[TheUNZippee!]

All righty. It's really not that difficult, but for the noobs I have made a write up, taken a few pictures, and a few more pictures....



K.

You will need:











These pictures consist of (all items not necessarily shown):

-a good floor jack
-jack stands
-1/2" drive breaker bar
-13/16" socket, 1/2" drive
-torque wrench
-socket set: You need a 3/8 drive ratchet and 13 mil socket
-needle nose pliers
-channel lock pliers
-7/8" wrench
-anti-seize compound

Optional: a caliper piston compression tool kit. My local automotive store has kits they will loan you for just a fully refundable deposit.

Also optional: plastic cement mixer and/or tricycle to play with

*ADDENDUM* (Thanks Mikey)

Please also take note of the condition of your rotors at this time. I didn't include any information on rotors at the time of this write-up, as I plan on upgrading my brakes in the future. So with just two months left in my driving season up here, I had been hoping the factory pads would last til the end of the summer... but they did not. So, I just threw a cheap set of pads on it.

Check your rotors for wear, cracks, and discoloration. If they appear burned, replace them. If the are cracked, replace them. If you had been getting a vibration in your butt when applying the brakes, replace them. Sometimes they are just grooved a little, and this can be remedied by taking them to a shop and having them turned on a brake lathe. The rotors simply slide off the hub, the only additional thing being you would have to also unbolt the caliper mounting bracket to free the rotor.



SO! Remember, do one side at a time. Worse case scenario, if your brain shits the bed, or you phock something up, you can disassemble the other side for reference.

Open the hood. Remove the master cylinder reservoir cap.

Chock both front wheels. Using your breaker bar, loosen, but do NOT REMOVE the lug nuts. Jack your car up in the air. I place my jack under where the lower control arm mounts a the rear axle. Jack your car off just enough to get the tire in the air. Place a jack stand under a frame rail. Leave the jack in place.

Finish pulling your nuts off, then remove the wheel. The tire should come with it. If it doesn't, you're fucked.


See this picture?




That is the 13 millimeter socket on the lower caliper mounting bolt. The other bolt is at the top of the caliper. Remove it. Lefty loosey, righty tighty, Bob's yer fuckin uncle! Yeah!

Remove the caliper by sliding it straight up and off the rotor. The pads will remain in place, as they are held in place by the caliper mounting bracket, not the caliper itself. It is normal for one or both pads to fall off as you remove the caliper. Do not fret, Obi-Wrencher.

With the caliper removed, it shall look like thus!

Pads in:





Pads out:




This next picture displays the old hardware, an old pad, a new pad, and new hardware.

Left to right, you are looking at:

Old pad sliders/Caliper mounting bolts/Old pad/New pad/New pad sliders.


Now study those new sliders. Note one is shiny, one is black? I flipped one upside down to show you the difference. The shiny side should be facing the pads. The black side goes against the caliper mount.

Study this picture:



You can see the old sliders in place. They simply pull off, and the new sliders snap in. Do one at a time, you silly funt! Spread some anti-seize compound on each slider.

Slide the pads in. Unlike some brake systems, they are not positional, meaning you can put any pad anywhere you like..... not in your butt! They have assbestos in them dummy.

New sliders in, pads in place:



See those pivot springs on top of each pad? Remember those. You want to make sure that they rest under the caliper when you slide it back on after we compress the piston. I shall remind you!


Ahh, the piston..... unlike the front calipers, which have pistons that you can simply push in, the rear disc brake system on these cars requires that the piston also rotates as you push it in. This has to do with the parking brake system.

So. How do you push and rotate at the same time? A-ha. Good question. This isn't penises and vaginas- this is serious business!

There is a special tool for this. You can try to do without at first- sometimes the piston will go in. When I did mine, the driver's side simply went in by gripping the edge of the piston with channel locks, and rotating it clockwise. But be-ware! Don't tear the rubber boot! Torn rubbers are bad. You know why.

See this picture?


That's my incredibly manly hand holding a caliper. You can see the edge of the piston sticking out of the boot. So DO NOT tear that boot. Or you will be buying a new caliper. Take your time, it will take some effort usually.

As I said, the driver's side piston rotated right in, which was... odd. But the passenger side, well, I could not get it in. You can try and use needle nose pliers, and put the edge of the pliers in the indentations on the face of the piston, and push while twisting clockwise, but beware! Now the danger of tearing your pisant rubber has increased ten fold.

If this doesn't work, you need the aforementioned caliper compression kit. Check it out, this is the tool in place on the caliper. Pretty self explanatory.



The piston socket has two dimples on it that fit into the indentations on the face of the piston. As you twist the handle, it pushes in and rotates. When the piston is fully collapsed, release the pressure by turning the threaded collar with your 7/8" wrench. Don't over do it. You can always put the compression tool back on and squeeze it in a bit more. Take your time. I won't waste a lot of time going into tremendous detail on the kit, because there are different styles of kit, and anyway, you can figure it out. And it will come with instructions.


