Toyota 4Runner Owner Seeks Tips on How to Replace Brake Caliper

If you are an expert in identifying classic Toyota parts, your expertise is needed.

Buying a Toyota 4Runner with a solid axle swap is a great way to enjoy increased off-roading capabilities without going through the work yourself, but there are some downsides. First, you don’t know how well the install was performed and second, it can sometimes be a chore to find replacement parts that didn’t come on the vehicle. Even if the solid axle was installed perfectly, if you don’t know what parts were used for the swap and you don’t know who did the swap, it can be a nightmare to replace components that was installed via the swap.

One of our members is current stuck in a situation like this, where he is trying to replace non-factory components for his 1987 Toyota 4Runner without knowing what vehicle donated the swapped parts.

The Introduction

This YotaTech thread was started by “jonzey23”, who purchased a 1987 Toyota 4Runner with a solid axle swap. When one of the brake calipers seized, he began shopping for a new unit when he realized that he didn’t know what the axle came out of, so he doesn’t know what vehicle to search for when buying a new caliper.

I have an ’87 4runner that I bought with a SAS. I don’t know exactly what is there, but I’m pretty sure it’s a Toyota axle.

My brake caliper seized up, and I bought a rebuilt one for a ’85 front axle thinking that would fit. The bolt pattern appears to be the same, and they look similar in form. However, the ’85 caliper is not wide enough to fit over my rotor, and the brake pads from my old caliper won’t fit in it. The rotor measures approximately .79″ wide.

Could anyone point me towards what year of axle I might have? I included some pictures for reference.

He also included all of the images here of his solid axle, the backside of the wheel assembly, the brake rotor and the caliper along with the non-fitting 1985 unit.

The Community Replies

There is only one reply to the OP’s question, made by “ZUK”.

Well, you have a vented disc there so sounds like the 94 V6 4Runner calipers.

He also included a link to a long thread on the forum discussing other issues that owners have run into with regard to the solid axle swap.

The OP hasn’t replied to ZUK’s comment, so that may have solved the riddle, but if you are a parts expert who recognizes any of the components on this 1987 4Runner, your input would be appreciated by the OP and everyone else who runs into this problem in the future.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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