prestige6

Anyone have a trick to replace rear pads on a 67, without removing the calipers. Holding the pistons in place to get the pad in there is a pain in the ***. Advice please. To remove the rear caliper is a pain .

69z28&ss396

Open the bleeder to relieve pressure?

DansYellow66

I think there are some metal clips you can buy from Corvette parts house's that retain the piston while pulling the pads. I've never used them - my pads always last longer than the piston seals.

prestige6

Did that pistons still don't stay in .

68hemi

IIRC you open the bleeder, take a blade screwdriver to push the pads back and then close the bleeder and they should stay back.

69z28&ss396

Undo the soft line. You’ll have to bleed the brakes, but at least you won’t have to fight caliper anymore.

prestige6

They don't pistons still come out.

prestige6

There is no soft line in the rear. Has all metal lines with everything in the way to remove the caliper. That's why I'm trying to avoid pulling the caliper.

Bluestripe67

The metal clips are not the best. I use two pieces of wood. One on each end of the new pads. Remove some fluid from the MC, push the pistons back. They should stay back enough so you can have the pads ready to slide in. See pic attached. Dennis

prestige6

That's with the caliper off. Caliper off no problem Caliper on problem.

69z28&ss396

Well, ok. Sure looks like some soft lines to me? I’d undo them at the nearest point and pad slap it then reattach the lines.

69z28&ss396

Pop Chevy

Try 2 putty knives, one side at a time. Put the putty knives up against the pistons, push (tap) the pad in behind em. I just did mine, works good.

Easy Rhino

OP,

If you have no flex ("soft") brake lines where the trailing arm ties to the frame, you've got a bigger problem. But I doubt that.

But as one poster above stated, pads on these cars can outlast the caliper piston seals (I think mine did most recently). The reason that your pistons won't stay released may be due to hardened piston seals. If I had to bleed the rear brakes (easy on these cars), as infrequently as I expect to do rear pads, I would probably go ahead and replace seals every time, but that's just me. My reaction is also influenced by having a rear seal let go - not pleasant - I wish I had replaced them in advance of that mess.

Last item: if you're going through rear brake pads, either you're driving the car a ton (and I salute you) or your rear brakes are dragging (which may also be due to hardened seals).

MikeM

No need to open the hydraulic system. That's probably why the pistons keep creeping back. Take a little fluid out of the master cylinder. Pull the retaining pin. Use a big screwdriver to push the pads back. R&R one pad at a time.

I may have removed one caliper bolt and raised one end of the caliper up to remove the pad. Can't remember. Too many brake jobs on different models. I don't understand the pain of taking a caliper off.

I've never used clips, blocks of wood or other spacers to change pads.

gbvette62

We pull pads all the time at the race track, on our vintage racers. All we ever do is crack the bleeders, push the pistons in, and work the pads back into place. We never remove a caliper or a hose.

Of course, we may do it so often that we don't realize that it should be more difficult?

gcb1966

I’ve never cracked a line/bleeder open to relieve any pressure or had to bleed after installing a set of pads.

There’s always multiple ways of doing something, not that one way is right or wrong, but here’s my method for install pads, front or rear that I've used on all 3 of my Midyears, going on 30yrs of ownership (man I'm getting old...)

I have a thin piece of steel that’s almost the length of a pad, it needs to be long enough and deep enough to reach both pistons at the same time. I put a 90 degree bend in it so it looks like an “L”. With the one pad still in, I put the metal into the side that has no pad, pull the pistons back, and slip the new pad in, then pull the “L” out, then do the other pad.

babbah

I have used the metal clips for 5 decades and they work perfectly - Its a 5 minute job to replace the pads at each caliper. Don't overthink this................

65tripleblack

No need to open bleeder. As stated, do one pad at a time. Make sure the master has some room for the pushed out fluid.

What I do is to force each piston all the way opened using 2 flat screwdrivers. Then get a small 1/4 inch drive socket and let each piston jam against it with the socket at the 6 o'clock position on each piston. Use a socket that is a few thou larger than the pad thickness. Tap the pads in and the 2 sockets will fall out the bottom.

Avispa

Same here, but only for 3 decades . According to MikeM that makes me wet behind the ears. Yes, the pistons will still push out a little, but the clips can be used to wedge a new pad in.