stadt11
LetMeGoogleThatForYou.com
My brakes were squealing really bad this week and needed to get them changed. I only got over 51k miles on the originals.
I went to Napa to pick up their Ultra Premium rotors w/ OE venting and Lifetime Warranty (a lot of the other rotors I looked at didn't come close the the rotor thickness nor the venting, plus not too many had a lifetime warranty against warping). This will be first for me for buying Napa rotors.
Then I headed over to AutoZone to pick up their Duralast Gold Cmax ceramic pads w/ a Lifetime Warranty (they'll even replace them for free if they wear out). I've had great luck with Duralast Gold ceramics in the past, that's why I went back to them for the pads.
I also decided to paint the calipers red and the brackets black to give it a nice detailed look (didn't want nice/shiny parts going on against rusted parts). I started with the help of J-Rod's post about doing a brake job (http://www.truckmodcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3905) and then followed some tips from Darren about painting (http://www.truckmodcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5474) except I removed the calipers and brackets from the truck, and I also used VHT Red Caliper Paint on the calipers and VHT Black Caliper Paint on the brackets. I started by knocking off the old brake dust with a wire brush then went to work with 100 grit. 3 coats of Red on the calipers w/ 2 coats of clear, and 3 coats of Black on the brackets w/ 2 coats of clear.
*TIP* In addition to J-Rod's post, I wanted to add that before you compress the piston back into the caliper, remove the cap off the brake fluid reservoir. This can help with the pressure and allow the brake fluid to return back to the reservoir freely.
NEW vs OLD rotor:
The Napa Ultra Premium rotor comes coated with a rust-free black material:
Old rotor:
OLD vs NEW brake pad: (that is correct, there is maybe 1-2mm of material left on the old brake pad, I told ya, those wear indicators were screaming at me)
Everything reassembled:
I went to Napa to pick up their Ultra Premium rotors w/ OE venting and Lifetime Warranty (a lot of the other rotors I looked at didn't come close the the rotor thickness nor the venting, plus not too many had a lifetime warranty against warping). This will be first for me for buying Napa rotors.
Then I headed over to AutoZone to pick up their Duralast Gold Cmax ceramic pads w/ a Lifetime Warranty (they'll even replace them for free if they wear out). I've had great luck with Duralast Gold ceramics in the past, that's why I went back to them for the pads.
I also decided to paint the calipers red and the brackets black to give it a nice detailed look (didn't want nice/shiny parts going on against rusted parts). I started with the help of J-Rod's post about doing a brake job (http://www.truckmodcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3905) and then followed some tips from Darren about painting (http://www.truckmodcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5474) except I removed the calipers and brackets from the truck, and I also used VHT Red Caliper Paint on the calipers and VHT Black Caliper Paint on the brackets. I started by knocking off the old brake dust with a wire brush then went to work with 100 grit. 3 coats of Red on the calipers w/ 2 coats of clear, and 3 coats of Black on the brackets w/ 2 coats of clear.
*TIP* In addition to J-Rod's post, I wanted to add that before you compress the piston back into the caliper, remove the cap off the brake fluid reservoir. This can help with the pressure and allow the brake fluid to return back to the reservoir freely.
NEW vs OLD rotor:
The Napa Ultra Premium rotor comes coated with a rust-free black material:
Old rotor:
OLD vs NEW brake pad: (that is correct, there is maybe 1-2mm of material left on the old brake pad, I told ya, those wear indicators were screaming at me)
Everything reassembled:
Last edited:
