620 disc brakes. (which do you use?)

[76Lil Hustler]

I am thinking of updating my brake system and wanted to know what types of caliper sets you guys use on your trucks.

 

my current set up is TOKICO B12 9 single piston calipers. not bad, but aren't sold in the US to my knowledge so thinking of swapping out for new ones.

 

oh and they fit my original 14 inch rims.

[flatcat19]

Since the 76 came drum brakes stock...

 

 

Follow your searching to every drum brakes disc swap info.

 

 

Brackets needed to fit later Nissan calipers. Discs/hubs will vary depending on who's swap kot you use.

 

 

 

Well covered topic.

[76Lil Hustler]

I meant to say my calipers fit my original rims. I can swap my rear whenever, just curious what brands folks are using. not all brakes are created equal and who knows, I may find something way better than what I found.

[wayno]

The 1976 Datsun 620 came with drum brakes all around, if you already have front disc brakes on the truck it has already been converted over to front disc brakes, to put any other type of calipers on what you have will likely mean starting over from scratch, if you need new calipers because yours are bad, buy them from Japan or where ever they are sold.

[76Lil Hustler]

yes, I've already located a place to get updated ones. simply curious what everyone is using as I may consider changing them up when I swap disc brakes onto the rear. wilwood is great and all but damn are they spendy. who knows maybe someone here found a great medium between high end performance and a good price tag.

[wayno]

Do you still have your king pins, or do you have balljoints now?

 

EDIT

 

So I found your project thread and you have balljoints, it appears that you have 720 upper control arms, and I cannot tell for sure, but they look like 720 brakes also, does it say on them they are Wildwood, how did you come to the conclusion they are not sold in the US, they look like 1985/1986 Nissan 720 calipers to me, but I could be wrong also, maybe Wildwood makes calipers that look like the 85/86 720 calipers, the brake hose going to the caliper looks like the stock 85/86 brake hose to me also.

[76Lil Hustler]

oh damn I will have to take more up close pics to show you. one caliper is a tokico B12 issued for the Sunny Traveller 2 or the Sunny Coupe in japan and some UK markets carry em. the other is also TOKICO but slightly smaller and only has a 7 on it. awesome you were able to identify which truck they came from knowing my mounting brackets would be cool. I like Wilwood but they are soooo spendy. also looked into power stop brakes as well. just considering updating em all when I swap my rear from drum brakes.

[2wheel-lee]

I'm running Wilwoods front and rear on my '75 620. Though I have ball joints on the front with Hardbody drop spindles, I had to make custom adapters to make them fit. I'm also the larger diameter 4x4 discs (I think off a Pathfinder?). In the rear, I also made my own adapters. 

 

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures posted here due to the photobucket fiasco.

[76Lil Hustler]

I'm running Wilwoods front and rear on my '75 620. Though I have ball joints on the front with Hardbody drop spindles, I had to make custom adapters to make them fit. I'm also the larger diameter 4x4 discs (I think off a Pathfinder?). In the rear, I also made my own adapters. 

 

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures posted here due to the photobucket fiasco.

what wilwoods did you buy? try https://imgbb.com/for free photo hosting! how much bigger are the 4x4 discs? I was thinknig of a 4x4 conversion next year. I have an extra set of 15 in rims that should allow me to have more brake options. what size rims are you running?

[2wheel-lee]

Some day I'll start getting stuff on imgbb. 

 

The front Wilwood caliper I'm using is PN 120-11132. I bought them as part of a kit for king pin trucks. I changed my mind and decided to go with the ball joint front end. All in all, poor planning on my part. The discs are about 1" larger OD. However, in order to fit larger discs on the 2WD Hardbody you need an adapter (the disc bolt pattern is different). A user here who goes by Beebani offers these adapters as well as other disc brake adapters. 

 

If that doesn't seem complicated enough, I had the hubs redrilled for a 5x130 bolt pattern to fit Porsche Fuchs wheels (my profile icon) in 16x6. Basically, I made everything about is difficult as possible, but I really wanted those wheels. Because of the fairly narrow offset, it made for a very tight fit.  

