with calipers I bought from a junkyard and they dont see to have any brackets. I just see big front calipers, four pistons inside, a brake line and what looks like an ABS connector, but nothing else. Do these just bolt on as they are or do I need something more , like brackets that would fit 2nd gen LS? (I still havent looked at my old brakes, but if they are mounted on brackets, can i reuse those even though they are from 1st gen?)

steve2006

You may need the matching caliper carrier brackets for the UCF20 calipers,UCF20 discs and pads,UCF20 bottom ball joints (or modify the existing ones to clear new calipers) and then reshape the disc splash shields to prevent them contacting the bigger discs.
Fit new brake hoses possibly upgrade to braided stainless steel
Also if you have 15" wheels fitted they won't fit over the bigger calipers.


It's all on the link below
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...er-thread.html

peterls

So I am in the middle of upgrading my brakes on the 1990 LS400. While there I replaced also the Upper control arms, lower ball joints, and now I am onto the brakes themselves.

Except, the dust shield is ruining my day. Actually two little screws that hold the disks ruined my day already because they were so overtorqued, and then stripped (by whoever put them in there) that there was NO WAY to remove them. I was using my impact wrench with the stripped screw tool the adapter I used (which was not impact type) changed color from chrome to bluish colored steel! Who overtorques and then strips the little screw and then leaves it for the next guy to deal with it?

But, then the second hardest part is the dust shield. I knew it would be in the way, but thought I could just bang it or bend it.

The area of the dust shield that is giving me real trouble is on the bottom, at around 6 o'clock position. I cannot fit the larger disk because the dust shield is pushing against it. In frustration I made the shield into a mess, and now I am thinking of just ripping it out of there, or at least cutting out those pieces which are in my way with a grinder.

Any opinions on the matter? Is the shield really important? Will my brakes go bad sooner if I rip it out or cut out pieces from it? Should I just get the OEM dust shield for the gen.2? how hard is that - do I need a press to assemble the whole thing back together?

Any advice appreciated, especially if you went through exact same process!

aptoslexus

I stripped out one of the screws holding the rotor when I changed my rotors last week. I began drilling it out with the drill set in reverse. The screw eventually started turning out with the reverse action of the drill enough for me to insert a standard screw driver and turn it completely out.

peterls

I hear ya, the tool that I used was exactly the same - basically it drills in reverse, so it goes in deeper while pulling it out. Eventually, it gave in, but the torque required was unbeilavable, made me angry at whoever put that thing together to no end.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

I had clearanced mine when I got RCAs, then removed both front dust shields altogether when I had it all apart for new wheel bearings.

No issues so far.

Shmee

iTrader: (3)

When removing rotor screws, I always found an impact driver was the only way to get them off... Or they were so rusted the impact driver would break the head off and I could still remove the rotor. Either way, it's a $20 tool everyone should have in their toolbox!

peterls

So I will just keep cutting whereever it is in my way...

Today, I realized that onie cannot put back old 15" wheels after putting 2nd gen lower ball joints - the control arm gets in the way because the lower ball joint sits a little lower... luckily I had the new 16" wheels ready, so I just put those on.

Now that I have the new 2nd gen lower ball joints, new 16" wheels on, and am ready to start cutting the dust shield, is there anything else that will be in my way, or is it really going to be a smooth sailing - just put on the new rotors and bolt on the calipers and good to go? I hope I don't run into some strange surprise like the brake line being too short, or bolts being too big or small or long or short...

Any hints?

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

as long as you have 2nd gen caliper, LBJs, properly cleared wheels, and 2nd gen shims/pads/bolts you should be fine.

peterls

Great, thank you!

peterls

Her Puredrifter, it's been a few weeks with my upgraded brakes and braking is fantastic, however now I am having issues with steering.
I wanted to ask you if you have experienced the same thing, once you upgraded your brakes. The problem is that steering feels a bit too twitchy, like at highway speeds it seems to overreact to my input. Even a mechanic who I respect a lot test drove it on highway and told me that he was scared with how twitchy it was - he said it is like it steers normal, and then all at once it steers too much too fast, and feels too light.

I think lightness may have to do with the P/S rack solenoid which I think is dead so no adjustment of pressure with change of speed.

But even then, the change was quite pronounced when I swithed from my old 15" wheels to the new 16" wheels (from 2000 LS).

I did alignment, and they tell me that my caster is 9.3 deg which sounds like too much if anything (on 1st gen LS, the tolerances are quite big, so caster is OK anywhere from 6.5-10 deg aparently). So much caster should give me harder steering not light, twitchy steering response.

The only other variable I can think of are tires - these wheels came with Falken ziex tires on them and they do not make sense to me: they have tread pattern which is not simmetrycal. All wheels are mounted properly it seems - the word "outside" is on the outside. But, I am not convinced about the way tread pattern goes: since tires are not symmetrical, left and right side tires should NOT be identical, yet they are - this means that pattern points one way on one side, and backwards on the other side. Here is a picture to illustrate what i mean: (btw the picture is not from my car but its the same tire)

BigBalloo

i just picked up me calipers rotors and balljoints , but i wasnt sure if i got the shims you speak of . are these it the ones .where the caliper mounts up?

peterls

No, shims are just what goes on the pad to prevent squeel.

But with your calipers I would be more concerned with that paint job... it seems that they painted everything including the threads for bolts, and pistons. You want to keep those as clean as possible, not all covered in paint.
Have you tried to put in the mounting bolt in those holes?

Others who have done this upgrade on gen1 LS, please chime in about your steering feel - has it changed after you upgraded to 16" wheels and 2nd gen lower ball joints?