Stripping Rear Brakes

[AndrewP 1 1 Cars]

My calipers could do with a refresh so I'm doing all four and currently stripping the rears down. I thought this was going to be quite straight forward but I've fallen at the first hurdle and hence asking a potentially dumb question

 

I've unhooked the handbrake cable end from the lever on the caliper but how does the outer get withdrawn? The inner seems to come through something like a bleed nipple with a nut on it but it's so far recessed in to the caliper I can't get any purchase on it.

 

Please be gentle if I'm having a shocker and it's obvious!

[toolie72 67 1 Cars]

It's a top hat collar that goes into alloy casing of caliper

Steel/alloy don't mix so they rust together

If badly rusted they are a ball ache!

Plus gas (lots) try punching top hat towards front of car

Aah 1997 when I first had that pleasure/sinking feeling when I ballsed it and broke caliper casing

Be careful (learn from my mistakes lol)

[rikky 37]

Depending how far you go, you might find the below useful, from when I made a tool for dismantling the rear caliper assembly to rebuild it all

 

Take note of the shim order/orientation

 

you will understand this once you start dismantling them, but without a tool like this you will struggle in a bad way. i would do this again no problem in about 10 minutes per side. people who say it's ballache don't improvise with makeshift tools and are most likely salads






you need to compress the shims whilst you reattach the spring. you can't compress it and leave a void for the spring without a tool like that. it's a 21mm socket set i cut down leaving two prongs still there. worked flawlessly. don't be tempted to struggle and leave shims out, as you'll lose efficiency and it's a bodge

they go back how i've got them in my diagram. it's fiddly but not impossible

Edited April 12, 2016 by rikky

[Ozymandis 96]

Top tip there, we do a similar thing with tube and a press.

[AndrewP 1 1 Cars]

Thanks very much chaps, not had a chance to look at it today but I've plus gassed the part and will give it a whack tomorrow!

[toolie72 67 1 Cars]

So how does that take handbrake outer casing from caliper? Like what the question was? Or am I a salad riccckyyy

[Ozymandis 96]

Nah Paul, no salad in Scotland!

[toolie72 67 1 Cars]

You're right!! Salad on plate means less room for chips