Breaking the Brakes on Subaru, Part 3!

Finally, with the weather pleasantly cooperating;  and all of the parts ready for a potential failure;   I was able to fix the Subaru's driver side brakes.

Surprisingly,  everything slipped in like clockwork this time.  There were no hiccups or stuck bolts.   No profanity, no broken items or damaged tools.  It went so well,  I am filled with a sense of doubt and fear that there MUST be something I've forgotten.   Something important that will cause the inevitable failure of the brakes at a crucial moment...causing my untimely death or  worse: The dismemberment of an essential body part.  But.... maybe that is just my paranoia talking.

Notice the ridges on both sides

And the layer of  corrosion

For the sake of records,  I will walk through the process for myself  and investigators, should they ever have to do a postmortem analysis of the events leading to the before mentioned disaster.

Shiny, rounded over, grease free!

Old slide pins frozen in place

I pulled off the caliper bracket and the rotor without a hitch.   As the pictures hopefully show:  the rotor had a lovely ridge on both sides and a generous layer of rust.  The new one is shiny and whole with no rust or ridges to cause problems or squeaks.

New bracket and pins waiting for assembly

The caliper brackets I set up on my bench to compare the new one with the two old ones.   I also wanted to show the bolts and slider pins that would eventually be replaced.   Having no torch or vice, I would never be able to get those pins out!  And since when are new parts not as good as the old ones?

Anti-seize on the bolts

So,   After a generous amount of synthetic anti-seize on the ends of the bolts (because I NEVER want to live through a nightmare scenario where I snap off a bolt)

And the slide pins

  and the Caliper slide pins, ( because I don't want my slide pins repeating this situation again, either)  I was ready to reinstall.

New Mounting Bolts installed

The old mounting bolts came out fine, but I purchased the new ones ( at $10 each bolt!)  and decided to use them instead.  They tightened up easy; as well as the caliper bolts.

Caliper slide pins and bolts installed

  I do not have a torque wrench,  so I was forced to "eyeball" it.  I tried to put them on as tight as possible.  And then a "little more" to keep them from falling out.  I imagine that should be enough force.

Back view.  Note the new hardware.

With the brakes installed,  I buttoned everything back up and went out for ice cream.   The brakes work fine,  no chugging or slipping  ( I was VERY attentive not to get any grease on the rotors or shoes)  and no squeaking.  Mission successful!

Front view!

Finished! 

With the front brakes done,  I wondered if I should take a look at the rear brakes.   One bolt in and I decided that maybe I should leave that for a professional with a car hoist.   One of the caliper bolts is almost impossible to get to, and it will probably require a breaking bar to remove.  without a lift of any type,  I would be unable to get the leverage or the area to put on the required force.  In other words:  I'm leaving those for professionals!

Rear strut noise makers!

There is also this road noise coming from the rear drivers side.  My personal feeling is that the rubber on the rear strut is worn.   This would explain the creaking whenever we travel over bumps slowly...and the loud road noise from the metal on metal contact the rubber is meant to prevent.   But Cheryl says I worry too much about things and, as demonstrated in my first paragraph,   I tend to lean on the side of paranoia and doubt rather than trust and confidence.  It's a quirk.

Other than that,  We sold our first stocking of the year yesterday.  A custom order from a previous customer who has a new dog.   Cheryl and I whipped it up Saturday morning and put it in the mail that afternoon.  Cheryl has big plans and when the project with college board is finally over,  she will have more time to focus on reworking the shop and the offerings. With a little luck, we will have another successful Christmas this year.  Fingers crossed.

He knows something.. I know it!

But he will never tell me... Bad Cat!

Whew!  Lots to say and so little time.  This past week:   Exhausting!  Long!  Tiring!  Happy it is in the past.   I look forward to hanging out with the cat tomorrow and enjoying the day to the fullest.  Too bad we need money.  I need to think more like a cat.   Cats secretly know everything about the universe... they just don't tell us.  But through careful observation...  I think we can unravel their secrets without them knowing how we did it.