Technical 500 brakes
- Thread starter Baglady1990
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Technical 500 brakes
Those locating pins can take a bit of shifting if they've corroded in place. One way is to use a second jack & block of wood under the disc; take up just enough weight to stop it turning. Remember also to loosen the wheel bolts before jacking it up, while the weight of the car in still on the wheels.
When you replace the disc locating pins, use copper grease (as you have done) & only do them up just a little more than finger tight; they're only there to help locate the disc & wheel. In service, all the load is taken by the wheel bolts.
If you want to get a perfect alignment, leave them loose when first fitting the disc (make sure the holes are in the right place), fit the wheel bolts (but not the wheel), and progressively tighten - they have a tapered shoulder and this will centre the disc on the hub. Then tighten the locating pins, and remove the wheel bolts - the discs will be perfectly centered.
If you just tighten the locating pins with the wheel bolts out, sometimes the boltholes in the disc & hub don't line up perfectly, making wheel removal & replacement harder than it needs to be.
Just a handy tip from an old timer to help make a good job perfect.
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OP
OP
I appreciate greatly!! I was so worried that I might muck it up!! Thankfully I didn’t but only because of the advice and I took my time! ?
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Did you clean the brake saddles and put that touch of red on the top ? They look way better than the old brake discs although they are in the same environment.
I’m so impressed you did this. I haven’t done brakes for ages but as it’s £169 at my local garage for discs and pads I think I may start doing them again.
By the way there’s a salvage Gucci coming up for auction soon. Has a blown drivers seat airbag.
By the way there’s a salvage Gucci coming up for auction soon. Has a blown drivers seat airbag.
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I don't like the information given in this article; it puts unnecessary stress on the brakes and the excess heat generated could warp the discs and damage the caliper seals. It might be appropriate if you have fitted high performance brakes to a trackday car and are in a hurry to get going on the circuit, but has no place in normal motoring.
I know someone who did something similar to what the article is suggesting; the pads were ruined and they had to pay for a second set to be fitted.
Just follow the advice given in the previous post, and avoid excessive braking for the first 200 miles or so (except in emergency of course) - you brakes will bed in just fine from normal running.
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Wtf is that crud?
It's from the USA.
Probably cut and pasted from an article about brakes for racing vehicles for which it may be applicable.
Therefore not applicable for road cars and standard brakes.
Before wading into this one I have to say that this info is issued by an american concern and for a brand I've never even heard of so there may be something about their product which requires a different approach? Hmmmm?
However, back here in "Blighty" I'm with JR on this one. As many on here will know I trained as a motor mechanic to technicians level (under the old City and Guilds system) and earned my living for many years "fixing" vehicles. I've always been taught, at college, by older work colleagues and manufacturer literature/visiting reps that new brakes, whether drums or discs, should be treated with a light touch for the first 100 or so miles to allow to bed in. I can see the sense in this as the mating faces of the pads and discs will not be 100% in contact when new. There will be, admittedly very small, "high" points on the pads which will have to wear away before the whole pad face presents to the disc rotor surface. If you hammer the brakes before this "bedding in" has taken place you will get very localized concentrations of excessive heat which will not be good for either the pads or the disc and I personally have seen discs warped, very infrequently it has to be said, by customers who drove their cars in a "very spirited" way immediately after new pads and discs were fitted resulting in new ones having to be fitted again. I'm puzzled by their talk of a thin layer of pad material being transferred to the disc? and actually appalled to read of brand new pads being taken up to the point of smoking immediately after fitting! Not in my book they wouldn't!
