Hi Not a mechanic but I will have a go, can i change the rear brake pad's on my 87 camaro TPI without taking the calipers completely off, I just want to change the pads nothing else ? cheers any video may help, there are a couple on You tube but not for the older thirdgen

 

You must remove the calipers. Remove the through bolts, swing caliper off the rotors, swap pads. You may need to use a C-Clamp to compress the piston before installing pads. Go slowly while compressing....you are pushing the fluid back to the reservoir.

 

On a 87 (Saginaw calipers) you will likely also have to screw the "self-adjust" feature of the piston back in.

 

OK cheers
I read somewhere I may have to drop the control arm on the passenger side to get access to caliper bolt ? is that correct please

 

This is same as mine

 

Some do, some don't require dropping the control arm. Mine are close but I can still get it out

 

If you have to spin them to get them to move, they are locking up and need replaced. They push back, but use a spreader tool or an old pad with a C-clamp to push it. They do rotate, and if they do they can move forward (Towards clamping on the rotor). You will notice on your pad there is a tab that needs to seat into the piston face. I wish I had a picture to explain this better, but you should see what I am talking about looking at it. Make sure the pad tab sits into one of the recesses on the piston face. This is not a design where the piston gets rotated by the actuation.

You can move them with the double lead screw or by rotating the piston face, but they do push back.

I had to drop my control arm on my 88 FWIW.

The real pain is getting them adjusted properly.

When you are ready to work on them:

1. Jack the rear end up, put the axle on jack stands

2. Loosen the equalizer bar until you can remove the cables from the calipers.

3. *Do one side at a time

4. Remove the return spring, actuation arm, and seal. Hold the actuator arm to prevent anything moving while removing the nut.

5. Mark where a flat of the adjuster screw is on the caliper body so you can align the screw in the later steps.

6. Now the adjuster screws can go right into the calipers if you twist and push. So to adjust them, I put a thick washer against the caliper housing. Put a box end wrench on the screw and use the nut that was retaining the arm to retain the wrench (This allows the adjuster to spin, push the pads out, and allow the hex on the double lead screw to poke out enough to get the arm back on.)

7. Turn Clock wise to extend the pads to the rotor. Turn until you have resistance and you can't move the rotor. The pads should be set to just about dragging.

8. Check mark... if it is not lined up, you won't get the lever arm back on in the right spot. The level arm should go back over the adjusting screw and rest against the stop on the caliper, when pulled away there should be no more than 1/8" of gap between the arm and the stop.

9. If the alignment is not correct, turn the screw counter clockwise. With the double lead, this will release pressure on the pads but not pull the back. Rotate a bit further so you are starting in a different location, and turn it back in again with the washer, nut, and wrench

10. You will repeat this process until you get it right. No magic here, just have to get it right. If there is some fluid leak around the seal during the rotation of the screw, it is perfectly normal. Right is pads almost dragging the rotors and less that a 1/8” of travel between the stop and the parking brake actuation arm before it hits resistance.

11. Put seal on screw, place arm on screw, and tighten retaining nut

12. Do the other side.

13. Reassemble return springs and parking brake cables.

14. Tighten equalizer bar until the hand leaver is difficult to get to 14 clicks (I believe the Factory Service Manual calls for 125lbs. of force on the parking brake arm to achieve 14 clicks)

15. Check that the parking brake works and when released it is not holding the pads against the rotors.

16. Optional step, but I recommend it in case any air seeped in while adjusting the screws. Pull parking brake on and off multiple times and push the brake pedal down each time they are extended. Leave parking brake set and bleed the rear brakes.

17. then use the parking brake every time you park the car to keep them in adjustment.