Front Brakes

The caliper needs to be rebuilt

Parts cleaned and painted

With the driveaxles in and the back of the car now looking very spiffy, it was time to turn my attention back to the front and to the assembly of the front brakes.

I started by rebuilding the brake calipers.  After taking them apart I discovered that the seals were shot, so I ordered a rebuild kit that came with new seals and the snap rings to hold them in.

These front discs are shot

It's all back together

Of course, when I read the directions for the rebuild kit, the first thing it said was "Do not disassemble the two  halves of the caliper."  Hmmm...too late.  I cleaned, buffed and painted the two halves, then put in the new seals, snap rings and bolted them back together.

Backing plates need to be cleaned

New, freshly turned rotors

Next came  the backing plates.  These had to be cleaned, primed and painted before any assembly could commence.  I also painted parts of the new rotors I purchased some months back.  The old rotors were far too pitted and grooved to function properly, so I bought a used set and had them turned on a lathe at Austin VeeDub for $50 apiece.

The new bearing is on

Time to mount the rotor

Once the backing plates were dry and in place, it was time to mount the rotors.  I bought new bearings, so after packing the interior of the rotor with fresh grease, I put in the new bearing sets and slid the whole thing onto the spindle.

Amazingly, it went on without a hitch and it even spins freely.

It works!

Next came the rebuilt calipers.  These, like the rotors, are heavy pieces of steel, so once these parts get put back on the car, it really begins to weigh it down.  It's also beginning to look like a car again!
As is my habit, I somehow managed to put the calipers on the wrong sides at first, and in response to the scraping sounds that it caused, I took them off and switched them around.  Voila!

  It was a perfect fit with no scraping at all.  I also got new brake hoses and brake lines, but these, along with the new master cylinder, will have to wait to go in another day.