Brake Disc removal and refitting

 

Tools required:

 Other materials:

 Time required:

REMOVAL: 

  1. Loosen wheel nuts and jack up the corner of the car of the disc concerned, having choked the wheels of the opposite end of the car. Make the car safe by resting the car onto a well grounded axle stand. 

  2. Remove road wheel.

  3.  Both front a rear brake callipers are of the sliding design. The front pad pistons can be levered into the caliper to create clearance for brake pad renewal/ caliper removal. The rear caliper, by incorporating the handbrake mechanism have a slightly different design insofar as the pistons have to be 'screwed' back into the caliper. The calliper and carrier are bolted together with two bolts. Undo both of them, and swing the carrier free of the calliper. Hang the carrier carefully, so as not to stretch the brake hoses.

  4. Undo the two calliper to hub bolts, and remove the calliper from the wheel hub.

  5. The disc should be located onto the hub by two large diameter Philips screws. If absent, do not worry: the disc is clamped into place by the road wheel when the wheel nuts are torqued up. Remove these screws.

  6. Pull the disc to remove from the hub. This may take some persuation depending on how long ago the last replacement was performed, and may require some gentle taps with a copper faced mallet (or use some wood to cushion the hammer strikes).

 

Front brake disc removed.jpg (33960 bytes)

Front brake disc.jpg (13589 bytes)

Brake disc pictured off car; arrow head points to location of location screw holes

REFITTING:
  1. Clean hub mating surfaces so that the bell of the brake disc fits onto the hub cleanly and true. Smear on a thin layer of grease.

  2.  Fit the disc to the hub, ensuring that the mounting screw holes align with the threaded holes into the hub. Rotate the hub to ensure that the disc is free from ‘wobble’. It may be necessary to drift the disc fully into place with a copper faced hammer (or a black of wood should be used to absorb the shock of impact to avoid fracture/damage to the disc). If this fails, remove the disc, and check that the mating surfaces are again clean.

  3. Once satisfied that the disc is sitting on the hub properly, replace the disc location screws. Again, rotate the hub, and check for ‘wobble’.

  4.  Replace the calliper onto the hub. The calliper to hub bolts should be torqued to 85 Nm.

  5.  Replace the calliper carrier, and torque the sliding pin bolts to 45 Nm.

  6.  Replace the road wheel and lower the car.

 

Acknowledgements:

Special thanks to Roger Parker for his kind assistance- and posing for photographs!!! ;o)


Alternative brake options

HJW 280mm cross drilled disc conversion. Similar kits available from Mike Satur.

HJW Big brake conversion.jpg (61916 bytes)

HJW Big brakes behind Abby wheels.jpg (44553 bytes)

Note: large brake conversions will not fit behind 1.8i 15" six spoke alloy wheels.

AP Racing brakes as found on the MGF Trophy 160.

splitter fixings.jpg (47226 bytes)

This conversion is a good deal larger than existing after market kits; these brakes are unlikely to fit under other existing MGF wheels.