Bloody brake calipers

F*ck...rear ones are a PITA. Don't suppose you've got access to a tap and die set to clean out the threads in the hub?

Nope.

I can get the bolts in quite easily without the caliper being there, but getting it all lined up with the caliper is a tad tricky.

Beginning to wish I'd been able to get it booked in somewhere now - but one of the rear pads was down to the metal, so it had to be done today.

A large rubber mallet is your friend and probably another pair of hands. I find jobs like that require the brute force and ignorance approach. Mechanics use it all the time. Have you ever seen what they do to a car in a garage?

Have you managed to bend the sliding pin things? If you have, then the brakes are going to end up binding so there's not much point persevering with them. Buy new sliding pins. If they're not those sort of brakes, ignore the above!

If you can hold the bolts at all delicately, then push them through, and slowly turn them anticlockwise whilst putting pressure on them. With luck you'll feel the ends of the threads "pop", and then carefully turn the bolt the right way without disturbing it at all first. BTDT myself on various cars, many times :(

The problem is the anti-rattle springs are putting so much pressure on the caliper body that it's almost bloody impossible to get both bolts lined up at the same time.

See if you can get a bar or next size down bolt or whatever into one of the holes to support it while you pivot it about to get a bolt in the other hole, then *before* tightening the one you've got in, pivot about that one to fit the second.

Steve

I have no idea about the settup on this car (or if you have enough room in there) but any chance you could cut the head off a spare bolt, hacksaw a screwdriver slot into it, start it in one of the holes, then push the caliper over it? If so you may be able to pivot the caliper on that bolt to start the second one, then remove the first and.. well you get the idea.