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Removing the Old Brake-Assembly
- Important:
These are the automotive procedure are general guidelines that are applicable to most vehicles. 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 of brake kit you select. Always consult your vehicle's service manual when undertaking significant automotive repairs, and read and follow the manufacturer's directions and Note that come with your kit or replacement parts.
- Note::
- Always wear eye protection, and follow proper safety Note, when working with power tools.
- If you work on brakes using air-tools, there will be considerable amounts of brake dust released into the air. It's important to wear safety glasses and a dust-mask.
- When jacking your vehicle and using jack-stands, be sure that the jack stands you use are rated to accommodate the weight of your vehicle.
- Steps:
- With the car supported on jack stands, remove the front tires and wheels to reveal the drum brakes.
- Carefully remove the dust-cap from the center of the drum assembly, followed by the cotter pin.
- Note: In most cases, you'll need to replace the cotter pins with new ones.
- Using an adjustable wrench, remove the center nut and washer.
- Remove the bearing and inspect it. In our case, the bearing was found to be in poor condition, with tiny metal shavings indicating significant wear.
- With the nut, washer and bearing removed, carefully remove the brake drum to reveal the inner brake assembly.
- The drum-brake assembly is held in place by bolts. (In our case, there were three bolts.) Remove the bolts and carefully pull the brake assembly forward.
- Before removing the assembly entirely, the brake hose must be disconnected at the back of the wheel-well. You may need to spray the hose connection with penetrating oil to help loosen the connection.
- With the brake hose disconnected, the assembly can be removed. Use a drain-pan to catch any brake fluid that may still be in the lines.
- With the brake assembly removed, the spindle on which the bearings will ride is revealed. Check the spindle for wear. If it is in poor condition, replace it. If a worn spindle is left in place, it could later snap off. Ours appeared to be in good condition.
- Clean off the adjacent surfaces using a wire brush, then spray on some brake cleaner and wipe the area clean.
- Re-position the steering arm and secure it in place with the front bolt.
- With the steering arm in place, the caliper bracket fits over the two rear holes of the steering arm, and is held in place with two bolts and lock-nuts.
- Tighten the bolts down with a ratchet, then come back tighten them down to the proper torque specifications. (Check your manufacturer's instructions for the proper specs. In our case it was 65 foot-pounds.)
- The next part to be installed is the disc-brake rotor, but before it can be installed the bearings must be packed and seals installed. To re-pack the bearings, use a bearing-packer. (These can be found at most auto-parts stores.) Simply place the bearing into the packer and push down firmly on the plunger.
- Also apply packing grease to both of the races in the hub assembly.
- Install the bearing into the hub, making certain that it's oriented in the proper direction.
- Next, install the seal in the hub and tap it into place. Apply some grease to the seal as well.
- Wipe the outside of the hub assembly to remove the excess grease.
- Finally, install the rotor onto the hub, making sure that the studs line up properly with the holes.
- Important: Make certain that there is no grease on the rotor as this could prevent the brake pads from gripping properly later on.
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