The Aerospace rear brake kit comes
with all the mounting hardware and great instructions.
I just followed the directions and did a trial
fit on the first one. One important thing to
watch for when you are either doing a preliminary
trial fit or the final assembly is to make sure
you have the caliper centered on the rotor.
Be sure to have the rotor tightened up against
the rear axle flange so it is where it will
be when the wheel is installed. You can use
shims or hardened washers to get the caliper
centered. Just take your time and get it right;
if they are off center the pads will wear uneven
and pedal feel will be wrong.
The kit was an absolute bolt-on. No grinding,
no filing, no modification. THANK YOU Aerospace.
If you have done much work on a race car you
know this is a rare occurrence and a pleasant
surprise. The only thing I needed that wasn't
in the kit was some red Loc-tite for the rotor
attachment bolts. Be sure you Loc-tite these
bolts because if they come loose it can get
ugly.
The first
trial fit. Everything bolted up perfect.
Notice I have three lug nuts tightened
up to hold the rotor flat against the
axle so it is in the same position it
will be when a wheel is bolted up.
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This is where
the red Loc-Tite is used. Be sure to clean
the bolts and threaded holes with Brake
Cleaner and blow them dry before you apply
the Loc-Tite and assemble the rotors and
the hubs. I torqued them to 25 foot pounds.
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This
is the final step in centering the caliper over
the rotor. I used a feeler gauge and shims between
the caliper and the mounting bracket to get
it as close as I could. I ended up within .005-inch
of being exactly centered. I called Aerospace
and they said that would work fine. They also
said this is a critical procedure and the most
common complaints they get can usually be traced
back to improper centering of the caliper over
the rotor. Take your time, it is worth it.
All I have left is to get the 1/8-27 fittings
for the calipers and about four feet of #4 Teflon-lined
Aeroquip hose and some fresh solid brake lines
for the car. Next installment will show how
to get the flares for the steel line completed
correctly and installing a master cylinder.
Until then, if you are looking for an upgrade
in brakes I would recommend two companies: Aerospace
Components and Strange Engineering both make
great products that bring you to a fast, safe
stop season after season.
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