Jeez I'm stupid (rear caliper beat down) Options

[worktheweb]

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Ok, I just got through paying twice for my rear brakes to get adjusted in my 73. I had the Ebrake cables replaced and had less-used calipers put on. The guy couldn't get the brakes bled but finally let me know that it was done. I drove it home thinking "These brakes suck". I should point out that I've replaced everything except the hard brake lines on this car with less than 100 miles on everything. Everything was new as of 4 years ago except I DIDN'T buy new calipers for the back and of course now they're NLA. Doh!

Anyway, I had the car on jackstands and was mounting my new Kumhos when I realized that the right rear caliper was tight. This coincedentally is the only caliper that the ebrake lever actuates. I figured no big deal I'll just adjust it with this hex bolt thingy that I've tried to avoid for all these years. Turns out that the 13mm nut and the 4mm hex bolt have become one and when I was turning the bolt I heard something go ping and brake fluid started to drip out. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) Capital F, capital U, capital C... After about 20 minutes of disbelief I figured I'd suck it up and remove this used caliper and remount my original used caliper. Can't remember which way the mounting bolts turn and figured if I forced it I'd break something else. This is the passenger side rear caliper. Does anyone have a tried-and-true method for removing these bolts?

While I'm asking for help is there anyone in Northern VA that is good with brakes and has a beer dependency problem that wants to supervise my re-repair job? I'm in Springfield and I have a kegorator. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif)

Thanks in advance. I'm on my way over to Sears to get better tools.

[Marlow]

Welcome to the board! I used to live in Springfield up until about a year ago when the wife and I bought a house in Manassas. I think I saw two 914's in the 15 years I lived there. I've only seen one in Manassas and it was seroiusly modded into a full ragtop (not sure I liked it).

Unfortunately I haven't touched the rear brakes since I bought my car so I can't be of much use to you (so many projects, so little time). Do you have a Haynes repair manual?

Good to meet ya,
Joel

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[Eric_Shea]

Does anyone have a tried-and-true method for removing these bolts?

No trick. They're 19mm. Get a decent size open or 6pt box end and go at it. They turn in the standard counter clock-wise direction. If you need to, apply heat. That's always a good thing for stubborn 914 bolts.

Welcome to the board!

[bwilless]

I used to be a ManassHolian. What do all the red necks think of the 914? I bet they try to get you to drive under the jacked up Pickups!

Actually it's been 15 years since I've been in VA. I imagine that Manassas is just a pretty suburb these days.

[worktheweb]

Ok, I don't know what they used to tighten those bolts but what a beyotch! I had to stand on the end of my wrench and bounce to break the nuts loose. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/boldblue.gif) So I swapped calipers and bled the brakes (those self-bleeder valves are awesome!) and realized why I wasn't using this caliper anymore. It sticks. Crap. I decided to dismantle the one that started leaking and I think it'll be ok once I reassemble it. I had overtightened the 13mm nut and had pushed the inner seal out. I think it's fixed anyway. Do I need a circlips plier to get that damn clip that holds the piston seal in place back on? I tried for about 20 minutes with a needlenose pliers and my thumbs but got tired of looking for the clip after it kept flying across the room.

So I managed to adjust the driver's side caliper to .008" on both sides and was feeling pretty special. I cranked up the e-brake handle and...nada. WTF! Is there something that's easily repaired on the parking brake lever side of the caliper? I'm going to go through this site again and re-read everything. Apparently Ferrari 308 rear calipers are very similar to the 914 ones. I bet they're priced accordingly...

[Marlow]

You might want to try readjusting the parking brake cables. Do you have a Haynes manual? If not follow the parking brake cables from the rear calipers to the firewall. Where the cables enter the firewall you'll find double-nuts. This is where you adjust the cable tightness.

This is verbatim from the Haynes manual, p117

3. Release the parking brake lever. Slacken the cable adjusters (if necessary) so that the levers on the rear calipers are touching their respective stop pins.

4. Adjust the cables so that the levers just move away from their stop pins. (In this condition the equalizer should be at a right-angle to the cables ((here they're referring to behind the drivers seat, where both p-brake cables connect to the parking brake handle).

Hope that helps.

bwilless, I doubt Manassas looks like it did 15 years ago. Right now the average townhouse is about $280k and average single family is over $400k. Georgetown South (if you remember that) has turned into a place you don't want to be at night. Otherwise you probably wouldn't recognize it, like you said, it's just another Washington suburb! People still do refer to us as Manassholians too. I've had a few people look at me in the 914 with that "coooool, what the f*ck is that" expression.

[ArtechnikA]

Apparently Ferrari 308 rear calipers are very similar to the 914 ones. I bet they're priced accordingly...

they -are- similar. one of the reasons 914 rear calipers are NLA is that Ferrari owners have been buying them up !

[Joe Bob]

I have an extra set from a 70 if you need a pair....

[worktheweb]

How come nobody gives Ferrari 308 owners shit about how bad their brakes are? Maybe they have bad-ass front brakes.

You can still buy 308 calipers online, for the low, low price of $500 each from here: Expensive (IMG:style_emoticons/default/bs.gif)
You can also get rebuild kits for the internal seals and stuff from there.

I spent about 15 minutes last night trying to remove that little metal cap on the bottom of the caliper underneath the parking brake arm on a junk caliper. I was drilling and drilling and drilling and couldn't figure out why the hell it was taking so long. Finally I drilled another hole off to the side of the cap and popped the cap off. Doh! I was drilling into the shaft for the parking brake arm. Good thing I have several junk calipers laying around.

[ArtechnikA]

How come nobody gives Ferrari 308 owners shit about how bad their brakes are?  Maybe they have bad-ass front brakes.

You can still buy 308 calipers online, for the low, low price of $500 each...

how come nobody gives 914 owners shit about how bad their brakes are?
(because they are completely adequate.)

that doesn't stop people from trying to 'upgrade' them, tho.
if you have added a lot of weight, or go really fast on really sticky tires, perhaps an upgrade is appropriate. but the 914.6 GT ran at full chat down the Mulsanne Straight with no more than 914.6 calipers and Ferodo DS11 pads ...

i have a set of takeoff 914.6 rear calipers in a box but i'm never, ever gonna sell them now :-) ... (rebuilt for $1000/pr - is that with or without a core charge ...)

[Eric_Shea]

but the 914.6 GT ran at full chat down the Mulsanne Straight with no more than 914.6 calipers and Ferodo DS11 pads ...

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu... explain please. 914-6 calipers are M-calipers. Are you talking about the "rears" on the vented rotors? Cause the fronts look like 908 calipers to me;

[ArtechnikA]

yup - you are correct - 908 calipers front, the vented 914.6 conversion in the back that some people say we don't need ...

okay - if you're going to take a steel-bodied 914.6 with 210-ish HP endurance racing on slicks, you'll probably need a brake upgrade :-) ....

i uprated the brakes on my car - aluminum calipers front, vented disks back.

i did no back-to-back testing so i couldn't tell you if it was -needed- -- but i've been a fan of drilled disks for a while and there are issues with drilled solid disks (they work, but not as well as vented, and i'm not the only one to have suspected that the holes in solid, drilled rotors might actually be retaining water...)

the OEM brakes on stock-ish /4's with stock-ish wheels in street and occasional AX service are adequate. there will probably be issues in racing service or hot laps at tracks with long straights and tight turns.

and Ferrari's ? i suspect 308's are rarely driven as close to their limits as 914's regularly are :-)

[Eric_Shea]

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