Does anyone have a DIY about switching out calipers?

I'm sure its pretty straight forward... but, I need some directions anyways to make sure I am doing it correct.

Once the car is up in the air, what exactly do I need to do to get each caliper off and exchange the new one on? Also, I was told I need to bleed the brakes?

I have z51 calipers and i am putting on powdercoated ones... I got quoted for over 200 dollars to have them installed, so I would rather save that money and do it myself.

Any comments/suggestions and pictures would be appreciated, thanks!

 

I don't have the full DIY directions, but I can tell you that you *will* need to bleed the brakes. There is a specific procedure and sequence, and it is important that you do it right.

Is it something the average somewhat-mechanically-inclined Joe can do in his own driveway? Yes. But it can be long and tedious, and since it has to do with your braking system, you'll want to do it right, and follow procedures carefully.

I'm sure someone can provide a better step-by-step, but here is the simplified process, just so you have an idea of the scope of the job:
1) Remove wheel
2) Liberally spray brake calipers, mounts, and brake line fittings with brake cleaner - let dry
3) Remove brake line from caliper (or remove line from upright mid-bracket -- your choice).
4) Plug brake line (the part staying on the car) to keep clean and minimize fluid loss.
5) Unbolt two sliding pins holding the caliper to the mounting bracket
6) Tilt caliper inboard/outboard to slightly retract the pistons, and then lift caliper up from rotor and mount bracket - set aside.
7) Remove two caliper mount bracket bolts and remove bracket. These are large, high-torque bolts, so make sure you have a good long wrench to break them free.

Reassembly is the reverse of the above steps, and of course the bleeding of the brakes after all calipers have been replaced.

Hints:
*When reassembling, be sure to clean and relube the caliper sliding pins with fresh brake grease.

*GM recommends using brand-new Caliper-Bracket-to-Upright bolts, but many people (including myself) will clean and reuse the existing bolts with blue locktite. I would reuse them only once -- if they have ever been reused before, I would probably buy new bolts. If in doubt, buy new ones.

*Keep everything as clean as possible, and be sure you have a good torque wrench available for reinstallation of all the caliper bolts.

*I've assumed you have powder-coated calipers *and* mounting brackets replacing the stock parts. If you just have new calipers and are keeping the existing stock caliper mount brackets, there is no need to remove the mounts -- skip step 7.

*Depending on your wear/mileage, this would be an ideal time to change brake pads too.

Cheers,
Kent

 

Thanks so much! That was pretty much the info I was looking for!

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...hlight=caliper