moondustka said:
Hi Greg...It took me about 5 minutes to do both when I did mine...
...well, took me a just a tiny bit longer...
So, after yesterday's (Saturday) "Phoney War", early doors I checked my gear (basically the necessary parts and tools... and a rather vital two layers of thermals), wrote a note to my missus, took some deep breaths, girded my loins and started whistling "It's a long way to Tipperary"...yes I was going over the top! (Or that might be just the write-up) :wink:
For jobs like this I always take the car over to me mams as they have a gated driveway and we don't, so I loaded it all up and was ready and raring to go... only I wasn't, three hours and one upside down house later, I finally found the Puma's frikkin' locking wheel nut key!
By now it was 2 o'clock and with the light going by 4 I realised it would be more than a little foolhardy to head over and start then... priding myself on being not a little foolhardy but a LOT, I carried on regardless.
For the practical details on the 300mm brake conversion simply follow Steve's excellent guide here: http://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?t=7991
For fellow novices (or those with nothing better to do) I'll be adding my own impractical details and comments about following it (mines with ST170 callipers not Mondeo for the eagle-eyed) and possibly even the odd helpful pointer. :grin:
For a job that had already not started well, before it even started in fact, when it did actually start... it carried on in exactly the same fashion.
So, car jacked up, axle stands in place, wheels off... no problem... first calliper bolt to undo, problem - found it was rounded off and not willing to play nice... hmmm. This perhaps was not surprising given that my brakes by this stage looked like this...
001 by
G Whizz, on Flickr
The discs had more lip than a gang of 14-year-old schoolgirls...
004 by
G Whizz, on Flickr
So, with the 13mm socket doing nothing but spinning and 12mm too small to go on I went rooting through my stuff and found a few old imperials knocking about so I tried one (1/2 inch IIRC), smacked it on and then used a breaker bar... sorted!
This little glitch did give me my first note to add to Steve's guide though... in the guide he does one side then the other, I'd suggest doing the strip down prep' for both sides first, as if you've completed one side and then find a real problem on the other you may come unstuck? As it turns out, three of my calliper carrier bolts were rounded off but they succumbed eventually to the same smack on method above.
My second little tip, use a bungee wrapped through the spring rather than a cable tie to secure the calliper, it gives you a bit more flexibility if you then need to move it around...
006 by
G Whizz, on Flickr
Now it was time to get all Laurence Olivier in Marathon Man... and as Jaques Royale, Jim's French cousin, would say, "Cinq minutes, mon cul!" :lol: Took me over an hour when going up in half mm increments,10.5-12mm.
This was probably because I was being very careful but dear novice a nice slow speed is better than rushing it (don't put a lot of pressure on the drill either) as it keeps the holes nice and straight and would probably keep ol' Olly happy as this way it is definitely "safe"... as when it does snag on the cast metal (which it will) you get to keep your thumbs, rather than a drill whipping round breaking them.
WP_20161120_16_58_03_Pro by
G Whizz, on Flickr
I also lost the light as I finally started to drill it so that probably didn't help either. I does love a head torch, though sadly it did nothing for the cold.
So, now I had both sides drilled, a wish I'd worn three layers of thermals and a need to get things sorted quickly... however, being a novice, little gets done quickly. The important thing is to carry on regardless I find. As they say, you learn by your mistakes... which means I'm learning a lot a present...for example, let's play spot the difference... with this:
WP_20161120_18_29_39_Pro by
G Whizz, on Flickr
and this:
WP_20161120_18_29_59_Pro by
G Whizz, on Flickr
Yup, the bottom one is the way the sliders should be. I blame it on brain freeze as I was now rather numb.
I eventually got the calliper, carrier and pads assembled together (if you get a bit confused you can refer to the calliper/carrier still on the Puma for reference) but struggled for some time trying to get the calliper spring in... there was a brief warming glow of satisfaction when it finally clicked into place... this soon turned to cold fury though as I hadn't yet slipped the assembly over the disc and then had devil's own job trying to get them on. This is another point for novices following the guide above... DON'T put the spring on to your calliper assembly until AFTER you have slid it over the disc and got the bolts in... otherwise the calliper/carrier won't slip over the disc.
Another little pointer, in the guide it mentions being quick to get the old calliper off and the new one on because of brake fluid leaking but doing this helps I think:
WP_20161120_17_37_37_Pro by
G Whizz, on Flickr
Didn't leak and so no hassle when attaching the new calliper to the brake cable. Make sure your hose is not so old and brittle that it would crack (if it is it needs changing) and don't forget to use something on the jaws of the grips to prevent them cutting the hose.
So, one side complete...
By this stage though it was 8pm and everything was covered in frost, including my nose... I pondered and (factoring in the 30 mins to tidy up) decided that while Tipperary might be a long way, this job is now officially longer as I'll have to finish it tomorrow... so I called time, and the missus for a lift home. Before I go though you can compare the old with the new...
002 by
G Whizz, on Flickr
WP_20161120_20_24_15_Pro by
G Whizz, on Flickr
Nice huh?
Mañana muchachos
