But at least it was ready to then take the next step of disconnecting the bottom of the shock and then removing the lower control arm. The passenger side comes apart exactly the same as this driver side did. But perhaps a little faster since now you know what you’re doing. You did pay attention, right?
On an S13 240SX the emergency brake handle pulls a cable which actuates a mechanism in the rear caliper that squeezes it onto the rotor. In the case of the SC300, the cable is pulling on a shoe assembly that expands the shoes into the drum that’s formed by the rotor hat. It’s a neat design, and actually works really well for drifting. But the Supra StopTech kit does not accommodate this setup, and so it has to go. Easier said than done, of course.
And, since I was rebuilding the front knuckles and hubs and changing control arms, I was also going to rebuild the rear knuckles and hubs and change control arms. So that meant even more disassembly than expected. Yep, it wasn’t just “cut off brake dust shield and install StopTech.”
The rear was also exposed to the elements over the years, so it has a lot of surface oxidation. The cotter pin was a little tough to get out, but replacements are super cheap. I ended up destroying the cotter pin on the other side removing it. And, while I was at it, I decided to get brand new axle nuts, new castellated caps, and new cotter pins.
Why was I removing the cotter pins and axle nuts? Because you have to remove the axle to get the knuckle and hub off. By the way, that axle nut is held on with 230ft-lbs of torque. I would strongly recommend that you remove the cotter pin and castle cap and loosen the axle nut before removing the brake caliper and rotor. Why? Because being able to have the emergency brake on to hold the axles/hubs in place will make it way easier to get the nut off! Especially if you don’t have impact tools and need to use a breaker bar. Sure, there are workarounds, but it’ll be easier if you do the nut first.
You can see that CV grease had leaked out. I didn’t know the status of the axles, either. Were they also 27 years old? Were they even OEM Toyota/Lexus units? When in doubt — replace.
But new axles from Toyota/Lexus were EXPENSIVE. Sure, you can get cheap crap from Rock Auto that’s made in China. But there’s a reason that they’re cheap — it’s because they’re crap. In the end I found a local specialist that does nothing but rebuild OEM axles. And, luckily, they also are able to do wheel bearings if you bring them bare/empty knuckles. Awesome!
6 comments
This is real garage work, not your fancy Discovery Channel scripted stuff. Nice work!
You shouldn’t reuse hubs, they are just as much a wear item as the bearings.
@Mikhael – which part of the hub is a wear item? It rests inside the bearing / rides on the bearing.
Metal fatigue, I’ve seen hubs and bearings both let go on track cars. It’s also usually very difficult to remove the stuck on inner race without damaging the hub. Even if you do a lot of the time the hub is scored and scratched in the process and you risk spinning the hub inside the race once it’s installed.
Good points. I didn’t notice any issues with the hubs. The fronts were very clean and the rears are splined. We’ll see how it goes, I guess!
Pff, I’ve been running good tight junkyard hubs on my road race Camaro for years. It’s about a grand to upgrade to to the Corvette SKF hubs with the adapters. You’ll know when they’re bad, and if they were good last time out no need to waste money. They’re not going to suddenly explode and send you into the wall down the back straight at Road America. As far as popping ball joints with a hammer, it also works very well to just bash on the knuckle itself while leaving the nut loosely on. I rarely use a separator anymore, so much faster and easier to give it a few whacks and the boots and everything are reusable too. You’re definitely spending more than I would, but it should turn out like a show piece in the end. You gonna go with sphericals in the control arms?