Burley Rear Disc Brake Kit Install and Wheel Bearing Install for T3 Vanagon

[@oldgadfly8398]

Nice work! The van is getting more and more solid.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! Nate

[@clove_st]

Appreciate the thoroughness of this video Nate! I just did the full install with bearing housings too. One thing I came across on my '85 is that the parking brake cables don't fit through the T splitter. A quick pass with a drill bit fixed that, otherwise mine would have been sitting towards the middle of the T not nestled into the correct spot on the ends. Just in case anyone else comes across this problem.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Our was tight too but snapped in with a quick pull of the ebrake handle. Thanks for the feedback as I’m sure you’re not the only one that will happen too Nate

[@ginandtrombones]

This is fantastic, Nate. I'm wondering how the difference in upgrading the rear to discs compared to the difference in upgrading the fronts to a bigger rotor. These videos are just fantastic though - a HUGE resource to our community and I really appreciate them. Thank you.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

It has been long time since we had stock front brakes on our Westy it is hard to remember what they were like. It was a big upgrade moving from stock rotors to the larger SmallCar brakes and the Burley front brakes felt better than the SmallCar. When adding in the rear discs, the entire braking system feels more balanced. Now our rear drums/shoes were pretty worn and would not stay in adjustment so we are not comparing properly sorted drums to discs. Our system we love is: Burley Big Brake kit Burley Rear disc brake kit BMW E30 brake booster We really appreciate you taking the time to watch the videos. We enjoy making them and am glad people are getting useful info from them. take care nate

[@Italjohn]

Excellent video as always 👍😀

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks again!

[@van84agon]

on the wish list for my 84 vanagon westy, thank you for sharing your experience! first vanagon for me, 2 months of driving now, biggest observation, slow... its not just the 82hp from the 1.9L which makes the vanagon slow, its more because of the big safety gap you need to leave in modern traffic which makes you slow. the (lack) of brakes is my biggest concern. the new car in front of you has great brakes, you just don't stand a chance of stopping... no more seat biting! thanks That Baldwin Life

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Great point! Brakes are such an important safety item and really improves drivability. Nate

[@sirflop1220]

I don't know, I got a 86 version TD, brackes works just fine, even better than my 206sw 1.4l (2001) and the Honda Predude 3G 2.0l (2011) from my bro... The T3 is not made for race any way, it's there for actually enjoying a roadtrip from point A to point B and not crushing the accelerator (I live in mountain btw and absolutly no problems braking going down dangerous roads)

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

We definitely aren't racing around in our WBX powered Westy! Like we said in the video, our drums were in pretty rough shape and with the roads we drive on, discs are a better long term option. We absolutely love our 4 wheel discs and would not go back to drums in our heavy Westy. I am sure a well sorted rear drum system can work pretty dang well but we were not going to invest money in getting ours up to where we needed them. nate

[@redhorse8018]

This is your best video yet

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@DanTheManIOM]

ha, 7:37 is what i came for....88 GL and the backing plate is rusted through !! Appreciate the non salty West coast cars you all work on ! ... power steering lines, toast, and gas tank, toast, brake lines, guess ? toast... doing coolant line replacement too... but 7:37 is what I needed right now..thanks !

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Glad we could help! Yes west coast vehicles can be easier to work on Nate

[@willemmaas9813]

Thank you for this detailed video. The manufacturer of this conversion kit has almost everything covered. One important component I didn’t see is a dust / splash guard (usually fastened directly behind the hub on the calliper carrier bracket). From my experience working on cars almost all disc brake systems has these guards. They must be installed because the back of the hub with the oil seal is exposed to the elements now. (With the brake drum setup, the back of the oil seal was enclosed inside the drum / backing plate housing).

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Totally agree on that. I am going to fab up my own dust shields for the rotors as after we were on some super muddy roads in Canada, our rear rotors were covered in mud on the back side near the seals. Thanks for watching! Nate

[@djdavidelan]

@@ThatBaldwinLife Can you provide any guidance on sourcing these dust / splash guards. I see you say you were going to fab up some of your own, can the ones from the front be copied for the rear?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

I do not know if you can source these anywhere for Burley's kit. We made our own recently and am very happy how they turned out. I mocked them up in cardboard first and then cut them out of 12 gauge steel and painted them black. Looks OEM. nate

[@djdavidelan]

@@ThatBaldwinLife Do you have a template left that you could share?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

I don't. I just cut some cardboard until I had a fit I liked then transferred it to steel and plasma cut it out. Sorry nate

[@tttboyy]

Great job and explanation. Thank you. Enjoy that van!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! Nate

[@flemcadiddlehopper]

Great video of equally great brakes. One pro tip for you... Before you disconnect the brake lines (open the system) use something to hold the brake pedal down just a bit. This makes the cup in the master cylinder cover the feed holes from the reservoir and the brake fluid will not run out of the lines when opened. Side note: don't leave the pedal pressed all night, it will drain your battery.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Interesting, I had not heard of doing that before. Glad to know it works! Nate

[@tomc3216]

I was just thinking I need a bolt to screw into the brake line and then I stumble upon this gem of knowledge.

