Mac-427

Yeah I'll admit it, I'm a waxer not a racer. Brake dust on my 427 wheels was driving me nuts. So.....I checked the forum and ended up getting some ceramic pads from Orielly Auto Parts. Several people on the Forum have used them with good results. I understand they are made by Bosch. Lots of good Forum information on how to change the pads so I thought I would add mine. I used a plastic pry tool to move the pads away from the rotor. The tool has a sharp edge that gets in between the pad and the rotor but it is plastic so it does not scratch. I lightly tapped the other end of the plastic tool with a hammer. This wedge effect gave me enough clearance to slip the stock pads out easily. The pad retaining bolts came out with no problem because the car has low miles. After that I slipped the new pads in one at a time and replaced the retaining bolts as I went along. Took about 15 minutes per wheel not counting wheel removal and replacement. Brakes work great and I did not have to remove the caliper.

Mad*Max

carsangelop

The brake dust on our GS was driving me nuts.I couldn't go 25 miles without dust covering the wheels I tried the Armor all wheel protectorate and I have gone 250 miles so far and no dust.I haven't washed the car yet so I really don't know how long it lasts before you have to reapply .
Just throwing it out there as a alternative to replacing pads

wayback

Did you bed the pads yet? You need to. Makes them last longer and less dust. I changed rotors and pads at 85,000 miles and my ceramic pads were at 50%. Changed them anyway as I already bought them and was changing rotors (wanted slotted with black hats).

trading tiger

Newb question...what is bedding the pads?

wayback

process of putting a layer of the pad on the rotor.

Read here.
http://www.stoptech.com/technical-su...ake-pad-bed-in

Mac-427

Thanks for the helpful hints on bedding in brakes. Interestingly enough, the owner's manual says to just take it easy for the first 500 miles. I think I will bed mine in per the recommended Stop Tech procedure.

REDFIVE48

You mentioned lots of good info, can you point to the post that you found most helpful and then modified as you described? What did the pads end up costing you? Where did you find the plastic pry tool you used?

Thanks

HRS KLR

I just did mine as well. One tip I would offer, if you are gonna do the 'pull pin' method. Take them all the way out and clean off the old baked on brake dust. It significantly reduces the time for getting the pads and pins to line up.

semp65

Thank you to all for their input.

semp65

Our local O'Reilly Auto Parts shows no availability for 427 ceramic brake pads, and front only for Z06. Any suggestions for part numbers or reasonable priced alternatives? Thank you.

HRS KLR

I got mine at Auto Zone. 65 bucks total, these are the padlets and not one piece pads like some of the others.

For a '12 GS it is part number 1419 and 1419A

JJC5

Does anybody have any info or link on changing out the pads without pulling the caliper? I kinda like that idea.

Mac-427

Hi Guys: Here is the forum link to brake pad changes. I found it to be quite informative. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-z...ng-rotors.html

As far as the availability of pads from Orielly Auto Parts. The part numbers are as follows: The front pads are BB C1419 and the rear pads are BB C1419A. The front pads are available at the warehouse that services your store. The rear pads have to be special ordered. The pads are the same for Z-06 or 427 Convertible.

The procedure that involves pulling pins I discussed in the thread above mentions changing pads without removing the calipers although it suggests removing calipers as the preferred method. I found the pin removal procedure and leaving the calipers in place to be the easiest but that is strictly a matter of choice.

I got the plastic pry tool in a set of assorted soft plastic pry tools of different configurations. I can't remember where I bought them cause I've had them forever.

Mac-427

Someone commented that the thread I had mentioned did not refer directly to pad changes without removing calipers. I read the whole thread and gleaned enough information so I understood how to remove the pads by removing the guide pins. The purpose of the guide pins and the multiple padlets is to allow removal of the brake pads without pulling the caliper. The procedure is somewhat similar to what is done with Wilwood and some other racing brakes to allow for quick pad changes in the heat of battle. Many members cited the difficulty of getting the guide pins out of the caliper. I am sure this is true on high mileage cars that have not had the pins removed prior. In my case, my 427 is new, not tracked, or even broken in, so the pins popped out with little difficulty. The whole process might be different if I had 50,000 miles on my car. It is pretty easy to understand how the guide pins work once a wheel is pulled. I was careful to see how the stock padlets were arranged so I could install the replacements in the same configuration cause they do go according to a certain order.

Mac-427

I found this post by Carnac. It is very informative. Hope this helps.

"There are two ways to replace Z06 brake padlets. One is to remove the caliper and the other is to remove the padlet locater pins and pull the padlet out of the top of the caliper.

I've changed pads both ways. If you go with single piece pads instead of padlets, you will have to remove the caliper.

To remove the padlets without removing the caliper, you have to take out at least three of the four pins (per side) on the front and two of the three pins on the rear. My 08 Z06 has Torx head pins (#45 or (#46 if you can find one for a tighter fit) Torx driver). Somewhere GM went from hex to Torx. I think it was in 2007. Some people had problems breaking allen wrenches on the hex pins. The Torx seem better. All new OEM pads come with new Torx pins.

