Hey guys, I have a buddy come to help me next weekend in replacing the brakes and rotors. Can anyone tell me exactly what tools I need? I know I'll need a breaker bar, but unsure about other tools sizes ect.

Once I know exactly what I'll need, but buddy will bring them...

Thank you!!

 

Nobody?

 

For the calipers:
You need a 5/8" or 16mm open end to keep the guide pins from rotating
You need a 15mm (socket or wrench) to remove the guide pin bolts
You need a ft.lb torque wrench to reinstall the bolts to 23ft.lb
To bleed you need a 10mm for the bleeder screw

For the Caliper Brackets:
You need a 13/16" or 21mm to remove the caliper bracket bolts
You need a breaker bar to remove the caliper bracket bolts
You need a ft.lb torque wrench to reinstall the bolts (my 97 service manual calls out 160ft.lb, other say their manuals claim 125ft.lb)
You need red lock-tite for the bolts

For the rotors:
You need a BMFH to knock the rotors loose from the hub. Hit them from the backside and they should come right off. I used a 5lb sludge and barely tapped them...

For the brake lines:
You need a 13 mm for the hardline fitting and depending on your brake line type you'll need something else (my LAPD were 17mm, the stockers were 16mm)
You need a screw driver to remove the J-Clip.

For the e-brake:
You need to remove the ebrake line from the rear rotors, just use a regular screw driver to pop cable off. Make sure your ebrake is disengaged when trying to remove the rear rotors.

The wheels need to be torqued to 100ft.lb but i cant remember the size...i think it was 3/4"

 

Holy smokes! Thank you!! You have no idea how much help this is.

 

The 97 Service Manual had an error on the caliper bolt torque, the correct torque setting on the caliper bolts is 125. The error was corrected in subsequent manuals.

Bill

 

Thanks, I'll note that one...

 

Noted in mine as well...fortunately, i couldnt torque past my wrench's 150ft.lb

 

Stealthy4 gave you a nearly complete list (the lug nuts are 19mm), but he forgot one thing, a minimum 6" c-clamp to compress the piston into the caliper. If your rotors are worn, there's probably a little lip around the outer edge of the existing rotor; if you don't compress that piston, you'll never get the caliper off the rotor, and with new pads, you'll need to push that piston back all the way.

You'll also want to clean the hub surface of any paint or rust before installing the new rotors. The original rotors were painted black, and some of that paint can stick to the flat hub surface. Any small imperfections on that surface can cause significant runout on the new rotors. Something like a green scotch-bright pad should be sufficient without being too abrasive.

One last thought - as long as you're replacing all those brake parts, why not flush the entire brake system? If the fluid is dark, it could use a complete change to keep the master cyllinder and calipers from rusting - brake fluid absorbs water and over time any ferrous metals will rust on the inside, enabling small particles/flakes of rust to cause problems in hte hydraulic system. If you decide to flush and bleed the system, the factory service manuals say to leave the ignition in the "off" position to keep from causing problems with the ABS.

Craig

 

From the 1999 Y Body Service manual:
Bleed Screw - 12 N-m(106 ib In), Brake caliper Guide Pin Bolt - 31 N-m (23 lb ft), Brake Caliper Inlet Fitting Bolt 40 N-m(30 lb ft), Front Brake Caliper Mounting and Rear Brake Caliper Mounting Bracket Bolts 175 N-m (125 lb ft).

 

You guys simply rule! Thanks