Chris_B

Yes, the shims in that photo are the thin sheel metal parts that attach to the pad back plate. You can re-use the old ones.

Brake cleaner is generally safe on brake components, although I would suggest washing it off of painted surfaces that it dries on. Soap and water work great.

n8dog11914

iTrader: (1)

Guys, I removed the two 14mm bolts holding the caliper to the mount, but I could not for the life of me get the caliper to budge off the mount even with the bolts completely out. Any ideas? I'm sure it's something simple...

WhosRich

Is it worth getting the Flex Hone?

Chris_B

Yes!

WhosRich

Looks like i can pick it up at Sears. What grit to use?

Chris_B

www.flexhone.com

WhosRich

It says I have to use a lathe to spin the rotor. Not as easy as I thought it would be.

Chris_B

It can be done nearly as well on the car. If you have an extra set of hands nearby, have them slowly turn the rotor as you work the surface. It takes about 30-45 seconds per face. We're not machining iron, just removing the old transfer layer and prepping the surface for bed in. It can also be done with Scotch-Brite and elbow grease, but I'm getting too old for that!

WhosRich

Can't i just work my way around the rotor or would that not get the desired effect?

Chris_B

On the car, it is better to have someone rotate them, but not 100% necessary.

On the bench, it is a 1-person job.

WhosRich

Fine grit, Medium grit or coarse grit?

Chris_B

You don't want to use sandpaper on iron rotors at all. Either use a Flex-Hone (best method) or Scotch-Brite. Either of those will remove the transfer layer and keep all the iron intact. There is no way to use sandpaper and keep the surface as flat as is necessary to avoid causing vibration and noise.

Chris

WhosRich

I meant, which flex hone? They seem to come in different grits for rotors.

Chris_B

We've only ordered the one type we've seen on their site and at the trade shows. The cylinder honing brushes might come in various grits, but the rotor tool is in just the one, as far as I can tell.

Chris

WhosRich

Couldn't get my hands on the flex hone in time so I did without it. Thanks for the write up, it really made things easier. I probably spent more time on it than I should have though. Took me 7 hours to do my brake pads, stainless steel lines, and bleed all four corners.

No more squealing and brake pedal feels so much more solid.

kirby350z

So step 16 (i think) thats whats reffered to as bleeding the brakes right?
Where would you refill the fluid? You can find it in the engine compartment right? What is the main difference when changing the back brakes or is the process similar? I've changed the (with help) on a Nissan quest would it be roughly the same thing?

ShadeTreeMech

First, great write-up! Started looking through the forum for suggestions on where to source my OEM pads. Read all 15 pages within 24 hrs. Fantastic stuff.

Being a shade-tree mechanic I mostly putz around with my own vehicles. I can deal directly with the complainer. But I never heard of a flex hone before, but definitely want one. (3)w.flex.com does not come up. Searched and found I can buy fine, medium or course rotor flex hones - which ones do you use? Stupid to have more than one?

I've got a '08 Enthusiast with no mods and 31K. Put a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport on about 5K ago - very nice tires. My wife bough the 350Z new, and I refused to let her trade it in. Best used car I ever bought.

Haven't done track with it, and at most do spirited driving. Was going to get Nissan OEM pads, but after reading through the thread thinking about Hawk HPS. Guessing it's for High Performance Street. Haven't really complained about the brake dust, but you know less is better. Do care about noise (none noticed with the OEMs).

Wonder if it would be dumb to consider checking into StopTech calipers and appropriate rotors. Anyone able to help me appreciate how much better that would make the brakes? Got to admit they seem to work pretty well now, but haven't needed to stand on them often.

Kids are raised, so I have a little extra coin. But still care about value for the money. This will be my second maintenance project, as the first was my A/C condenser being taken out by a road rock. Did the work myself and was very pleased with the results.

Also want to consider replacing the OEM brake lines with Stainless Steel. Suggestions on where to source?

Apologies if I've rambled too long. Ton of information in this thread. Thanks in advance for your time and suggestions.

- GranDad

VQdriver

iTrader: (1)

If you're like me, thrifty (cheap) lol, then a big brake kit is definitely not for you. Especially since you admitted to only street driving it. It won't necessarily make the car stop shorter from 80-0, but it's designed for repeated stopping at high speeds such as driving on a road coarse aggressively. See why Infiniti stopped making the G35C with Brembos? My sliding calipers work just great with the right pad/rotor combination.

Also, how do you like your Hawk HPS pads? I've heard so much negatively about them it steered me clear. I would probably replace my Axxis ULT pads with Stoptech Street Performance because I like brakes to act like the eyeballs are being yanked just resting the foot on the brake pedal lol. I want high intitial bite from the brake pads like the stockers, not less.

If you're getting squeaks out of your street pads, try repacking them with a generous amount of synthetic brake grease such as CRC on the backs of the pads, sliders and the tabs where the pads sit. It will make it buttery smooth and silent as an owl flying at night. Also stop spraying wheel cleaner directly on the calipers and pads.

As far as SS lines are concerned, I have them and they make the pedal a bit more firm in engagement. If they cost more than $100 shipped it's probably overkill as lots of companies offer them. I believe Technafit has a kit. No need for fancy brake fluid, just make sure it's at least DOT3. You can do a Google search or search the brake vendor section of these forums and probably still find a nice deal. Let me know how it works out. Cheers

CroneOne

Hello
What happened to the original pics on the first page it seems the links are broken? Can you re-upload them please I'm doing my first Z brake job tomorrow. Thanks!

jv350z

iTrader: (6)

http://www.harborfreight.com/disc-br...sor-68973.html

best 8 bucks ever spent...