| In the first two photos..we see the object
of our desire. The caliper in the rear, and the dust shield behind
the rotor itself.
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Photo #2, different angle.
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Here we demonstrate the proper working height
for your car to perform this procedure. No, tall jackstands are not
acceptable for a 30-42" lift. *grin*
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| In this photo, we get a true greasemonkeys
point of view of the hardware we need to work on to get the job done.
Right here you see two silver bolts..one at the top of the caliper, another
at the bottom. The bottom one in this photo is partially removed
already. Dont do this yet. Under the lip of the caliper they
pass through..theres a nut. When we later remove those bolts, you
have to hold that nut in place to keep it from spinning. You also
see a gold colored 10mm bolt that goes UP on the left side of the photo
on the brake line itself. We will have to remove this retainer bolt
as well to remove the caliper.
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Your box of brake pads..check the part #
before you get too involved just in case.
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Remove the 10mm retaining bolt the brake
line is attached to from the strut body. Just let this sit out of
the way.
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| Losen the top caliper bolt..and remove the
bottom one we spoke about a few steps ago. Swing the bottom of the
caliper up as shown.
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The pads simple rotate out of the caliper..very
easy to do. Place these near the new pads.
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Comparison of the two pads.
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| This shows you that there are two shims on
each pad, a lower and an upper shim. Keep them in order and dont
loose any. Brake dust squeal may result.
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Place the shims on the new pad. Some
may prefer to purchase and use some anti-squeal goo under the shims..thats
just fine to do, but I replace pads on a schedule akin to changing oil
from all the racing we do..so dust dont worry me much.
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A better view of the shims installed.
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| For the uninitiated..this is what squeals
like a banshee when your brakes get old. The pad wears away allowing
this steel clip to scrape on the rotor..it doesnt hurt it..but you KNOW
when you need pads. Note that your new pads dont have this..most
aftermarket pad companies assume you know what "preventative maintenance"
means..so they dont have to hassle with adding this hardware to the pad.
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Ok..time to remove the entire caliper from
the spindle. There are two identical bolts (17mm I belive at the
moment) just behind the caliper bolts that hold the pads in. Remove
these.
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Ok..this MONSTER of a HUGE caliper is now
in your hands. Note: I have pudgy small hands *grin*.
Put it aside, and allow it to hang from some coathanger wire..etc..but
not from the rubber brake like alone.
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| Now that this is off, slide off the rotor
as well. It shouldnt be tight, but if it is..thats what a hammer
is for..to loosen up any rust..etc.
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This is a good picture gone bad. If
there was proper light, you would see the four bolts behind the spindle
that hold the wheel hub on to the car.
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Heres a better shot. Remove the four
bolts. Dont worry, nothing is gonna fall off while you do it.
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| The thing im holding here, is the dust shield..its
about to become scrap metal.
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Grab the hub and pull it off the spindle..carefully.
Dont let it come flying out..you'll see why in the next photo.
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Lookie here..a wire! Now that you can
see it, you can discover how to remove the plug. This is the ABS
sensor. A really nice contained unit..unlike the more open-air units
on other cars.
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| Unplug the sensor, remove the backing plate.
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Yep..all that hard braking and turning..this
sucker takes it all with four small bolts. Neat eh?
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Plug the ABS back in, and put the hub back
on the spindle.
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| Find a large pair of pliers (I used the dipping
rubber coating on ours for such projects) to compress the caliper piston
back in, so we can fit in the new pads. Should slide in rather easy
in just a few seconds.
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Bolt the caliper body back to the spindle,
slide the new pads into the caliper like you removed them..slide down the
caliper..bolt IT back together with those other two bolts..and re-secure
the brake line to the strut body. Done! pump the brakes a few
times to get the piston extended to the pads..and go for a ride.
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Authors note: Some may
find it necessary to file off a little metal around the tabs on the brake
pads. This is not uncommon in the performance brake world.
These companies stamp out thier own backing plates, and they can have a
tendency to wedge out a little when they are cut. Just file that
part down a little..and all will be well again.
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