I did the gen 2 caliper swap, never had an issue with using gen 1 rotors. I agree gen 2 are better option but like I said never had an issue. My gen 1 rotors where brand new so never changed em. I also replaced the master cylinder for bigger diameter and the booster for the duel diaphram. Just a thought that you may want to also look into the booster and master. The other upgrade I felt was worth while was the rear springs and then just crank the gen1 torsion bars a bit to match, with a 2in body lift made my 33's fit well with enough room but not too much. The gen2 UCA's are nice for the upper ball joint, and allow half shaft angles to ease up a bit but I have had no issues with boots or joint issues. Not to high jack your thread but if you swap the torsion bars (gen1 for gen2) do you also need the LCA's or will the bars still bolt on the gen 1 LCA's?

Thanks for all the good info guys. Clears things up about the brakes.

Are the Gen 1 and 2 UCA shafts the same?
I have dealt with a few stubborn pressed in ball joints that only came out after using torches and a air chisel. The gen 1 UCAs are kind of a pain to have to remove to change the ball joint. (at least the side I've worked on to change the UCA shaft was) Would still like to put in the gen 2 UCAs eventually. The roads around here are full of pot holes and are killer on steering and suspension parts. Thats also why I thought it wouldn't hurt if when I change the ideler I go with the gen 2 as I thought it was suppose to hold up longer. I forgot to add the crappy road part into my first post..

What little off-roading I have done in the Montero so far made me think the ground clearance isn't bad. My drive train could use improving though. I'm still shopping around for some manual hubs and will get them sometime. The auto hubs work ok if you lock them in before you may loose traction and don't get stuck... Not liking the open diffs would like to put in LSD in the rear. Some of the places I go to hunt and camp have pretty uneven and washed out roads/trails at times. Better tires I'm sure would help too. Also sorry I left that out in the first post.

[EDIT] If anyone has an LSD diff I won't be able to get it till next month probably [/EDIT]

Just remember this is a documented safety issue. The Gen 1 V6 rotors start out 2mm thinner (22mm) than the RS/LS Gen 2 (24mm - minimum wear spec 22.4mm) so there is less material to wear, and they start out at under minimum spec. Once the pads and rotor get too thin, the pad can dislodge from the caliper and lock up the wheel. For sure this is not a recommended practice.

Probably won't happen new and might not happen until some period of use.

I am so happy with the Gen 2 brakes in mine, I totally missed this sentence in the original post. Will go with the majority on this. You start facing a 35* slope, especially on 33"-35" tires, rear discs keeps the seat covers from going into your bunghole. But for commuting and general camping, leave it alone. Value to a collector down the road as a stock Gen 1 .... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Maybe I'll find another one to get rich off by the time Montero museums start to take off <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

The bolts are the same spacing but the shafts are different. The GEN I are a metal screw-in type bushing for the arms while the GEN II's are real bushings. GEN II bushings come with the whole arm though from the dealer unless you order Poly Bushings from SuperPro out of Australia (or a authorized US dealer). Done that. Took 3 weeks.

I did a "How-to" post on the brake upgrade for a 2.6l SWB. If you replace the rotors, which I would recommend, most everything will be the same.

Montero Gen 1 brake upgrade

As far as turning in a single piston caliper - FWIW, they never even looked in the box when I returned mine. I half expected to be charged later, but never was. I turned in my single piston 2.6l SWB caliper, which isn't even close to what I bought. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

On the flip side, you can find cheap calipers with brackets on Amazon and RockAuto with no core return.

The Raybestos part numbers I referenced earlier in this thread come loaded with pads and the bracket. $12.30 each on Amazon - no core - free 2 day shipping if you have Prime.

This is just a concern if you put SR calipers on L.S./Sport/V6 Gen 1 rotors.
I have L.S. calipers and original new V6 Gen 1 rotors. AllData , et.al. show that's all ok.
-----Just make sure you match up SR calipers with SR rotors if you do this modification.------

Thanks for the link to your how to Struc Nice job <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />