Changing the rear rotors and pads and I would like to take the calipers off for a good clean up and re-paint. One came off fine, the other has the brake lines firmly locked in there (both ends). I have the right pipe spanner, and tried some WD40 with no result. I loaned my Inox to someone so I don't have any of that. I have come close to rounding the hexes but backed off before that happened. Anything else I can try? I have a butane torch and pretty good vice grips but not sure if I should use them. What is best?
Before you heat it, try Freeze 'n Release spray a couple of times. Has worked for me on seized lines. You can get it at Autobarn. Don't know if supercrap stock it.
Hmmm nasty place to be in... I use a small hammer and a drift and just work around and around each nut "flat" you can get onto and tap over and over and over moving around as you go. Eventually, if your patient, it breaks the "seal"!!!! Ive won quite a few rounds this way but lost as well so.... try everything you have including heat!! heat the nsurrounding metal and then water off the nut to cool it and shrink it somewhat to try and break that seal. Try that freezing stuff as well Dino mentioned but only on the nut itself. If you do round off the hex then you may have to get brutal! I reassemble all those tubenuts and so-on, including between the nut and the back of the flare with some anti-seize paste but take care to keep the paste away from the very end of the flare sos to not contaminate the brake fluid. Good luck L8r E
Get the heat onto it Barry... I was also playing with the gas torch today to remove the nuts from the studs on the turbo manifolds, bit of heat made it easy as pie. I'm not sure how you would come close to rounding the hexes with a pipe spanner, is it a quality pipe spanner or a cheapo?
LOL dont bother with heat or any f that other stuff. I have flare nut spanners and crows foot sockets but in he end the best tool is a pair of vice grips done up realy tight. You only need to break the seal then the other spanners work perfectly and if the are massively tight they work perfectly everytime. Even with crows foot sockets I would mangle every 4th or 5th one. Since I have used vice grips I have lost NONE.
I am here to thank all of the contributors for their suggestions - tried them all. Epic fail. I have now decided to paint this particular caliper in situ. After all of the attention this union has been given over the last two days, if it now leaks it will serve me right.
HT (for high temperature) caliper and brake drum paint. In a rattle can - Supercheap, Autobarn, Repco will have it. Lots of colours available.
Thanks mate, any idea how many cans it will take to do all 4 callipers? I plan on a big brake over haul in a week or two and would like to do this as well
ive done calipers in that high temp paint before and they have been hard to clean , last time i did them in normal 2 pack car paint , teh clear coast makes it much harder for things to stick i think . i havnt had any problems with paint lifting but i ant say i ever get to much heat into my brakes