I use a #45 Torx socket on a 3/8" drive ratchet. If the pins have been in for a long time they can be difficult to remove. Once they break free, they turn very easily - so watch your knuckles :-) I make sure that I hold the Torx in all the way and push hard in on the pin as I break the pin free. The same would go for the hex head pins. This helps reduce the chance of rounding off the Torx or hex head.

Once the pins are out, the padlet can be pulled up with a pair of pliers (they have a little tab on the top). I sometimes have to use a broad screwdriver to break the padlet free of the piston (does not take too much pressure - just a bit of a twist on the screwdriver). Be careful about the caliper paint.

There are two ways to allow the brake fluid to be pushed back when you push the pucks in... (1) is to open the master cylinder cap and allow the fluid to push up there (make sure to remove a little fluid if it is full at the start) or (2) is to crack the bleeder nipple at the caliper as you push the puck back. The second way is better - it gets rid of the nasty fluid at the caliper instead of pushing it into the brake lines. My friend does his this way. I usually just push the calipers in and then do a quick pressure bleed (I use a Motive pressure bleeder - works great - about $50) at each wheel as I go.

I've used several items to push the pucks in - the rubber coated handle end of a pair of Craftsman pliers (slip joint style) worked pretty good. The biggest problem is that as you push on in, the other two want to push out. I found that putting in the new padlets as I went along worked - that is, pull the thee old padlets, push the lowest puck back in, insert the new padlet, then push the next puck in, insert the second new padlet, and finally do the third. Put one locater pin in after each padlet install. They should go in easily (I use a VERY small amount of anti-seize on the pin threads (I use hi-temp LocTite Copper anti-seize)). No anti-seize is better than the wrong kind or too much. Be very careful - it is easy to cross thread or try to force the pin in with the padlet not aligned - this can bend the pin. If you are using new GM OEM pads, they will come with new pins. You can use them or not. The pins are only torqued to 27 ft/lbs (I think - I will have to check to be sure). It is not a real high value.

If you are using GM OEM replacement padlets, there will be four with medal pad wear indicator tabs. These should go on the top of the front brakes, and the bottom of the rears (trailing edges) - check the old ones as you remove them for reference.

Most aftermarket pads or padlets do not have wear indicator tabs.

Other than the tabs, all of the padlets, all 20, front and rear are the same and interchangeable.

The other way to change padlets (and the way you have to change one piece pads or if you are replacing rotors) is to remove the caliper. There are two large bolts in the back side of the caliper that holds them on. Just remove both. Be careful not to let the caliper fall or be held up by the flex line. I use a piece of coat hanger to hold it up while working on it.

Once the caliper is off, you can pop all the padlets off (no need to remove the locater pins). Keep the anti-rattle clip/spring in place. Push the pucks in (I've found that three mid size Stanley quick grip bar clamps (the ones that you just squeeze to tighten and have nice soft yellow pads on the jaw parts - work great). I can send you a picture later if you are not familiar. These might even work with the caliper in-place, but I haven't tried them that way yet. Now that you have the padlets out, three of the pucks pushed back in, just load the new padlets or pad. Make sure that the padlet metal tab is pointing out away from the center of the hub and that the friction material is facing in (sounds kind of dumb, but it is possible to install the padlets upside down or wrong side in).

Now do the other side of the caliper the same way. Slide the loaded caliper back over the rotor (hopefully you've pushed the pucks back in far enough) and re-install the caliper bolts. The torque is pretty high, 129 ft/lbs I think. I use a little blue LockTite on the threads and tighten the bolts firmly with a 1/2" ratchet.

Same procedure for all four wheels.

If the rotor retaining clips are still on your car - (little thin star washers over one or two studs on each wheel) remove them and discard. They only can cause problems (the service manual also says to remove and discard). They can keep the wheel from mating fully to the hub (esp with aftermarket wheels) and cause a vibration at speed,

Put your wheels back on and torque the bolts to 100 ft/lb - this torque value is important - otherwise it is easy to warp a rotor when hot.

One last thing - be careful when you move the car - you will need to pump the brakes a few times to keep the pedal from going to the floor (also don't forget to top off the master cylinder (if needed) and replace the cap). Once I backed out of the driveway and had no brakes until I pumped them three or four times - got my attention. E-brake worked.

I started using the pin removal method and am now using the caliper removal method. Both work. I think the calipers removal is a little easer and faster for me. I can swap wheels and a set of padlets in about 1.5 hours. Longer if I am cleaning and detailing in the wheel arch.

Don't forget to bed your new pads (follow the manufacture's guidelines).

Of you are going from one brand of pads to another, you may have to clean/sand/resurface the rotor to eliminate squealing. If you are using new rotors, clean them well (brake cleaner and/or hot soapy water) before install to remove the anti-rust coating."