# Tools needed to change brakes



## X-Ravin (Oct 6, 2010)

I'll be changing the pads and rotors (front and rear) on my '04 this weekend, but I'll be borrowing a garage and I only have a subset of my tools so I want to make sure I've got everything I need before I go digging in. As far as I've seen I'll need a socket to get off the wheels, a 12mm for the caliper pins, and a hammer to get off the old rotors (if needed). What else will I need? Are the caliper bracket bolts also 12mm?


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

A big "C" clamp to re-compress the caliper and some blue lock-tite and you should have it. I like a nice breaker bar to get stubborn bolts loose too.


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

:agree Sandwich the two old pads when using the C-clamp on the calipers, it'll give you good clearance from the bracket. Use a piece of wood or something soft too to keep those nice decals on there.

Remove the calipers entirely, not the slide pins. I would lubricate the slide pins with either brake lube or anti-seize.

I've never bothered with loctite on the caliper threads, just torqued them to factory spec. But it never hurts.


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## X-Ravin (Oct 6, 2010)

Awesome, thanks guys. I always forget the C-clamp when I go to do brakes for some reason.


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## LS2 MN6 (Jul 14, 2010)

Be prepared for some serious torque on the Caliper Bolts (125+ ft-lbs). They usually are quite large too (like a 22 mm).

I just did my Corvette pads this past weekend (the front pads are identical to the 2005-2006 GTO) and it was a PITA to get the bolts loose and then torqued. I'm planning on doing the GTO pads in a few months...


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

Make sure your C clamp has a 5"+ spread...


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## X-Ravin (Oct 6, 2010)

Install went smoothly. I needed:
Caliper pins front: 12mm, back: 15mm and channel lock to hold the pin while unbolting.
Bracket to knuckle: 19mm

Only needed a 4" clamp for the pistons. Had a 24" breaker to help with the bracket bolts in the front, but it's tight in the back so a box wrench with a hammer to help worked. Rear rotors came right off no problem, fronts needed convincing from a small sledge hammer, but came off after 2 hits.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

I put antisieze on the rotors and wheel hubs. The first time I tried taking the wheels off after only 2 years the wheels were so frozen on I had to put a board across the back side and beat on it with a 5# hammer. That would have been fun with a flat on the side of the road.


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

I usually just kick the rubber real hard. It looks funny to bystanders.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Poncho Dan said:


> I usually just kick the rubber real hard. It looks funny to bystanders.


When it was first stuck believe me I kicked hard. It took serious pounding. It was corroded on that bad. I remember reading that it was the salt air on the ride over from Australia that made some things like that corrode that weren't protected well. I imagine cars driven on salted roads will have that problem too without grease or something on the hubs.


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

I remember working on a Dakota last fall that had a set of American Racing rims that had the chrome peeling off pretty badly all over that we just couldn't get off without a 4' prybar. No joke. Then I had to clean the mating surfaces pretty thoroughly because they exchanged materials.

But I didn't think these cars suffered from that problem... glad I haven't run into it.


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## irishdude (Jun 23, 2011)

i was just putting new rotors on my gto the other day but I couldnt get the caliper bracket bolts off. Did anyone else have this problem.


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