Date:         Sun, 27 Jun 2004 22:54:31 -0400
Reply-To:     Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Subject:      Big Brakes (install)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

So, I had purchased a couple of big brake kits, but like many of my
projects, they sat with disgusted faces on them, for a long time before
I finally put some of the critters on to one of my Vanagons (the
Westfalia, fwiw.)

Satyrday, being a sunny dry day, I started off about 1pm (about 30
minutes after I woke up, if anyone cares...) Lifted up the passenger
side of the Westy, grabbed the Bentley and started work on removing the
old caliper, and rotor. I left the old caliper hooked up to the brake
line, while I did everthing else (in other words, I didn't want to be
spilling my brake fluid out while a floundered hooking up the new
caliper.) Removal of the old rotor was a piece of cake. Removed the one
screw and it just popped right off.

Putting the new rotor on had me scratching my head for a few minutes.
The new rotor does not have a screw to hold it in place. It's held in
place simply by being on the studs and being clamped in between the
wheel hub and the wheel. But it is a pressed on fit to the studs. After
a few minutes I realized I could bolt the wheel up and press the rotor
in place, nice and evenly (you don't go banging on a rotor with a
hammer if you want your brakes to work for a long time.) So the rotor
went on fairly easily.

The kit I got had some washers with it. They were (just barely ) too
small to fit on the caliper carrier bolts. However, I already had an
example of the Big Brakes to reference (installed on my Tristar by the
previous owner). So I knew that those washers were needed (as spacers).
So I grabbed the dremel tool and gradually enlarged the center of the
washers until the bolt would just slide through.

So the carrier went on without problems. For the caliper, we realized
we'd have bend the existing brake line (metal portion) so as to
accomodate the differing position of the brake line connector. 5
minutes of work, then we disconnected the old caliper and hooked up the
new. All was completed except for bleeding on the one side. By the way,
the Bentley has a couple of different torque values for the caliper
carrier bolts (depending on model year). My torque wrench only goes to
150 foot pounds, while the later year in the Bentley has the torque
value of 200 foot pounds. So we went to the end of the torque and a
little bit more.

So I switch to the sunny side of the vehicle. And almost everything
wanted to be difficult.

First the screw holding the old rotor on, was frozen in place. I
eventually had to use the chisel and hammer technique to get it out
(the allen wrench ended up stripping on it.) Then the brake line
bracket had a nut frozen in place. The shoulders started rounding. This
eventually came off with monster wrenches. (and that nut got tossed and
replaced with a good one.) Eventually, this side was all hooked up.

30 minutes to bleed the system (reminder to self, it's time to flush
the brake fluid next month.) and then a test drive. All's good. I've
driven about 50 miles on them so far. Another day of driving and all
should be good for a long time to come.