[76Lil Hustler]

I need to take more pics of my front end once I get my rebuild kit in for my calipers, I believe I have ball joints as well. get a better idea of the range of choices I have with my current mounting system.

[wayno]

You posted this photo of your front end in the thread you have in the general section, this photo says it all, them are ball joints, Datsun/Nissan 720 upper control arms, and it appears to have the spindle assembly and vented rotor/brake calipers from a later Nissan 720, I do not know what year as the later 720 had 2 or 3 different types of vented rotors/calipers from 1984 thru 1986.

The steering arm connected to that spindle looks exactly like whats on my 1986 chassis/frame.

I do not know what the 620 chassis/frames look like in the shock tower area, so I don't know if them bump stops in the photo above are from a kingpin front end or a 620 disc brake chassis/frame, but I can tell you for sure that them are 720 upper control arms, and it appears to have tie rods from a kingpin 620 that are not adjustable(the center link is adjustable).

I do not believe you have anything made by Wildwood brake wise, I also believe you can buy what you need at the local parts store as I buy 720 brake stuff all the time locally, most the time I walk out with it when I leave, but sometimes I have to wait for it to arrive from the warehouse.

[76Lil Hustler]

You posted this photo of your front end in the thread you have in the general section, this photo says it all, them are ball joints, Datsun/Nissan 720 upper control arms, and it appears to have the spindle assembly and vented rotor/brake calipers from a later Nissan 720, I do not know what year as the later 720 had 2 or 3 different types of vented rotors/calipers from 1984 thru 1986.

The steering arm connected to that spindle looks exactly like whats on my 1986 chassis/frame.

I do not know what the 620 chassis/frames look like in the shock tower area, so I don't know if them bump stops in the photo above are from a kingpin front end or a 620 disc brake chassis/frame, but I can tell you for sure that them are 720 upper control arms, and it appears to have tie rods from a kingpin 620 that are not adjustable(the center link is adjustable).

I do not believe you have anything made by Wildwood brake wise, I also believe you can buy what you need at the local parts store as I buy 720 brake stuff all the time locally, most the time I walk out with it when I leave, but sometimes I have to wait for it to arrive from the warehouse.

never claimed to have anything wilwood. was considering getting some but they aren't worth the cost to me yet. but you believe I should be able to shop for 720 brakes and they should fit? cause that's helpful to know what my brackets identify as. so far as brakes its a 720. what did the 720's start 1980? I assume they came with disc from year one. the truck has certainly had modifications done over the years before I got to it.

[flatcat19]

720 was always disc up front/drums rear.

 

620s got the valley joint/disc brake front end for the 1978MY.

[wayno]

All the 720s had front disc brakes, but the early ones had non-vented rotors same as the late 620s(78/79) that had disc brakes, I believe that the vented rotors started in 1984 although it might have started in 1983, but the rotors had different offsets depending on the month/year, so to be sure you get what you have already, you almost have to take a caliper/rotor off your truck and set them side by side on the counter to make sure you get what you need, 1986 had 2 different rotors the same year, early was like the 1985 rotor while late was like the hardbody rotor.

I suspect that you likely have the 1985 rotor/caliper, so that would be what I asked the guy behind the counter to bring up to compare what you have, if the rotor is offset less or more than what you have, then you either have an earlier type if there is an even earlier type than the 1985 type or later type(late 86 or early hardbody type).

You can measure your rotor offset without removing it, but you need to understand what you are measuring.

[76Lil Hustler]

All the 720s had front disc brakes, but the early ones had non-vented rotors same as the late 620s(78/79) that had disc brakes, I believe that the vented rotors started in 1984 although it might have started in 1983, but the rotors had different offsets depending on the month/year, so to be sure you get what you have already, you almost have to take a caliper/rotor off your truck and set them side by side on the counter to make sure you get what you need, 1986 had 2 different rotors the same year, early was like the 1985 rotor while late was like the hardbody rotor.