[@RawInSeattle]

I have learned so much watching your vids..t hanks

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks!! 🙏🏻 Nate

[@kapteinsuperskoot6986]

Nice job. It doesn't look like you had to do any proportioning to compensate for the increased braking like in smaller (front-engined) cars. Would other Audi or VW rear disk setups be possible if I can't get (read: afford) the Burley kit? Good work, keep it up.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Good point on proportioning but no the stock proportioning valve works fine in this application. Not sure on other applications but I’m sure there is info out there! Nate

[@Hathasolar1]

thanks so much! What a great video......If you ever come through Denver, I'mma buy you a beer

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! If we are there, we will take you up on that! Nate

[@bammbamm1961]

always good stuff - I am however hearing good and bad about the rear disk brake related to "if" the E-brake still works well?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

The emergency brake on the Burley kit is fantastic. Some other kits using smaller VW or Audi calipers can have a weak ebrake but this one is solid. Better than our drums ever were! nate

[@howardfletcher3124]

Great Video Nate. Putting my paper route money away to pay for the upgrade.🙂

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

We are super glad we did it, you won’t be disappointed! Nate

[@oldmanad]

great video! but can i ask, over how many days was this install altogether? surely it wasnt all done in a day was it? no broken bolts anywhere etc?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

It took two days to install mostly due to filming. I probably could have knocked it out in one day without filming. No broken bolts as this is a west coast van. Mine still has all of the factory undercoating on it! Nate

[@robertmuckle2985]

Great video! I'm curious why the hub needs to be machined, as you don't explain this in any detail. How many .mm needs to come off, if one needs to explain to machinist?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

The rotor will it fit over the stock drive flange. It will need to be machined down to side inside of the hat of the rotor. Burley gives the specs when you buy the kit. Nate

[@rextilian]

Thanks again for the content.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thank you for watching! nate

[@volneyricafort8253]

Great videos on the disc brakes, Nate! Thank you! But, is there a dust shield for the rear disc conversion?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

No there is no rear dust shield. I wish there was and am going to make my own soon. Nate

[@rankinthompson4887]

Outstanding video!! My install went very smoothly because of you. Thanks a million!! One issue I wonder if anyone else has had... after installing this kit my slider door now rubs on the rear tire when opening. My tires are sized 215/65-15 currently. I wonder if I need to run a thinner tire like a 205? Anyone else's side door rubbing?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Yes, we noticed the same issue a few days later. It is due to the increased track width due to the thickness of the rotor. I bent the lower part of the door out slightly to not rub on the tire. We have 215/65/16 tires and now it just clears. Nice job installing the kit! nate

[@FELIPEZARATE-m6v]

Thank you for your good videos

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! Appreciate you watching. Nate

[@mopedinthemalverns6661]

Brilliant video Nate - thanks for making this. I'll probably keep my stock drums because they are rock solid on hills but I'm doing the rear discs on a Honda Civic at the moment and this video has actuallly been really helpful. One question: what so you mean by 'machining of the hub'? Which bit needs machining and why? Can you give a breakdown of which greases you used too? Would you use ceramic grease on the ears of the pads when you service your brakes? The internet is quite militant about correct greases on disc brakes! Thanks again - Dave

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

The hub needs to be machined in order to fit inside of the rotor. Different rotor sizes require different machining diameters. We used the same grease on the rear bearings as we did on the front. Just regular old Valvoline disc brake wheel bearing grease. Nothing fancy. I don’t always use the grease on the ears as it tends to collect dust from dirt roads and gums up. Nate

[@djdavidelan]

@@ThatBaldwinLife Are you able to share the specs for the machining that is needed on the hub for the BMS rotor? I know nothing about machining and will need to reach out to a machine shop to explain what needs to be done. Thanks in advance.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Burley will provide the machining specs when you purchase the kit. Very easy machining operation. nate

[@djdavidelan]

@@ThatBaldwinLife Thanks Nate, I have an email into Burley on that now.