So I would advise you to just drive normally, avoiding heavy applications of the brake pedal for the first 100 miles or so - maybe longer if you are particularly light on your brakes - (I've occasionally come across brakes, especially drum shoes, which have not completely bedded in after a couple of thousand miles, but this is rare) but don't be afraid to brake heavily in an emergency of course. Also remember that the pads will not grip the disc so well until bedded in (because there is less of the pad face effectively rubbing against the rotor) so in an emergency you will find the car takes a little more distance to pull up. Of course this effect is there under gentle, normal brake application but you don't notice it because you just press slightly harder on the brake pedal to compensate - but you won't notice this unless you can compare in your mind between what the pedal felt like previously when the old pads were in their prime and now with the new pads fitted. If you concentrate hard you may notice the pedal feels a little more "spongy" than it was with the old pads? This will go as the new pads bead down.
The first 3 tick points in this link seem to support what I've always thought to be the way to do it:
https://ebcbrakes.com/articles/bedd...ing new pads to,miles due to extra components
I've never done what's recommended in the 4th and 5th ticks. I would worry about finding somewhere that I could safely do this and certainly wouldn't be trying it on a public road. I don't know anyone who does this. They talk also about testing the rotor by splashing it with drops of water and I would say just don't do that. In fact if you've ever been unfortunate enough to touch a rotor after even just driving round the block you'll know you just don't touch disc rotor surfaces for quite some time after driving the vehicle for any more than a few hundred yards. Oh, and don't, if you must, do more than "flick" drops of water on it, throwing a bucket of water over a very hot disc rotor is almost bound to warp, and maybe even crack, it and so ruin it.
So there you are, that's my opinion and it's stood me in good stead for the last 50 plus years of my 73 years on this planet. Don't get hung up about it, just drive normally but be a bit gentle with the pedal effort for the first few hundred miles and you'll be absolutely fine.
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CraigUK74
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We just replaced our Pads and Disks all round, similar issues as you. We got Brembo pads and Disks from EuroCar Parts with 50% off happy days, hope this helps.
OP
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Are you gonna try for it? I’d LOVE to see you working on it!! Loving your latest!! I bought some G10 works great [emoji106] plus you could do the same on the seat as you did on the arbarth! With all the **** I went through with my Gucci if I can safely do a job I’d rather do it .... I have trust issues ? the only place I trust is the chaps at 500 italia but they so far away from me!
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I’m just braking slowly I think that’s the best way too! All good today I’ve been all over too!
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I did yes I cleaned up as much as I can rubbed down with a metal brush! Yes I used hammerite anti rust paint (direct to rust) they weren’t too bad .. new ones ain’t cheap either!
I thought about it but I don't think I could face another seat. Those stripes are a bit of a 'mare too if they are faded.
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? yeah the seats are a tough job I [emoji817] would never touch one again..... ! I suppose it depends on how much it goes for & the mileage too.... they getting rarer now though!
TrevC
Established member
Just adding my "well done" to Baglady and anyone else who takes the time and effort to research and carry out this task correctly. Brake replacement is one of the few jobs I do myself now, as it is relatively straightforward and saves a fair chunk of cash. My son bought a set of tools to push the piston back in, which simplifies the job further, especially on rear pads where you have to rotate the piston as well. Haven't tackled any with an electric parking brake yet though!
I didn't look at all the links to "bedding in", I've always just driven normally but allowing a bit of extra stopping distance as the feel of the pedal is different at first.
I didn't look at all the links to "bedding in", I've always just driven normally but allowing a bit of extra stopping distance as the feel of the pedal is different at first.
Can’t remember what the mileage is but it would be a profitable parts car for someone.
OP
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Ok so I’m not just looking for things to do on my car [emoji23] but when I was de rusting and painting my rear brake drums I noticed a lot of crusting and debris coming from the circular gap around the drum (hope this makes sense) I just thought ohhh it’s just rust .... and maybe it was..... but now I’m wondering what state my brake shoes could be in!?
Considering the brakes .... and the fact I’ve only had the car 8 months & clearly from all the **** that went wrong that I’ve had to fix or have fixed it’s just been poorly maintained over the years....... is there any way I can check if they possibly need changing!?
I have watched a YouTube vid on how to... it’s looks quite fiddly but within my capabilities.... time ... tea & a lot of swearing!!
Obviously just reaching out for some advice & guidance before I consider ?