Now that the piston is compressed back in, double check that your pad sliders are in correctly- shiny side in bitches! the pads are in, and slide the caliper over the pads. REMEMBER! Make sure the pivot spring on each pad is under the caliper. You don't want one twisted, with the end of one spring sticking out of the caliper. Note you may have to wiggle the bolt holes to line up with the caliper bolt holes. Also note there is a flat spot on one side of it, this flat spot lines up with an edge on the caliper.

Put the two 13 mil bolts back in tighten them. Tight. Not super human tight, but pretty damn tight. By using a 3/8" drive ratchet, you shouldn't overdo it. If you use a bigger ratchet, you might overdo it.

Put the wheel back on. Snug the bolts up. Lower the car, torque each lug nut to 105 lb-ft of torque. Put your tools away. Remember to release the tension on your torque wrench by backing it off to 0 before you put it away. It's a sensitive instrument. Like me. Remove the wheel chocks. Put the master cylinder reservoir cap back on. Work the parking brake handle a few times before you drive away.

Jump up and down for joy!

So.... after this, I went to return the piston compression tool to my store....

[TheUNZippee!]

Then, after I had already asked them if I could do the entire transaction by debit card, they handed me over cash. futhermuckers. So I had to go to the bank to put the cash back in.

Everywhere I went, I was foiled by construction, distracted by hot women, and even blocked off by a fender bender outside my bank.


My car in the distance...











This dude was standing on the roof of my bank..... the way I shot the picture....is he floating?







My neighbor's dog also watched over me as I wrenched....






Random!

[Lefty]

Originally Posted by TheUNZippee!

How much for the 3-wheeler?

O-


I mean nice write-up!

[TheUNZippee!]

Two dollas!

thanks man

[Lefty]

Two Doll Hairs?!?!?


SOLD!

[Ace417]

very nice write up. did you make it sticky?

[TheUNZippee!]

No, not yet. I'll put it in the existing sticky.

[IronStomach]

Zip -- awesome writeup -- can you go back in time by four days so I could have referenced this on my wife's Pontiac?

Oh -- did you empty any brake fluid when you did this? On the Grand Prix, when I compressed the pistons the brake fluid resevoir bubbled up and would have gone overboard if I didn't empty some fluid from the resevoir first. Not sure if it's the same for our Mustangs or not.

2nd sdupit question: is anti-seize compound absolutely necessary? I used 100% synthetic-rot-yer-brain caliper lube instead 'cuz I ams dumb.

[fdjizm]

What part of the toolkit do the toes come with sir?

Great write up!

[TheUNZippee!]

Originally Posted by EfylSetaf Zip -- awesome writeup -- can you go back in time by four days so I could have referenced this on my wife's Pontiac? Oh -- did you empty any brake fluid when you did this? On the Grand Prix, when I compressed the pistons the brake fluid resevoir bubbled up and would have gone overboard if I didn't empty some fluid from the resevoir first. Not sure if it's the same for our Mustangs or not. 2nd sdupit question: is anti-seize compound absolutely necessary? I used 100% synthetic-rot-yer-brain caliper lube instead 'cuz I ams dumb.

Thanks man

lol I have yet to perfect my time traveling skills. Sosorrysosad!

No, mine was low enough that there was no danger of the reservoir overflowing.

Caliper lube is fine. Anti-seize is better, but caliper lube is fine.

[TheUNZippee!]

Originally Posted by fdjizm What part of the toolkit do the toes come with sir? Great write up!

The hot guy wrenching on a Mustang deluxe kit

lol thanks fd

[IronStomach]

Originally Posted by TheUNZippee! Thanks man lol I have yet to perfect my time traveling skills. Sosorrysosad! No, mine was low enough that there was no danger of the reservoir overflowing. Caliper lube is fine. Anti-seize is better, but caliper lube is fine.

Yay! Repped and thanks to you, sirrah!

[TheUNZippee!]

*curtsy*

[algx]

String uncomfortable maybe?
Just got back from a nice Brazilian wax job!
Oh! Yeah, great write up!
Canadian Tire FTW

[TheUNZippee!]

Originally Posted by algx String uncomfortable maybe? Just got back from a nice Braxilian wax job! Oh! Yeah, great write up! Canadian Tire FTW

lmao indeed... note how she's walking by a jugs sign

thanks man

[07 STROKER]

whats that rim 15.5 inch in the back? Nice offset.

Hows your Mullet

[fdjizm]

You guys I dont think that is a girl... :/

[TheUNZippee!]

Originally Posted by 07 STROKER whats that rim 15.5 inch in the back? Nice offset. Hows your Mullet

ques' mullet?

[TheUNZippee!]

Originally Posted by fdjizm You guys I'm a girl... :/

We know, ricer, we know

[07 STROKER]

Originally Posted by TheUNZippee! ques' mullet?

i mean your chin mullet