This site contains car modification and auto upgrade information specifically for the turbo import Toyota JZX90 MarkII TourerV, however the principles applied here can be mostly utilised regardless of the make or model of motor vehicle.
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Hydraulic Handbrake Install 24/2/2005
When I did a brake pad change I decided that it was a good thing for more than one reason. Firstly of course was to replace my worn pads. I didn't consider that I needed to change to a higher performance compound since I was not intending to be charging for lap times on the circuit (just a bit of drift which is not hard on brakes in general compared to the abuse copped by circuit warriors), and the brakes work remarkably well as they are. The second benefit was that I was going to revive the slowly slackening handbrake to its original firm position. What I was not prepared for was the shock of realising that the handbrake did in fact, not actuate the hydraulic calipers, but rather levered some very thin looking brake shoes against a pair of drums inside the rear disc rotors.
It was at this time, after screaming a loud "DOH!", that I called up Toyota to order some new rear brake shoes. To my dismay, when they arrived, they were hardly any thicker than the ones I had taken out. Slowly, I realised that Toyota had never intended the handbrake to be reefed on in excess of 100km/h, and probably actually intended it to be used only when the car was stationary. A revelation! That's why they call it a parking brake. So it was at this point that I decided a hydraulic handbrake was the best way out of my dillemma. Not that the standard drums were weak. Far from it in fact, as the stock handbrake can lock up the rears quite effectively and is great for drifting. It was moreso, after the bastard of a job that I had replacing the shoes, and the thin amount of shoe material on a new set of shoes, that I realised at this rate I would be performing a lot of brake shoe replacements if I wanted to continue drifting. And it was clear that changing shoes was far more labour intensive than changing pads.
The hydraulic handbrake you see here is one supplied by Seemore Motorsports and includes here a 3/4" master cylinder. Notice that the lever and the master cylinder mount are two separate pieces. They can be rotated relative to each other in 45 degree increments. As it turned out in my case this was not enough for me to position the unit perfectly to my satistaction. 22.5 degree increments would have suited me better.
The mounting bracket has four holes with which to mount on the transmission tunnel. I simply placed the bracket in the position that I considered to be most comfortable, and drilled through the tunnel. It is important to make sure there are no wires or hydraulic lines on the other side before drilling. To get the best angle however, (due to the 45 degree limitation) required a little bit of hammering of the tunnel at one corner mounting point, and a rubber spacer underneath another. For a spacer I used a skateboard truck rubber which bolstered the bracket to what I figured was just the right position.
The lever sits nicely between the shifter and the steering wheel making it great for quick grabs mid-drift. However, despite my attempts to get the lever in the perfect position, I found that it still seemed to intrude a bit too much into my leg room. A few firm lateral shoves against the lever moved it into a more comfortable position. I suspect that the transmission tunnel is what gave way during this little shunting exercise, as the brackets are very strong and don't seem to have bent despite my forcefulness.
This particular master cylinder is a 3/4" bore with some other non-metric sized threads for the piping. This irritated me a little as I had all metric piping in the brake system (and the whole car for that matter) and needed to get a special adaptor to step down the input in order to fit my standard sized lines. After this mucking around I came to the next problem and that is the fact that the car has ABS. The problem is this: the output from the ABS (which would be the ideal place to have the master cylinder in-line from) had 2 seperate lines the whole length of the car, obviously to be able to control each wheel individually when ABS cut in. If I joined these lines using a T-piece then the ABS to the rear would never work properly (and I wanted to keep the ABS for street use)
But if I tapped into the line before the ABS unit then the ABS would stop me from being able to lock up the rears. So the only solution was to pull the ABS fuse to disable the ABS for track use and pipe in-line between the brake master cylinder and the ABS unit.
The issue I now have is that it takes an extrordinary effort to pull the hydraulic lever to actually lock the rears. I suspect the problem is the size of the master cylinder. If I reduce the bore of the cylinder then I will get more stroke for the same amount of fluid shift, and hence have more leverage on the calipers. This should make the pull easier and provide more control.
The yellow handle is also an eyesore for me so that has been remedied with a black foam sock. This should also maintain a stealth look so as to not alert defect-issuing constabulary.
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RECENT MODS CHRONOLOGY
5-Jan-2007
Turbo pages and Headlights
I have recently added a new page about my single turbo conversion. There is a second page yet to come, but page one outlines some of the supporting components needed as well as the turbo itself.
Page 2 will be forthcoming where I detail the fitment of the turbo, manifold and wastegate.
I have also added a page for modifications to my headlights that should be very useful for owners of import vehicles.
25-Jan-2007
Site Revamp
Wow, it has been a very long time since I worked on the site, but now I
am in the process of redesigning it so stay tuned as I add some more content
and attempt to bring this project up to date.
18-Mar-2006
Car Changes
Lots has happened since my last update on upgrades to the car. For instance
the car is now running a 2JZ bottom end and the gearbox has been completely
rebuilt with a stage 1.5 shift kit, beefier clutches and a 2800 rpm stall convertor.
To say that this has transformed the car is an understatement. The car is now
torque heaven, and is an absolute pleasure to drive. The lag that was sadly
felt with the 2.5L motor is now completely gone with the 3L and the stally.
When I can find time to update the site with the process I went through I will
do so. I have many hundreds of pictures to add.
Whatever your vehicle is, whether it is a turbo car or NA or a Toyota or other manufacturer, I hope that the automotive information on this page is of benefit to you as you take the path of modification and upgrade on your car.
Toyota JZX90 MarkII TourerV.