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Have you ever done your brakes?


adallak

Have you ever done your brakes?  

214 members have voted

  1. 1. Have you ever done your brakes?

    • yes, i have
      181
    • no, i have not
      33


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Oldgamer,

The poll question is have you done brakes or not. I thought brake job might be a r criteria of person's ability to work on his car. I believe you would not mind to do the job if you needed, so in your case you probably should have answer rather YES than NO :lol: Sorry for confusion!

The saddest thing in life is wasted talent

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Oldgamer,

The poll question is have you done brakes or not. I thought brake job might be a r criteria of person's ability to work on his car. I believe you  would not mind to do the job if you needed, so in your case you probably should have answer rather YES than NO :lol: Sorry for confusion!

In the old days drum brakes were harder overall in my opinion, packing the inner and outer bearings, adjusting them through the hole, etc. Disk brakes are fairly easy in my humble opinion, but they are easy to do wrong. The rears can be tricky but the fronts are cake. While I know this statement is controversial, to do it right, cleaning up the rotors gives the new pads a better chance of breaking in (and I know the manual and others here say its not necessary). But I can not tell you how many people I see with pulsing after a break-job where they 'went by the book'.

However, that said, changing the brakes to me is on the order of changing your oil, its just more of a dirty nuisanse and you require a little knowledge and a few tools. For that matter changing the hub bearings is also cake. Its the things that you do while you are doing the brakes that separate the men from the boys like checking bushings, ball joints, greasing fittings, checking the links, checking seals, tie-rods, and looking for leaks. I think if you are going to do it yourself, it has to be at higher level than a 'garage' mechanic as you have an interest in the car, and you can afford your own time.

Now changing lower control arm bushings, ball joints, struts, water pumps, AC Compressors, heater cores, tranny filters/fluid, solenoids, bushings, tune-ups (cake also these days), and diagnosing problems and fixing them, now that IMHO makes you mechanically inclined. Its the diagnosing that makes a mechanic good. Just my thoughts

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on an average brake job for myself it usually cost about sixty for the front and the same for the rear. that includes new pads and rotors turned. no i find i only need to change the rears about half as often due to usual brake were...more braking in the front.

That looks very low have you lowered it????

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Defending Northstar perf a qtr mile at a time!!!!

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  • 3 weeks later...

A funny brake fixit story...

Wife and I we were looking for an engine/tranny for an 68 Olds Cutlass (her dad had run it dry and melted/foamed the spark plug boots.

Anyway, we spot this 69 Olds Vista Cruiser in the back lot with a big hand-scrawled sign "NO BRAKES", in the front window. Perfect. It looked good, started fine and we bought it for $200.

The sales guy asked where we wanted it towed and my wife laughed out loud. I said my wife will drive in front of me to be the brakes - and we left with our car. I also figured that's why "emergency" brakes were made... (Kids, don't try this at home)

About 15-miles later its in our garage and I decide to take a look at the brakes before pulling the engine. Lo and behold - the previous brake guru forgot to install the (4) 1/4" bolts that hold the wheel cylinder to the backing plate - get this - when new shoes were installed! Duh, the cylinder kinda fell down, the seals leaked and the system lost pressure.

8-bolts later (both fronts), a liberal hosing with acetone, a quick bleed and it stops!

We drove it for another 4-years. A b*tch to start when hot (vapor-lock), but wow did it move (and stop if needed).

Moral of the Story - take a look and you might get lucky...

I agree with Scotty regarding disc brakes are easier..

Just try to remove a drum some time when the shoes won't retract with the dang crooked tool through the dirty slot and the inside drum ridges are almost 1/16". Hammer time :angry:

I really don't want to talk about what I did to the drum brakes on my Honada 4-cyl bike.

Took all of 30-minutes to hi-tech the front discs on my son's WRX SCCA racer.

Dics or Drums DUH!

