by Zack, December 9, 2010 in Performance, Engines, Engine Swaps, Cornering
Would it be terribly difficult to swap out the rear drum brakes on AE101 &102 Corollas with the rear disc brakes from an AE92 GT-S coupe? I have the opportunity to buy the parts for a good price if they are compatible. What parts would I need, other than the brake rotors, pads, and calipers? A handbrake cable? Thanks in advance!
I believe there was some machining work and needing swap over the spindles to make it work, don't remember off hand. It is a doable - there should be a few on the TRDforums that have already done this, though I don't remember seeing a DIY guide. There are the AE101 rear discs from the overseas Corollas as well - so you have some other options to make it work, depending on how inexpensively you get the AE92 rear brakes.
Awesome, I am searching for DIY guides for this right now... I also heard that Phoenix Tuning/Tweak'd Performance makes a kit for $550 that would work, but I don't see it listed on the website. Maybe I should email them to see if they still make them?
^^^ That kit was designed for a 8th gen Corolla, but seeing as the 7th and 8th gen chassis is setup almost the same way, portions of the suspension is interchangeable (same struts, springs, etc.), might be able to adapt it to your application. Worth a shot to contact him - I remember when he put those up for sale, but demand was so low that he had a hard time selling them - not sure if he decide to stock that or not. At the very least, Dr. Tweak should be able to point you to the things you need to make the swap happen.
I emailed Dr. Tweak, and the reply that I got was that the GT-S brakes won't work. 
But the good news is, the rear discs, calipers, and backing plates from a 1993-1999 Celica GT will bolt right up, with no modifications other than redrilling a 4 X 100 bolt pattern on the rotors and installing the handbrake cables. Sweet! If I can get the money saved up, I'll be glad to report on how the job goes when I do it.
Zack did you ever end up completing this conversion?
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