Brake job coming up, any surprises?

[Fireguy615]

Getting ready to do a brake job next month. Going to remove rotors, take them to a brake lathe if needed, then re-install. Will probably be using the Hawk pads from Lethal. Any surprises or advise before this job starts? It will be my first experience with doing a brake R&R on this car. Thanks.

 

[hand-to-ball]

I would like to know as well...

 

[wjurls]

No surprises, it's a pretty straight forward brake job. If you're familar with disc brakes your good. You may need a little WD40 to break the bond between the rotor and the hub.

 

[TRBO VNM]

you will need a special tool for the rear calipers. they screw in. do not use a c-clamp or you can damage the piston.

quick search on harbor freight

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

 

[KILRSVT]

pretty straight forward the rear require special tool since they are the ball and ramp style and they are threaded .after installing the rear brakes pull on the parking brake a couple of times to take up the slack. good luck

 

[bigmoose]

i use an old brake pad and a C clamp to press the twin pistons up front in when i'm reinstalling.

 

[03cobra#694]

you will need a special tool for the rear calipers. they screw in. do not use a c-clamp or you can damage the piston.

quick search on harbor freight

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

+1`000`000
You`ll screw them up just trying to compress them.The e-brake cable can be kind of a pita!

 

[Fordman9870]

Just did all 4 of mine. it was easy. You can get the caliper tool for the rear brakes for free at autozone (free rental with deposit, $$ returned with tool)
Made it a snap. or should i say a lot easier. I went with hawk pads.

 

[Juruense]

Always grease the caliper slide pins.

Never remove the little spring on the rear calipers.

 

[03yellow]

If you cant turn your rotors ...NAPA makes several rotors priced $40 to $140. The $40 rotors are great. Also sometimes after turning the rotors it will allow for some looseness..... make sure to use the shims or get new rotors. I had to replace the rotors last time to finally get rid of the squeeks.

I use the motorcraft waterproof greese in a tube (i think its for trucks)to grease the 2 caliper slide pins(youll use this clear grease for everything).

Make sure you use a good hard ceramic brake pad in the front to avoid squeeks.

To press the calipers back in... I turned the old pads upside down and used the caliper press upside down as well....its a little tricky but youll see what I mean when you start.

I think I put the pads in first ....then slipped the metal pin thru... then clipped on the "C" clip with regular plyers.

You can use needle nose plyers on the rear calipers but it can be a somewhat slow and painful.

Not sure about the hawk pads use the "search" to review any issues with these pads.
More expensive is not always better. I have had great results with the ceramic "brake best" pads from O'Reillys auto parts.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[03yllwguy]

Yes, DO NOT use the cheap $5.00 universal brake tool on your rear calipers from auto zone. Do yourself a HUGE favor and get THIS tool.

 

[Hkaiser83]

+1 On some WD40 or PB blaster on getting the rotor off. Sometimes it's literally hell and others it just falls off. When putting the caliper on make sure to attach the bracket first and then put the caliper on the bracker and slide the pin in.

Also, I had a hell of a time getting the caliper bracket bolts off. Took a 2 foot long 1/2" ratchet being pressed with a car jack. Had fun with that LOL

 

[4CEFED]

Always grease the caliper slide pins.

Never remove the little spring on the rear calipers.

cussed that little spring many of times.....what a PITA!

 

[MAD SVT]

to remove the front caliper mounting bolts, you'll probably need to heat the bolts, i used a 18" breaker bar and i thought i was going to lift the car off the damn jackstands... just heat the bolts with a torch ($15 propane torch works fine) and they'll come off easy... you'll need to remove these bolts in order to remove the rotors.

as far as the rears are concerned.. if you dont want to rent a tool, you CAN do it yourself with needlenose pliers and a c-clamp.. AND ALOT OF PATIENCE.. you have to twist the piston clockwise like 1/2 a turn, then squeeze a smidge, twist.. squeeze etc.

HEY... why bother with the rears... they last like 3 times longer than the fronts.. EFF IT

 

[TRBO VNM]

needle nose risk cutting the piston dust boot if you slip. not worth the risk. get the hardor freight tool and you can use it on other cars or the same car for the next pad change.

 

[About2bite]

So, what brake pads would you guys recommend for a street driven cobra? Something that doesn't squeak and reasonably priced?

Thanks

 

[SnakeBit]

Brake fluid. Don't forget to flush your brake fluid as it absorbs water. New fluid will make a world of difference in your pedal feel. I use a BFH on the rotors. If you're going to reuse them, put a block of wood on the face and hit the wood with the hammer. They can be a real pain when they rust to the hub.

Also, I use high temp silicone grease found at NAPA. Great stuff for lubing the pins.

 

[Juruense]

So, what brake pads would you guys recommend for a street driven cobra? Something that doesn't squeak and reasonably priced?

Thanks

Get them at the parts counter and pick up a copy of the 2009 FRPP Catalog while you are there!

Absolutely agree on the brake fluid flush. Its good PM and should be done yearly or at least every two. Also might comsider cleaning the ABS sensors while you are in there.

Another optional step is painting. I used POR-15 on the caliper brackets and dust shields. I used high temp silver spray paint on the rotor hats.

 

[Fireguy615]

This is why SVTP members rock. All great info. I may just go to Ford or NAPA for the pads, some good ceramic ones, the Hawk pads will be almost $200 for all four.

How are you guys getting rid of the old brake fluid? I don't have a fluid excavator like what most brake shops use.

 

[Predatorbird]

I just replaced my pads last week. I didn't run into any major problems. I rented the tool from Discount Auto, which sucked for doing the rear. Do yourself a favor and buy the tool from Harbor Freight, I'm sure it is much better. I had a issue with the lower bolt on the rear caliper bracket. The bolts compress in to allow the caliper to slip over and the bolt wouldn't compress. I had to soak it in PB Blaster to break it free.