[@antech555]

Must be a CA van that you worked on. Never worked on a van that parts came off that easily. My only complaint with rear brake conversions is the brake pedal feel. I feel like the proportional valve needs to be improved on for the set up is up to modern standards.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Our west coast vans tend to be a bit more rust free, that’s for sure. With the Burley front disc conversion using a 57mm piston like stock and the BMW E30 booster, the pedal feel with the rear discs is better than stock for us. And it stops amazing. Nate

[@kirillshpak9363]

good afternoon, please tell me where it is possible to order such a transition plate ? And from which machine is the support and brake disc?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

You can order the kit from the link in the video description. thx nate

[@ivant.7598]

My question is to back this up with some real data: 1. How long in ft was the breaking distance with 50 miles per hour speed to stop on a flat road with drum breaks? 2. How long in ft was the breaking distance with 50 miles per hour speed to stop on a flat road with the Burley breaks? The same test for upgrading the front breaks to bigger disc breaks. That would help an informed decision. This may be the job of these breaks manufacturers to show but if you had done this test, this would have been really helpful.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Our stock drum brakes were poor shape, constantly needing to be adjusted to work properly. Every time they got really wet from rain, the shoes bound to the drum when the ebrake was applied. Not worth fixing in my opinion. Any stopping test would have been severely biased to a new, modern disc brakes system. We were not interested in repairing an outdated braking system when modern, VW based disc brakes are readily available from any auto parts store. The front brakes are pretty easy to understand why they are more effective, a larger, vented rotor provides more braking force and is less likely to fade. I understand your desire for a more scientific test, but that was not the purpose of this video. Your best bet is to find someone with these types of brakes installed and take a ride. nate

[@johnarnold2104]

when you are smacking in the outer bearing using an old race are you not smacking the inner part of the new bearing? My understanding was that doing that is a no no

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

No, using the outer race of the bearing only transfers the impact to the outer race of the new bearing. The bearings are not touched during this install. Do not hit or press on the inner race or bearings during install! Once the outer bearing depth is set, use the old inner race to set the new inner race down to touch the bearing spacer. Again, the impact is only placed on the floating inner race, not the bearings. As you tighten the axle nut, it transfers pressure from the nut->outer bearing inner race->spacer->inner bearing inner race->back of the axle shaft. Hope that makes sense. nate

[@johnarnold2104]

@@ThatBaldwinLife thanks nate yes makes sense. getting the stub seated is the only part im a little nervous about as i dont have a press

[@pmeyer37]

A question if you will sir, I am doing the big brake upgrade in the front and was wondering if I can take the existing front brake assembly and replace the drums in the back. Is this feasible?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

You could maybe use the caliper but you would have no emergency brake. The rotor would not work as it has provisions for the front bearing. You would need to source a rotor. Then you would still need a caliper bracket and hoses. Not a worthwhile project if you ask me. The Burley kit gives you everything you need for a fair price. Nate

[@pmeyer37]

@@ThatBaldwinLife thank you Nate, that's good advice. Being from SA, I doubt that I can afford that kit...

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Good point. Check TheSamba for a kit you can put together yourself or if anything in Europe is better for shipping? nate

[@ianham]

Thanks for the great video! Just bought an 87 Westy. The brakes seem seriously underpowered which seems to match the expectation for the stock components. Would you start with replacing the fronts first or do the rear drum to disc conversion first? Being in Seattle, the brakes and headlights are first on our list of must dos.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Hey Ian. I would definitely do the front brakes first as you will get the most improvement there. We are really happy with our Burley big brake kit in the front. We also have a video reviewing the GoWesty round LED headlight conversion you can check out. Nate

[@ianham]

@@ThatBaldwinLife I've watched them all! I really appreciate the knowledge you share, Nate. Glad to hear you like the BMS kit still. I guess we'll start at the front and work backwards. Thanks for the advice.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks for watching! nate

[@Gpeck96]

Awesome tutorial / DIY! Curious, what shocks are you running front and rear?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks Garin. In the back we are running Bilstein 5100 remote reservoir shocks and in front they are Rancho 9000 adjustables. Nate

[@ОлексіПсьол]

Hi! Please, can you say more about rear shocks? What feelings? Its smoother or harder than usual? Is it possible to use step motors to adjust softer-harder remotely? Thanks.

[@markusfiala9912]

WHERE TO GET THE BUREley REAR DISC BRAKE KIT TO BUY: I`´M HAVEING A VANAGON1989.PLEASE LET ME KNOW

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

A link to buy it from Burley is in the video description. Nate

[@johnarnold2104]

great video. love the housing as well. only critique is your cotter pin.... should it not be spread around the nut? not sure why that wasnt done.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Not sure I follow? Around the 30 minute mark, it shows I put the cotter pin in and spread the legs, one around the nut and one over the end of the nut and stub axle. This is the preferred method in most circles. Am I missing something? nate

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

I’ve been doing it that way for 30 years and never lost a leg! 😁. One twist in the leg does not work harden it enough to cause it to break. As long as you put a new one in, the way you secure it isn’t that important. Nate

[@johnarnold2104]

@@ThatBaldwinLife I guess I learned something today. Man I've been doing it wrong for 30 plus years. Just watched a few other videos on castle nut cotter pins and you are correct sir. I don't like being wrong any more than the next guy but I do like learning how to be right next time. Cheers

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Not really a wrong way as long as it doesn’t come out!! 😄

[@johnarnold2104]

@@ThatBaldwinLife fair but I've just never seen it done that way and you're bang on when you say that's the standard. How are you liking the brakes? That housing and brake combo is $$$ but looks long lasting. The pads are a common item easy to source ? Rotors? I.e. not custom?

[@1wichr]

Just did my rear bearings on our 91 Westy, I can feel a little bit of play in the axle still prior to mounting everything back on the van. Is that something normal prior to tightening on the hub or am I looking at new housings or axle?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Hey Will, yes there will play in the axle up and down but not in and out if that makes sense. The inner bearing is a caged bearing and takes takes the in and out force and the outer bearing is a roller bearing that takes the up and down force. The outer bearing has some play in in naturally in it's design. The OEM VW bearings were the tightest bearings and even the SKF, FAG, and Febi bearings made now do not seem to have the same tolerance as the original bearings. The tightness of the nut has no impact on bearing play. Its only job is to tighten the drive flange to the stub axle. The drive flange puts pressure on the floating outer race, then the spacer, then to the race on the inner bearing. You could torque the nut to 500 ft lbs and it would have no impact on bearing preload because there is none. The races should be snug on the axle but do need to slide on and off of it. You can check the OD of the axle and the ID of the races to see if they are in spec. When the tire is mounted, you will have some play fro the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions and that is normal nate

[@1wichr]

@@ThatBaldwinLife awesome sauce that answers that question perfectly thankyou.

[@dta97392]

Greta video & very detailed/ I have a 82 westy/ roughly what would a upgrade on the project cost? labor & parts? Like to get a idea before plan on it/ thx David

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

That's a tough one David. The cost on the rear disc's from Burley right now is $1200 and the bearing housings are $700 with bearings so you are at $1900 just for parts. I do not know labor rates or shop time as I have not taken my van in for any work at a shop. I would assume 5-6 hours of shop time at their going rate. Likely to be around $2500 all in would be a guess. nate

[@victorcaballeroguerrero4003]

Greetings from Mexico, I wanted to do the same transformation and I had a problem. The wheels or tires of my Vanagon are 14" and they hit the caliper, could you tell me what wheel or tire your Vanagon uses. Could you tell me what parts you used, for the conversion. (Disc number and brand, caliper number or what vehicle did you take it from) Greetings and thanks for sharing.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Hola Victor! Yes 14" tires will not work for a rear disc brake kit or any of the front big brake kits. We use a 16" wheel on our Vanagon but you can use 15" wheels on some disc brake kits. We sourced our rear disc brake kit from Burley Motorsports in California and there is a link to the product in the video description. Thanks! nate

[@adventurehypelife3819]

Nice video! I went to the Burley website but don’t see the rear brake kits? Maybe they’re sold out?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

There is a link in the video description for the rear disc brake kits. He only lists it under syncro for his site for some reason but they are the same kit. nate

[@BurleyMotorsports]

Here is the link to the 2wd new generation rear disc brake kit burleymotorsports.net/product/rear-disc-brake-kit-new-generation/

[@BurleyMotorsports]

Here is a link , we have plenty of kits in stock ready to ship burleymotorsports.net/product/rear-disc-brake-kit-new-generation/

[@tinusplotseling8943]

Hello nice job..what ist there size off the tyre? I have bought the same wheels...And also the brake system . Greetings.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

We run a 215/65/16 tire size on our T3. How do you like the brake system? nate

[@tinusplotseling8943]

I like it!👌🏻👌🏻i wil make it the same ! Very nice 😉😁

[@tinusplotseling8943]

@@ThatBaldwinLife how mutch space do you have when sliding door is open? Fits. 225 do you think?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Our slider basically touches our tire at full open. 225 with this wheel offset would be tough. Nate

[@vipercrazy-9]

where did you buy that bent flare wrench in the video?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

You can get that at almost any decent auto parts store. I got that one at Napa. Harbor Freight may have them as well Nate

