One other thing. If you can find someone who does TIG welding, he can use a hard surfacing rod so it will be less likely to wear in the future. The major thing with that is you can't file it down, it has to be ground. I watched this being done on the bench while I was still working as a toolmaker. TIG welding uses a hand fed rod instead of the automatically fed wire in MIG welding. If he's good, he can just fill in the grooves and not build the rest of it up. TIG melts the original metal so you can fill the grooves with another source of metal. I watched our shop welder put a 1/16" diameter ball of metal on the corner of an insert that after grinding down, you couldn't even see where it was.

 

good idea

over here we have "Mobile welders"...just guys with a van, cost less than buying a MIG to get one to come around and TIG it up in situ

no harm ringing them up and asking how much

 

Hardfacing can be done with MIG or stick welding too. Personally, I just preheat a bit, MIG with generic ER70S wire, and then file/dremel it even. I also use a bit of antiseize on the surfaces when installing the brakes.
https://www.thefabricator.com/thewel...out-hardfacing

 

I reckon just the ordinary mig wire i used for sheet metal was harder than the knuckle metal anyway, I used a flapper on a grinder to make it real smooth, just like new

thing is when you have a good look at the design, that area takes the full braking force, and will inevitably wear away, and need repair, on every XJ

I would not have enjoyed trying to file those welds, would have turned a 1hr job into an all day one

 

This is why most cars today have stainless clips that cover that area and are replaced with new pads.

 

I have thought about forming my own clips and machining a respective clearance on the pad "tabs". But screwing with the sliding motion of the pads in such a high heat area and introducing another part that could induce a jam kinda seems like a very dangerous game to play.

 

Oh nice! Yes I totally understand - and in addition to Red Mountain you've got Molas and Coalbank passes as well. While I'm partial to Silverton, can't help but pop over to Ouray for a day and a visit to Buckskin Booksellers and the Ouray Alchemist .

Can't add much more to what's already been said. I'd recommend reconsidering you decision not to blend out the grooves in your knuckles. It's a first step to eliminate the hard edges that things are hanging up on. But it's also not the long-term solution.

While you are in there, I'd recommend pulling the axle half-shafts and replacing the U-joints. If you don't know how many miles are on the hub bearings I'd replace those too (ONLY get the Timken replacements). The knuckle and subsequent steering and brake system conversions discussed earlier are likely more than you want or need to do.

 

Good thinking and best left to the pros, I agree NM-XJ. In my opinion, brakes are the most important system on a vehicle. As my Dad used to say, "It may not go fast, but it's GOT to be able to stop!" Think about all the horrific train wrecks before the invention of the Westinghouse Air Brake!

 

Certainly doesn't sound like something I'd like to try. All of the clips I've seen slot into multiple grooves with locking edges on them, with XJ knuckles only having a single contact edge.

 

My KL has those stainless clips. Rust was forming under the clips, pushing them up and causing the rear calipers to bind up.

 

Okay, but I'll bet your KL has removable caliper brackets, right? Take the rust off with a wire wheel on a bench grinder after using a file to remove the chunks.

 

It does, but it's a pain to remove them. I just wire brushed and filed them on the vehicle.

 

Use brake grease behind the clips.

 

I live on a dirt road, and prefer using anti-seize as it picks up less dirt than plain grease.