Yesterday I have said to my girlfriend it's enough bull**** and we should fix my spongy brakes ASAP. And then I jacked the car up and the epopee began...
I still have no jackstands so I had to improvise as much as I could. At the moment the garage is a complete mess so expect you won't comment any of it.
And yes, I am aware that my suspension got ton of rust on it but I am still waiting till spring to cut out the floor of the garage to have a channel so I can work underneath the car easily. Coilovers are about to be replaced too in near future so everything you see rusting won't be for too long now.
I have spent whole day working and I have done one wheel and both drums.
I know most Pros in USA have rear disc brakes but anyway. Well from my experience I can say that after 13 years drums were thick, diameter is within limits and they still have got much meat on it. Shoes on the other hand were worn down almost completely (see picture).
I cleaned drums with steel brushes on a power drill and also manually with hand so it is pretty simple if you have the motivation. You can clearly see the before and after pic of drums. The only problem I noticed is that the inner lip on the backplate which goes on the hub is very thin and after ages it corrodes and I doubt anything can save it. It bends quickly so you have to be careful when installing the drum otherwise it'll drag. Other thing worth mentioning is that the outer surface of the drums where the lip is looked kinda bubbly and rusty. It looked like it was some kind of bushing but rubber would disintegrate so it had to be a coating of some type or something like that.
When you are taking off old brake lines you are never too sure what will happen. Always unscrew the brake lines easily, in steps and don't push it. Use a lot of WD-40 to get temporary lubrication. Hold the metal piping with one hand so you won't bend it with force applied to the screw. Always make sure you haven't bent anything you didn't want to.
In my situation I had to give up the U-clips that hold the lines on the coilover and body. The gap is too small to fit it on but lines are otherwise well fixed and they won't and can't slide out.
It is nice to work on your car with a girlfriend. Girls can get small parts super clean and shiny.
More pics later in the day and of course less talking. It is like 2 degrees above freezing point and I have to finish this thing today otherwise I'll be stuck in snow tomorrow.
Cheers!
I still have no jackstands so I had to improvise as much as I could. At the moment the garage is a complete mess so expect you won't comment any of it.
And yes, I am aware that my suspension got ton of rust on it but I am still waiting till spring to cut out the floor of the garage to have a channel so I can work underneath the car easily. Coilovers are about to be replaced too in near future so everything you see rusting won't be for too long now. I have spent whole day working and I have done one wheel and both drums.
I know most Pros in USA have rear disc brakes but anyway. Well from my experience I can say that after 13 years drums were thick, diameter is within limits and they still have got much meat on it. Shoes on the other hand were worn down almost completely (see picture).
I cleaned drums with steel brushes on a power drill and also manually with hand so it is pretty simple if you have the motivation. You can clearly see the before and after pic of drums. The only problem I noticed is that the inner lip on the backplate which goes on the hub is very thin and after ages it corrodes and I doubt anything can save it. It bends quickly so you have to be careful when installing the drum otherwise it'll drag. Other thing worth mentioning is that the outer surface of the drums where the lip is looked kinda bubbly and rusty. It looked like it was some kind of bushing but rubber would disintegrate so it had to be a coating of some type or something like that.
When you are taking off old brake lines you are never too sure what will happen. Always unscrew the brake lines easily, in steps and don't push it. Use a lot of WD-40 to get temporary lubrication. Hold the metal piping with one hand so you won't bend it with force applied to the screw. Always make sure you haven't bent anything you didn't want to.
In my situation I had to give up the U-clips that hold the lines on the coilover and body. The gap is too small to fit it on but lines are otherwise well fixed and they won't and can't slide out.
It is nice to work on your car with a girlfriend. Girls can get small parts super clean and shiny.
More pics later in the day and of course less talking. It is like 2 degrees above freezing point and I have to finish this thing today otherwise I'll be stuck in snow tomorrow.
Cheers!
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