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Drum to RS rear disc conversion guide
This is a guide on swapping out rear drum brakes for OEM rear disc brakes. Rear discs come standard on the RS and Dusk models but sadly is not even an option for the rest of us, we have to take matters into our own hands. This guide is not intended for aftermarket rear disc swaps such as the kit from ZZP. Parts list is in post #2.
I am presuming that if you are undertaking something of this nature you already possess a certain level of skill, thus this is not a complete step by step on every single nut and bolt you'll touch. I've also tried to provide a complete list of parts, but ultimately you will need to make sure you have everything you need. Work on your car at your own risk.
- Jack up car, put on jack stands, remove rear wheels and brake drums.
- Remove screws in center console, there are screws in the back, under the shift boot which just lifts up, and up front. We only need to be able to lift up the back of it, not completely remove it.
- Remove rear seat cushion. It simply pulls up, there are no bolts holding it in. The front clips are in there good, get your fingers on either side and pull straight up.
- Pull the carpet and padding forward enough so you can access the parking brake equalizer.
- Remove all drum brake shoes, pins, springs, levers, clips, etc. For now leave the backing plate, wheel cylinder and hub on to minimize the amount of time the brake line is opened and dripping fluid.
- Unbolt the drum parking brake cable brackets forward of the rear wheels, pull the cable out of the rear suspension and remove the plastic shield from the gas tank.
- Unhook the equalizer and front ends of the cables, pull the parking brake cables out through the interior. There are hard lines near the passenger side pass-through that will get in your way, be patient and you'll get the cable out.
- Drum cables next to disc cables
- Feed the RS parking brake cables through, attach equalizer and front end of cables, bolt the brackets back up to the underside forward of the rear wheels and reattach the gas tank shield.
- Remove the ABS sensor, remove the brake line from the wheel cylinder and then remove backing plate, ABS sensor spacer for the drum and the hub.
- Install disc brake bracket mounting plate, splash shield and hub.
- Install disc brake bracket, discs, pads, calipers and ABS sensor. One caliper pin will have a rubber section, this one is the bottom of the two. See pic of caliper pins in parts post for reference.
- Bend hard brake line so it's pointing up and slightly back and inward, install flexible brake line to caliper and hard brake line. The brackets on the flexible brake lines are not used, remove and discard.
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Edit for Warning: Be very careful that your flexible brake line does not rub against any chassis components or wheels! Refer to post 69 & 71 in this thread for a better way to connect the flexible brake line.
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- Attach parking brake cable to caliper and secure with E-clip.
- The RS parking brake cable has an extra bracket compared to the drum parking brake cables. This is likely due to the RS cable not running through the hole in the suspension that the drum cable uses and the RS cable is longer and therefor needs a little more support.
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Edit for Warning: Be very careful that your flexible brake line does not rub against any chassis components or wheels! Refer to post 69 & 71 in this thread for a better way to connect the flexible brake line.
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- In the following pic you can see the extra bracket hanging loose.
- We're going to bolt that up to an unused hole in the spring perch as illustrated by the next couple of pics. Bolt strength and size isn't real critical here, just grab a couple bolts, nuts and washers from your jar of extra stuff. After tightening it down, bend the loop down a little so the cable doesn't follow as tight of a bend.
- In the following pic I hadn't yet bent the loop down but it does show the bracket so you can get the gist.
- Double check everything is tightened, make sure your brake lines don't rub your wheels/tires and bleed your brakes.
- Put your interior back together and your wheels on and you're done!
This is a guide on swapping out rear drum brakes for OEM rear disc brakes. Rear discs come standard on the RS and Dusk models but sadly is not even an option for the rest of us, we have to take matters into our own hands. This guide is not intended for aftermarket rear disc swaps such as the kit from ZZP. Parts list is in post #2.
I am presuming that if you are undertaking something of this nature you already possess a certain level of skill, thus this is not a complete step by step on every single nut and bolt you'll touch. I've also tried to provide a complete list of parts, but ultimately you will need to make sure you have everything you need. Work on your car at your own risk.
- Jack up car, put on jack stands, remove rear wheels and brake drums.
- Remove screws in center console, there are screws in the back, under the shift boot which just lifts up, and up front. We only need to be able to lift up the back of it, not completely remove it.
- Remove rear seat cushion. It simply pulls up, there are no bolts holding it in. The front clips are in there good, get your fingers on either side and pull straight up.
- Pull the carpet and padding forward enough so you can access the parking brake equalizer.
- Remove all drum brake shoes, pins, springs, levers, clips, etc. For now leave the backing plate, wheel cylinder and hub on to minimize the amount of time the brake line is opened and dripping fluid.
- Unbolt the drum parking brake cable brackets forward of the rear wheels, pull the cable out of the rear suspension and remove the plastic shield from the gas tank.
- Unhook the equalizer and front ends of the cables, pull the parking brake cables out through the interior. There are hard lines near the passenger side pass-through that will get in your way, be patient and you'll get the cable out.
- Drum cables next to disc cables
- Feed the RS parking brake cables through, attach equalizer and front end of cables, bolt the brackets back up to the underside forward of the rear wheels and reattach the gas tank shield.
- Remove the ABS sensor, remove the brake line from the wheel cylinder and then remove backing plate, ABS sensor spacer for the drum and the hub.
- Install disc brake bracket mounting plate, splash shield and hub.
- Install disc brake bracket, discs, pads, calipers and ABS sensor. One caliper pin will have a rubber section, this one is the bottom of the two. See pic of caliper pins in parts post for reference.
- Bend hard brake line so it's pointing up and slightly back and inward, install flexible brake line to caliper and hard brake line. The brackets on the flexible brake lines are not used, remove and discard.
=====
Edit for Warning: Be very careful that your flexible brake line does not rub against any chassis components or wheels! Refer to post 69 & 71 in this thread for a better way to connect the flexible brake line.
=====
- Attach parking brake cable to caliper and secure with E-clip.
- The RS parking brake cable has an extra bracket compared to the drum parking brake cables. This is likely due to the RS cable not running through the hole in the suspension that the drum cable uses and the RS cable is longer and therefor needs a little more support.
=====
Edit for Warning: Be very careful that your flexible brake line does not rub against any chassis components or wheels! Refer to post 69 & 71 in this thread for a better way to connect the flexible brake line.
=====
- In the following pic you can see the extra bracket hanging loose.
- We're going to bolt that up to an unused hole in the spring perch as illustrated by the next couple of pics. Bolt strength and size isn't real critical here, just grab a couple bolts, nuts and washers from your jar of extra stuff. After tightening it down, bend the loop down a little so the cable doesn't follow as tight of a bend.
- In the following pic I hadn't yet bent the loop down but it does show the bracket so you can get the gist.
- Double check everything is tightened, make sure your brake lines don't rub your wheels/tires and bleed your brakes.
- Put your interior back together and your wheels on and you're done!
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