[@justindillon2694]

I just installed this setup on my doka and I noticed the rear brake pads are rubbing on the rotor from the get go. Did you have a similar experience? Thanks.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Hey Justin, the pads should rub just a little, if not there would be excessive pedal travel to engage the brakes. That being said, the wheel should rotate freely. Have you checked to see if the emergency brake is fully disengaged? The arm that the cable is attached to should sit all the way on the stop when the ebrake is off. I had to fiddle with mine a bit to get the slack in the cable correct to disengage the ebrake. Let me know how it works out. nate

[@justindillon2694]

@@ThatBaldwinLife the e brake is not even connected. The wheel does not move freely. I have to budge it. I have Thai same setup on my 2wd tin top and no issues. Granted, I have not bled the brakes, but not sure that would make a difference .

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Yeah that’s not right. Take off the caliper and see if the rotor is in the middle of the bracket. Is the rotor sitting all the way onto the machined hub?

[@justindillon2694]

@@ThatBaldwinLife I’ll check it tomorrow. The hub is brand new, bearings brake new, rear trailing arm brand new and the wheel hub is machined down correctly. If the rotor or not sitting in the caliper in the center, what could/ should I do?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

I would make very sure the rotor fits easily over the machined hub. The machining diameter and radius is important. Is the hub all the way on the stub axle splines?

[@blyhigh4199]

Nice vid

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks!

[@paulbaldwin9906]

Lotta work but worth it

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Yes it was!

[@RollingReflections]

I went with the Go Westy kit because they come with the inner shields and only $666.69 as of December 2023. However, I did not know until watching this (forget at what time you mention it) that the reason Go Westy touts the fact that their kit does not need hub diameter reduction by machine shop lathe is because the rotor in their kit is "proprietary" - meaning their rotor fits the hub as-is. I did not know that this is significant when it comes to replacing the rotors; a machined reduced hub can accept other rotors than the one Go Westy supplies. The language everyone uses to address these facts is inappropriate. You say "held hostage" by Go Westy. Burley Motorsports says "ripped off". I say it's equally wise to select the Go Westy kit for now at half the priced of Burley, and if in 100k or 200k miles new rotors are needed, then get the hubs machined and source non Go Westy rotors. Overall, this video is valuable to the DIYer except when it comes to the crux of the choice of which kit to go with - access to a machine shop or a shop that will do it. That step is preventing many vans from receiving this crucial upgrade, as well as price. In that sense, Go Westy is the best path. And you get the inner shields. Thanks for the great video.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks for the feedback. The GoWesty kit is nicely put together but I just wanted to let everyone know about the rotor situation. Up to anyone who is in the market to decide if that is a concern for them. The hub machining isn’t really a big deal as most towns have some sort of machine shop that can handle this 30 min job. Agreed that any rear disc kit is a worthwhile upgrade!! Nate

[@RollingReflections]

@@ThatBaldwinLife To be clear, I wasn't criticizing your choice or work. Your work is outstanding and I'm envious of your Burley setup, tho I never go off road. If it weren't for your video, I wouldn't have known that OEM rotors can be used IF the hub is shaved. I've been planning this upgrade for years and never understood what the different vendors were alluding to. I just installed the rear GW disks on my daily and about to install a second set on my wife's daily. Your video got me thinking about the bearings tho, lol. I think they're fine for now.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Totally didn’t think that at all. Love the feedback and it’s great for others to see the options from other peoples perspectives. I would leave the bearings as long as they are quiet, especially if they are OEM as they are superior to the options now. Nate

[@brickahedron]

I love it, except I cringe when people touch grease without gloves, or various other automotive-related toxic materials.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Yeah I should be better about wearing gloves when working with this stuff. Thanks for the reminder! nate

[@hilaryfranklin7816]

քʀօʍօֆʍ

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

thanks

[@ОлегГрибинюк]

Три года назад поставил на машину задние дисковые тормоза. Ни разу не пожалел.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

It is a great upgrade!! Nate

[@ОлегГрибинюк]

@@ThatBaldwinLife Полностью согласен.🤝. Сейчас занимаюсь ремонтом кузова. В дальнейшем хочу поставить 1.9 TDI и коробку передач от VW B5 .

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

A 1.9 TDI is on our list as well. Love those engines! Good luck with everything!! Nate

[@ОлегГрибинюк]

@@ThatBaldwinLife Я посмотрю все твои видео, думаю, что узнаю много нового для себя.😁. Спасибо за добрые пожелания. 🤝🇺🇦

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks so much for the kind words. Take care my friend! Nate