Front pads
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 17
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Front pads
Hi guys, new here, and an interloper - I have an old '68 Ford fastback (can't remember the model name) but a good mate of mine has a C4 and is having some brake issues. He's not technical, so I've had a look at it for him and am a bit confused.
It's an '89 with two-piston floating calipers. He had a local garage (UK, not familiar with Corvettes) fit some pads he supplied about 6 months ago. There's a loud clunking noise over bumps, so I had a look at it today for him. The pads are tight in the calipers, fitted with the single pin and 'E' clip, but the piston body is very loose, moving up and down (around the disc) by a good inch or more. I've attached a couple of pics of what I saw - I can't believe this is correct? Shouldn't the circular star-shaped clips be fixed firmly to the pad backing? Any ideas what's happened here?
Thanks, and best wishes from the UK - Roger
It's an '89 with two-piston floating calipers. He had a local garage (UK, not familiar with Corvettes) fit some pads he supplied about 6 months ago. There's a loud clunking noise over bumps, so I had a look at it today for him. The pads are tight in the calipers, fitted with the single pin and 'E' clip, but the piston body is very loose, moving up and down (around the disc) by a good inch or more. I've attached a couple of pics of what I saw - I can't believe this is correct? Shouldn't the circular star-shaped clips be fixed firmly to the pad backing? Any ideas what's happened here?
Thanks, and best wishes from the UK - Roger
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 3,660
Likes: 22
are you saying then entire Caliper moves around 1" ???
or
Just the pad moves within the caliper?
Caliper should NOT move much...it has a very small amount of play...so it can freely move in/out with the clamping/release action of braking. It should not move up/down.
if its the caliper loose then the car needs the guide pins/bushings replaced before your friend kills somebody.
Half the caliper will be firmly bolted to the knuckle..the other half (floating portion) is mounted on guide pins so it floats/slips on the pins to move freely as brake is applied.
or
Just the pad moves within the caliper?
Caliper should NOT move much...it has a very small amount of play...so it can freely move in/out with the clamping/release action of braking. It should not move up/down.
if its the caliper loose then the car needs the guide pins/bushings replaced before your friend kills somebody.
Half the caliper will be firmly bolted to the knuckle..the other half (floating portion) is mounted on guide pins so it floats/slips on the pins to move freely as brake is applied.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 17
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No, the main casting is bolted up tight to the spindle. Car is an '89, and the pads are held in position with a single pin retained with an 'E' clip. That's all fine. It's the separate casting with the pistons that is moving around. In the catalogs I've looked at, each pad has two circular star-like clips that clip into the piston casting to hold it in place. As you can see from the pics, these pads don't - the clips are in the pistons, but not fixed to the pads. I guess these are wrong?
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 17
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Kimmer, got a message about your reply, but it doesn't seem to be here on the forum:
'What you are holding is a broken pad. The gearie looking things in the caliper are suppose to connected to the pad.'
That's exactly what I thought. But every single one of the gearie looking things is like this, all 8 of them! Not one is attached to the pads!
It's clearly wrong, but I can't work out how it got like this. The pads were fitted 6 months ago by a local workshop, I think they must have screwed up the installation. Anyhow, it's definitely new pad time, even if they do only have a couple of thousand miles on them.
'What you are holding is a broken pad. The gearie looking things in the caliper are suppose to connected to the pad.'
That's exactly what I thought. But every single one of the gearie looking things is like this, all 8 of them! Not one is attached to the pads!
It's clearly wrong, but I can't work out how it got like this. The pads were fitted 6 months ago by a local workshop, I think they must have screwed up the installation. Anyhow, it's definitely new pad time, even if they do only have a couple of thousand miles on them.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 17
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The dumb thing is, they were new pads, and apparently they were like that when the garage fitted them 5-6 months and 2000 miles ago. UK garage, never worked on a Corvette before, and the customer supplied the pads.
I've told him to get a new set and I'll fit them. The calipers are fine.
I've told him to get a new set and I'll fit them. The calipers are fine.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 878
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The dumb thing is, they were new pads, and apparently they were like that when the garage fitted them 5-6 months and 2000 miles ago. UK garage, never worked on a Corvette before, and the customer supplied the pads.
I've told him to get a new set and I'll fit them. The calipers are fine.
I've told him to get a new set and I'll fit them. The calipers are fine.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Riverside County Southern California
Co-winner 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
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Those pads have been there for a long-long time. I wonder, post a picture of the pad material.
There are a lot of "mechanics" out there that would do something unorthodox like, removing the clips from the pads. In this forum there are plenty of great "my mechanic told me" stories.
I always remember the one who told a member here that to replace the opti, the engine needed to be pulled out.
Last edited by PLRX; Apr 20, 2013 at 07:39 PM.
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Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2011
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There were some bogus, fake pads circulating a while back that were either made in mexican or CHina...I forget...but they were made of pressed cardboard. They looked like real brake pads...even worked for a while...but wore out extremely fast..like in days/weeks.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 17
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No, the pad faces and the pad material still look pretty much like new with virtually no wear. There is about 3/8" pad thickness on all 4. The photo I attached of the dismantled caliper shows the BACK of the caliper, which looks like it should be attached to the two round retaining clips, which are still clipped into the caliper body.
Unfortunately the car's not here now so I can't take a pic of the pad material.
Unfortunately the car's not here now so I can't take a pic of the pad material.
Pro
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 672
Likes: 2
From: Cheltenham, England
Tell your mate to contact "Claremont Corvette" in Kent, they will have the proper EBC pads, delivery in 1/2 days, not cheap but top quality,you cant mess around when it comes to brakes, easy to fit (5 to 10 mins each) Ive never had any issues with mine 
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 17
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Yes, Claremont are good, he actually bought the car from Tom around 10 years ago. I changed the pads for him about 3 years back, no problem, but he had a local garage do it this time and this clearly isn't right. I don't know what make of pads these are - I think they came from US Auto in Bedford, but not sure.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 878
Likes: 2
No, the pad faces and the pad material still look pretty much like new with virtually no wear. There is about 3/8" pad thickness on all 4. The photo I attached of the dismantled caliper shows the BACK of the caliper, which looks like it should be attached to the two round retaining clips, which are still clipped into the caliper body.
Unfortunately the car's not here now so I can't take a pic of the pad material.
Unfortunately the car's not here now so I can't take a pic of the pad material.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Well, that would be my thought - except that there's nothing obviously broken (no sharp edges etc.) and all 8 star clips are the same, after just a few months. What I don't know is how they looked when they were first fitted.
He's got some new pads now with fitted star clips which I'll fit tomorrow.
He's got some new pads now with fitted star clips which I'll fit tomorrow.