Caliper removal, Need pics or detailed instruction Options

[stateofidleness]

The pelican article assumes a lot. One picture and vague directions such as "remove both bolts", with no mention of their location, size, etc.

I've never messed with the brakes before so I don't know what all I'm looking at. Since the hardline nut is a perfect circle now (wow...) i had to cut it in half, now I'm trying to remove the caliper from the car (rear drivers) and don't know the order or which bolts to loosen.

I have taken the parking brake cable off, and removed the 90angle little clips, but not sure where to go from there...

can someone post some pics of the bolts the hold the halves together and maybe their size? any other trips/tricks/pitfalls to avoid will be greatly appreciated as well!

brake bleeding job has turned into a "replace every 40yr old part of the brake system" job... sigh.

had to go buy some flare wrenches too, never heard of them before this!

[swl]

it is really pretty simple. The two bolts are big - right at the corners. Look at the other thread below - "what calipers are these" The picture shows fronts but you can see the two big mounting bolts.

[tradisrad]

hopefully you have gotten the calipers off of the car. Here is a how to on rebuilding them http://www.pmbperformance.com/page/page/1925687.htm . But the best advice I could give is to buy a rebuilt caliper set from PMB Performance and no one else. It does not sound like you are up to the level to rebuild the calipers your self. And don't be bummed you'll have good brakes when you are done and you will have learned something!

[stateofidleness]

what are these "adjusters" i keep reading about? i see the two big bolts, but do I need to take out the "middle part" where the pads are before taking the caliper off?

losing motivation exponentially with all these rusted nuts/bolts/non-accessible areas...

i have a replacement caliper to put on already, I just need to get the old one off.

[type47]

If the middle part you refer to is the pads, springs and pins, no, you don't have to remove them (unless the pads are binding on the rotor). Did someone say to disconnect the parking brake cable? There, I said it. Bolts are big, maybe 17mm or 19mm wrench size. You might consider a "line wrench" (edit: AKA flare nut wrenches) to loosen or disconnect the hard line at the caliper to enable you to rotate the caliper off the rotor. If attaching nut is rounded off, probably a vise-grip as you'll want to replace the line. I think the adjusters you refer to are inside the caliper, nothing to do with removing the caliper (unless the pads are frozen to the rotor preventing caliper removal)

[Spoke]

For the rear calipers, there is an adjusting nut on the inside of the caliper that you cannot see.

Look on the other side of the swing arm from the caliper and you will see a hole. Inside that hole is a 10mm cap covering the adjusting nut. Remove the cap through the hole otherwise the caliper may not come off.

To remove the caliper, look on the backside of the caliper and you will see 2 19mm bolt heads. These secure the calipers to the swing arm. Use a box wrench on these as access is tight and you don't want to strip either of these bolts. They will be tight so be prepared to push or pull hard.

Since you may have to pull or push hard on the wrench, don't pull or push with your body on the floor as you may push or pull the car off of its jack and jackstand.

If you have to push or pull hard, make sure you put your foot on something on the car so your force is pushing opposite on the car and it won't push or pull the car off of the jack or jackstands.

Hopefully you have your jack and a jackstand or 2 supporting the car. I never get under the car with just a single jackstand on either side. Be safe.

[stateofidleness]

k, just got the 19mm bolts out, got the caliper off by "tapping" it with hammer till it slid off. removed the remaining hard line half that was connected to the rubber one going to front of car.

got the new caliper on, hard line re-attached and have a question about torque. do the 2 big 19mm nuts need to be torqued to a certain spec? seems like it'd be hard to get a torque wrench in there.

ps: Flarre wrenches might be the single-most valuable tool i have bought yet! I may use these exclusively on everything now. I just don't trust crescents, and the non-flares like to round 40yr old nuts with little disregard for the guy wrenching (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

so, only thing keeping me from "finishing" that wheel is the torque thing.

[tod914]

51 pounds of torque on the bolts that hold the calipers on. Don't forget new retaining clips for the fronts and those washers on the rear.

[stateofidleness]

lol.. soooo.. got it all buttoned up, begin bleeding again and...

dun dun dun...

puddle... from the rubber hose!!!! ahrghghgha so, i guess ill be ordering some new brake stuff (rubber hoses all around) and give it another go next weekend or some evening this week.

nothing is easy on this car

question for you guys, how do y'all torque those bolts? i couldn't get a wrench & socket behind it (not enough room) and ive never seen an open-ended torque wrench. just curious how y'all do it.

cheers for the help so far!

[type47]

I'd have to admit in front of the whold world that I torqued the bolts "gud-n-tight" as my torque wrench couldn't fit into the area. Waitin' for the Cap'n... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blowup.gif)

['73-914kid]

Um.. I can get my 19mm 3/4 inch drive spanner back there.. But no torque wrench

[Spoke]

I'd have to admit in front of the whold world that I torqued the bolts "gud-n-tight" as my torque wrench couldn't fit into the area. Waitin' for the Cap'n... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blowup.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

I tighten small nuts and bolts with the gud-n-tight method. Too tight and you snap the bolts or cause undue stress on the nut/bolt/fitting, too loose and you have leakage. For me it's just a feel thing.

The brake fittings is just a feel. Same with the caliper bolts. Tighten enough so the bolts won't come off.

Usually I use the size of the wrench to determine how much torque I use. Small wrench = low torque, big wrench = high torque.

If engine internals, clutch, etc., I definitely use a torque wrench. Same with wheel lugs/nuts.