Front Brake Pads & Discs - Any Tips on Changing

[andy jb]

The next job before I tax the 500 is upgrade to discs & pads. I have short-listed Tarox sport discs at the usual 260mm diameter and possible EBC Ceramics or Mintex 1155 pads. Unless the Wilwood thread from today pursuades me otherwise this is the direction i will be going.

Having never touched the brakes on the Chim before my question is the job straight forward? Are there any hints or tips anyone can give me before i start. The Bible isn't that helpful in this respect, but thats as it may be straightforward.

Any procedures on here ? I can't see any from a search. I guess the difficulties are mainly with the rear callipers, which will be a summer job to upgrade the pads.

Any advice welcome ?

[GreenV8S]

Clean and regrease the sliders, clean the discs with brake cleaner before fitting, also clean the brake dust off the calipers especially the part that the pads slide against, bleed the brakes while you have the wheel off, if you don't bleed the brakes then remember to pump the pedal to reseat the caliper on one side before you do the other side otherwise the reservoir will overflow.

[that daddy]

when you pump the brake pedal do short strokes till the pedal goes hard,dont push the pedal to the floor otherwise you could be looking at a new mater cylinder too.Because you will be running the seals over unused parts of the cylinder and this can sometimes damage the seals.

[andy jb]

Thanks useful stuff - i was planning to take some fluid out of the reservoir anyway to save overflowing. I trust there are no complications towards removing the caliper? and the discs just slide off ?

[lwt]

For bleeding the new Wilwoods I tried one of those Gunson jobs that uses tyre pressure, and was well impressed. Do note that the air pressure shouild be between 10 & 20 psi max, and do a dry assembly & leak check first. I used a small trailer tyre as source. Then just scuttle from wheel to wheel with a spanner, bit of pipe & a jar and bleed away to your hearts content. Easy, no mess, no spills.

Ian.

[tyre_tread]

lwt said:

........I tried one of those Gunson jobs that uses tyre pressure, and was well impressed. Do note that the air pressure shouild be between 10 & 20 psi max, and do a dry assembly & leak check first. I used a small trailer tyre as source. Then just scuttle from wheel to wheel with a spanner, bit of pipe & a jar and bleed away to your hearts content. Easy, no mess, no spills.

Ian.

Used one for thye last 20 years - the same one! - Brilliant bit of kit.

You do have to keep an eye on the fluid level in reservoir though; don't let it get too low!

[overhere]

Have a breaker bar handy, for those pesky 7mm hex bolts that hold the calipers I used a normal Allen key and a huge adjustable spanner over it to break them. Clean everything. I changed the hoses to SS goodridge, pain, takes patience and persistence.

Buy a brake back-off tool from Hallies for the backs (pain) and yes, Gunson air bleeder system is awesome, run all the old fluid out as you bleed.

Oh, and watch the disks and pads, sizes and offsets differ, Mine were from a 94 Sierra Cossie 4x4, don't chuck the spacers, you may or may not need them, measure it. If I did it again I'd spend more on the disks, get those EBC grooved and dimpled jobbies, I searched here to find the source but never bought them.

Pads, I used Mintex Xtreme, front and Mintex standard rear (Xtreme were N/A). How they work I'll tell you later, still bedding in and 1st track day weeks away.

Good luck