Add power to leave problems behind. Most braking is just - poor planning.
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  • 1 month later...

the book says that the caliper mounting brackets are torqued at 135 lbs is this correct and if so how do you guys do it

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In the old days drum brakes were harder overall in my opinion, packing the inner and outer bearings, adjusting them through the hole, etc.

I'll say, it takes a little bit to do disks but drums <_< a few weeks ago I dang near knocked myself out changing the front wheel cylinders on my brothers '66 Catalina after we lost the brakes going over a bridge here. Those tension springs will get you. Like Scotty said(atleast for fronts), disks are a piece of cake

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Brakes on the Caddy? ...Done

There is something to be said for taking the time to do it right. (greasing the sliders, making sure the pad guides are free etc)

Drums are a little more of a challenge. You really need to pay attention to all the "extra" parts over a disc system.

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yup, done them on my previous caddy (87 deville), and on my 92 eldo......the rear breaks were a pain though, because I didn't have the right tool for the job.....I was able to do it though!

-dave B)

Crystal Red Tintcoat Exterior | Shale/Brownstone Interior | 32k

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  • 6 months later...

Yup, I have done brakes before but not on my Seville yet. I have done drum-rotors-new-used on my other cars and it was never to bad. I think I will not enjoy the brake job on the Seville, at least that is what I hear. Good poll, keep em coming!!

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Additionally, When I do brakes, I use brake cleaner, and spray off the dust, & road grime from the internal parts & stuff. I sometimes even touch up the underside with flat black spraypaint to keep the car looking new underneath. kinda like a brake job & body shop job in one. Also, I use heat paint to re-spray my mufflers. that black paint tends to flake off & the mufflers being so exposed don't look too good with that peely look.

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I have done all the brake jobs on all the vehicles I have ever owned. My Dad showed me how to do the 47 Chevy (back in the 50's) and I recently did my 98 Ml 320's rear brakes, including new rotors. I never have the rotors cut, just run them until they wear down to the minimum thickness or a little more. New pads will bed into a worn rotor fairly quickly and you actually end up with more brake pad contact than factory new.

Most rotor warping is caused by excessive torquing of the wheel lug nuts! Rotor warping due to light braking is not anything I have ever heard of!

Regards,

Jim in not so sunny Phoenix

Jim in Phoenix

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  • 6 months later...

Changing brakes is like running a marathon.

You can pay someone to do it for you. :D

Regards,

Warren

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There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises

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  • 5 months later...

I do my own now. I used to pay others till I learned they used bunk parts that wore out prematurely. They also don't go the extra mile like I do. I basically don't trust them...brakes are too important.

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Is "the right tool" the little cube shaped socket? I haven't done the rear brakes on the STS yet...just wondering.

Charles

Yes.

I wouldn't buy "the cube" unless you have more than one car to use it.Just buy the one tool that fits the Cadillac/GM and it will fit much better.The cube is universal and made to be used on other cars but it doesn't have a perfect fit into the piston slots.And YES,I've done brakes on all the cars I've owned and is a piece of cake,even the drum brakes with shoes,if you have the right tools and shop manuals.Each time I buy a car I make sure I get the Shop/Service manual.The investment is worth it. :)

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Is the Cadillac/GM tool something that is only available at a dealership? If so, how much are they?

Charles

No,you can get it at any decent auto parts store and I don't think is more than $20.Looks like a round plate with two niples on it and square hole cut in the middle.It is better quality and stronger steel than "the cube". B)

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  • 1 year later...

The backing plates of the worn out (rear) brake pads you are removing can be made into the perfect tool to rotate and retract the rear caliper pistons.

Jim

Drive your car.

Use your cell phone.

CHOOSE ONE !

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Is the Cadillac/GM tool something that is only available at a dealership? If so, how much are they?

Charles

No,you can get it at any decent auto parts store and I don't think is more than $20.Looks like a round plate with two niples on it and square hole cut in the middle.It is better quality and stronger steel than "the cube". B)

I'm getting ready to do my 93 Seville brakes. I've done the fronts on my 95 many times but not the rears. What's the "little tool" do? And what's it called? Thanks!!

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