Phoenix Tuning

This guide is an explaination of how to install the Phoenix Tuning Rear Disc Conversion for the Toyota Corolla. This is not a replacement to a repair manual or a professional mechanic. Phoenix Tuning cannot be held liable for any damage caused by incorrect installation.

Tools needed: Jack, jackstand, 14mm, 12mm, 10mm sockets and rachet, 10mm flare nut wrench, 10mm wrench, hacksaw, various screwdrivers, a c-clamp, and pliers are helpful. You'll also need some brake fluid to bleed the brakes, and rags to keep clean.

1. Jack up the rear of the car and support it with jackstands.

2. Remove the hubcap and wheel.

3. Remove the brake drum. If it will not come off, you will need to remove the tab on the back of the backing plate, push the locking tab with a screwdriver, and turn the star wheel with another screwdriver to loosen the brake shoes. Then remove the hub with the four 14mm bolts through the access holes in the hub. When you remove the hub, you will find a large rubber o-ring. The o-ring normally does not survive reinstallation and we have found that it is not needed. You may discard it.

4. Using a flare nut wrench, loosen the 10mm flare nut attaching the steel brake line to the backing plate as shown here. Fluid will leak out for several minutes, so be prepared with a catch pan, rags, or some "Speedi-dri". Brake fluid will damage paint in a matter of minutes, so keep it cleaned off any painted parts. Please note: You have now opened the brake's hydraulic system. You must bleed the brakes before driving the car again.

5. Remove the various springs and retainers, and then disconnect the parking brake cable from the part behind the rear shoe. Then remove the two 10mm bolts holding the parking brake bracker and remove the backing plate.

6. At this point you can go ahead and remove the rubber brake hose and the steel brake line by loosening the two 10mm flare nuts and removing the two clips.

7. This is the one modification that must be made for the kit to work. You must cut off the "ear" from the parking brake bracket. The bracket is made of soft aluminum and is easily cut with a hack saw. You can see here that I have used a c-clamp to hold the bracket firmly to the knuckle. This will allow you to cut the bracket without it moving around on you.

8. This is what it should look like when it is done:

9. The Phoenix Tuning Rear Disc Brake Conversion is shipped assembled so that you can see how it goes together, but you must disassemble it to install it. Be sure to keep everything together so that you know how it goes back together and you don't loose anything.

The '95 Toyota Celica parts that are used in this conversion kit are designed with a dual disc/drum setup. The discs brakes are used during normal braking, and the shoes and drum are only used for the parking brake. The shoes are therefore never under the stress of normal braking, so they should last the life of the vehicle. Replacement shoes are most likely only available from Toyota if you should need them.

10. Now install the new backing plate onto the knuckle, and install one of the 14mm hub bolts to hold it in place while you work on it. Pull the parking brake cable through the backing plate and reinstall the two 10mm bolts holding it in place. Then install the cable into the lever behind the rear parking brake shoe as shown here.

11. Then install the rest of the parking brake shoe system. If you forget, the curved spring clip goes towards the rear of the car.

12. Remove the bolt holding the backing plate on, and then install the hub and tighen the four 14mm bolts. Don't tighten any of them all the way until each of them have been started. You'll have to move the backing plate around to get all three holes lined up.

13. Spray some brake cleaner over the shoes and other parts to ensure they are nice and clean. You may now install the brake rotor. The whole shoe assembly may sit off towards the rear of the car a little and make it hard to put the rotor on. Move it around to get the rotor on all the way. Note: If the rotor is very hard to turn at first, don't worry, this is normal. The parking brake cable is a little too long will be tightened up to make up for it.

14. Now it's time to install the calipers. They come loaded with the pads but it will be easier to install the with the pads removed from the assembly. First you must loosen the long 12mm bolt at the bottom of the caliper assembly.

15. Now install the caliper assembly (less the pads) on the rotor and tighten the two 14mm bolts that hold it to the backing plate. (The bolts go through the backing plate and thread into the caliper bracker assembly).

16. Install the pads and then close the caliper around them. Tighten the long 12mm bolt holding the bottom of the caliper assembly.

17. Install the rubber brake hose into the bracket that held the old rubber hose and secure it with the old clip, and then tighten the flare nut into the hose. The other bracket does not fit anywhere, a simple fix is to zip-tie it to the old bracket on the strut to keep the brake hose out of the way. Take this time to spray the rotor surface with brake cleaner to ensure there isn't any grease or fluid on it. You now have rear discs!!! Go ahead and install the wheel with two lug nuts for the parking cable adjustment.

18. Now repeat the process for the other side. Once that's done, the parking brake cable must be tightened up some. To access the adjustment nut, remove the middle console. There are two 12mm bolts at the bottom of the storage box and two phillips screws at the front of the console. Pull the parking brake lever up and then remove the console by pulling it up and back.

19. The adjustment nut is located here, it has two nuts on it, the bottom one adjusts the tension on the brake cable and the top one locks it into place so it doesn't move. You'll need two 10mm wrenches, one on the top and one on the bottom. Loosen the top one and back it away, then you can procede with tightening the parking brake. The rule of thumb is that it should be adjusted so that the wheels will not move when the brake handle is pulled up 5-7 clicks or so. Because of the length of the cables, you will probably have to tighten it up a bit so that the parking brake shoes are in the right spot. What I like to do is tighten the cable way up, and then work back from there until the wheels turn okay. It's normal for them to be a little tight at first, the parts tend to find their place after a bit. Once you get the adjustment right, tighten the lock nut and reinstall the center console.

20. Bleeding the brakes: Fill the brake resevoir. Make sure that the level does not get too far down or you will have to start over. Start at the rear passenger wheel, then the front driver wheel, then the rear driver wheel, then the front passenger wheel. Keep going in sequence. Raise and support the vehicle, at all four corners at the same time if possible (this will make it go a lot faster). Remove the wheels. Attach a rubber line to the brake bleeder, and put the other end of the line into a small container with a small amount of brake fluid it in. Have an assistant pump the pedal 2 or 3 times and hold. Open the bleeder screw and allow the fluid and air to come out. Tighten the bleeder screw, then your assistand can let off the pedal. (The pedal MUST stay depressed the whole time the bleeder screw is open.) Continue to check the fluid level in the resevoir as you repeat the bleeding process until no more air will come out, then go to the next wheel. I find that normally I have to go around to each wheel a couple of times before I get all the air out. Once the brakes are bled, tighten the bleeder screws and install the wheels, and lower the vehicle.

Now take it easy at first, checking carefully to make sure there are no problems or leaks before taking the vehicle into traffic. Enjoy your new rear disc brakes! If you have any problems, feel free to email me at drtweak@phoenixtuning.com.