Symptoms
Drum brakes that pull, fade or need constant adjustment on a 1960–1975 truck.
The fix, step by step
- Bolt-on kits replace the front drums with bracketed calipers and rotors: remove the hub cover, snap ring, drum and hub, fit the bracket, test-fit the rotor (Off-Road.com's install had to grind the hub slightly, only to the casting mark), refit the hub, mount the caliper, fit new lines and bleed.
- The DIY route on IH8MUD swaps 1979–85 Hilux/4Runner knuckles with later Land Cruiser calipers and vented rotors, but means rebuilding the knuckles and sorting tie-rod geometry.
Tools & part numbers
- Hub tools
- grinder
- flare-nut wrenches
- brake bleeder
- Cruiser Corps kit A151 (front, 8/1970–9/1975) or similar
Where to buy the parts
Front disc brake conversion kit, FJ40/45/55 8/1970–8/1980Cruiser Corps ↗Amazon ↗
DOT 3 brake fluid (1978 4.2L)RockAuto ↗Amazon ↗
Hunting a used or discontinued part? Search eBay Motors for Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 parts →
Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.