DIY Network

DIY Difficulty Rating for this Project: This job is a medium difficulty project, and will generally require two people. We gave it a difficulty rating of 2 on a 5-point intermediate-level scale. All the parts you'll need come together in the kit. The more complex parts of this project may be dealing with fluids and hoses. If you've done a brake job before, you should have no problem with these upgrades.

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Massive 12-inch rotors mean stop-on-a-thin-dime braking power.

According to SSBC Brake specialist Bill Cummings, bigger rotors provide greater friction area, thus reducing brake-fade. Larger calipers offer more clamping force which results in shorter stopping distances. The net result may be a 15 to 50-foot drop in stopping distance in a zero-to-sixty stop. Here's how to get started with the upgrade.

Important: Included below are the steps in this automotive procedure as shown in the episode. These steps are general guidelines. With any particular vehicle, there may be procedures, specifications, settings, tolerances, components, etc. that are specific to that vehicle. There are also variations according to the type and brand of repair-kit you select. Always consult your vehicle's service manual when undertaking significant automotive repairs, and read and follow the manufacturer's directions and precautions that come with your kit or replacement parts.

Figure A

Removing the Old Brakes

• First, get the car up on jack-stands to remove the wheels (figure A).

• Safety Alert: Wear safety glasses for your protection, and put down a drop cloth to protect the ground from spilled fluids. Always dispose of brake fluid and other automotive fluids responsibly. Most auto center have fluid-recycling centers.
  

  
  

• Spray all of the mounting hardware with penetrating oil (figure B).

• Using a tube wrench, loosen the hard line from the flexible hose at the connection point (figure C). Then unscrew the nut that holds them together.

• With the hard lines removed, brake fluid will just drain out of these lines. You can use plastic vacuum caps to plug off the end of the line. Aside from avoiding mess, this is very important because you don't want the master cylinder to go dry. If it goes dry you'll pull air into the system from the top, which will cause problems when it's time to bleed the brakes. If it happens, you'll have to push that air through the entire system to get it out this end.

  Figure B

  Figure C

  
  

• With the caps in place, you may now remove the brake components. The flex hoses need to be removed first. There are two clips holding these into place. First, remove the one at the caliper connection with pliers (figure D).

• The other one requires a bit more effort. Use a screwdriver as a lever to get it loose, and then pull it out with pliers.

• The flex hose then just lifts up and out (figure E).

• Drain this hose into a container so that you don't get brake fluid everywhere.

  Figure D

  Figure E

  
  

• There are two long caliper bolts holding the caliper into place. Remove them both (figure F).

• Then lift the caliper assembly out of the way.

• Once the calipers are out of the way, remove each of the two brake pads.

• The calipers sit on a mounting bracket. There are two bolts that have to be taken off of this for the bracket to be removed (figure G).

  Figure F

  Figure G

  
  

• With the bracket removed, you can just slide the rotor off (figure H).

• The last step is to remove the splash shield. There is one bolt that holds the shield into place. Take that bolt off first (figure I), then take some tin snips and cut the thinnest portion of the metal shield. It may take some brute strength to pry the shield off.

  Figure H

  Figure I

  
  

  	Figure J
  	Figure K

In the segment that follows, Andrew and Bill install the new brake components.

RESOURCES :

Sport Compact Bolt-On Performance Guide: Import Cars (Sport Compact Bolt-On Performance Guides)
Author: Joe Pettitt
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Voyageur Press (October 2000)
ISBN: 1884089526

Special Resources for Tricked Out, episode 109

Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation (SSBC)
Website: www.ssbrakes.com

Racing Innovations, Inc.
Website: www.racinginnovations.com

ALT Wheels
Website: www.altwheels.com

The Fusion Zone
Website: www.thefuzionzone.com

GUESTS :

Bill Cummings
Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation (SSBC)
Website: www.ssbrakes.com