I suspect that you likely have the 1985 rotor/caliper, so that would be what I asked the guy behind the counter to bring up to compare what you have, if the rotor is offset less or more than what you have, then you either have an earlier type if there is an even earlier type than the 1985 type or later type(late 86 or early hardbody type).

You can measure your rotor offset without removing it, but you need to understand what you are measuring.

what am I measuring outer distance between plates or just the inner gap? my calipers work fine but I very much so would like to update them.

[wayno]

what am I measuring outer distance between plates or just the inner gap? my calipers work fine but I very much so would like to update them.

If you were to lay the rotor on the ground like a hat, the center of the rotor sticks up where the wheel mounts, that is the offset of the rotor, you need the calipers for that rotor year offset, you likely don't need new rotors, but I am trying to make sure you get the correct year and if the rotor from your truck is on the parts store counter, anything they bring out can be compared/measured right there on the counter, you also need to measure across the rotor but that is easy.

I harp about this because I have had to take parts back several times because the caliper will not fit the offset or it was the wrong rotor offset, so now I just have two types, 1985 Nissan 2wd 720 and 1990 Nissan 2wd hardbody with the V6, if it is not one of them two I don't want it on my property.

 

I live by the motto if it isn't broke don't fix it, if your brakes work properly leave them alone, they are good brakes, most early Datsun disc brake trucks with the non-vented rotors want to upgrade to what you have(vented rotors), they are great brakes.

[76Lil Hustler]

If you were to lay the rotor on the ground like a hat, the center of the rotor sticks up where the wheel mounts, that is the offset of the rotor, you need the calipers for that rotor year offset, you likely don't need new rotors, but I am trying to make sure you get the correct year and if the rotor from your truck is on the parts store counter, anything they bring out can be compared/measured right there on the counter, you also need to measure across the rotor but that is easy.

I harp about this because I have had to take parts back several times because the caliper will not fit the offset or it was the wrong rotor offset, so now I just have two types, 1985 Nissan 2wd 720 and 1990 Nissan 2wd hardbody with the V6, if it is not one of them two I don't want it on my property.

 

I live by the motto if it isn't broke don't fix it, if your brakes work properly leave them alone, they are good brakes, most early Datsun disc brake trucks with the non-vented rotors want to upgrade to what you have(vented rotors), they are great brakes.

well one brake is sticking the other is actually after closer inspection a totally different brake. so I am updating my calipers to a new matching set but from what I have seen so far I think it is a 1985 720 set I'm after. I will definitely go measure though! thanks for the info!

[wayno]

I live right across the river from you, if you are close to me I could come look at it, or if it drives down the road you could drive here so I could look at it and show you what to measure, we could compare it to my 521 kingcab that has 1985 Nissan 720 brakes, my 521 work truck has the 1990 V6 hardbody brakes.

[76Lil Hustler]

I live right across the river from you, if you are close to me I could come look at it, or if it drives down the road you could drive here so I could look at it and show you what to measure, we could compare it to my 521 kingcab that has 1985 Nissan 720 brakes, my 521 work truck has the 1990 V6 hardbody brakes.

I'm actually in Gaston. its outside hillsboro. the truck works, I mean I had to reshape a caliper until I get new tires on my 15 inch rims but it rolls and stops. just not so good stopping power. also my tags aren't up to date as its still in project phase so I have kept it out in the country with the lack of police. if your down to help sometime I will always ensure you feel your time is appreciated. it needs a lot of work and I got it modified so I have some identification to go through before I know what all I got going on.

[distributorguy]

Have you looked at the Wilwood website?  They have many different caliper models and many of them are inexpensive.  Not Rockauto rebuilt cheap, rather inexpensive for the quality.  $125 each range.  

[76Lil Hustler]

Have you looked at the Wilwood website?  They have many different caliper models and many of them are inexpensive.  Not Rockauto rebuilt cheap, rather inexpensive for the quality.  $125 each range.  

yeah I'm on a budget I cant go straight to the top performance brand out there. looking at replacing both front brakes for 55$