I changed my brake pads a few weeks ago with OEM pads...and the squeal like crazy. Thinking that today I am going to get off my lazy *** to fix the problem with some of that goop, I was wondering if I need the thin plastic shims that were on the old pads...they fit onto the back of the bad between the pad and the caliper...only they don't really grip onto the pad as the little metal tabs that are designed to hold it on dont work for ****. Do I need these? Seems I would need to put goop on them and the back of the pad if so?

Thanks

Right on.

 

On personal cars I forego the anti-squeal crap, the anti-rattle clips, and the backing plates. The anti-squeal crap makes the pedal softer, the anti-rattle clips can cause the pads to bind in the carrier, and the backing plates are not reuseable anyway and besides, they also seem to make the pedal lower/softer.

I never have any squeal problems. Just make sure that you either machine the rotors or at least scuff the glaze off with some 80 or so grit sandpaper. Also, make sure to brake HARD from 50-60mph to 20mph every so often (at least once a week) to help keep the pads and rotors clean.

well, I do have a squeal problem, but it's unrelated... i drove for a couple weeks with the left front caliper bound up solid - smoke would curl up from the wheelwell after about two miles. Rotor hevaily glazed and the pads are cooked. That's an unrelated issue though, and cleaning the glaze off the rotor would probably solve it, if the squeal bothered me.

 

You can get rotors turned (machined) for cheap @ any brake & muffler joint. They'll measure the spec, etc. and that way if anything goes wrong they're liable.

Although it conflicts with my learned associates post above, I recommend anti-squeal compound. in my experience the 'pedal softening' effect is cancelled out by any competent brake booster and the goop helps hold the pad to the caliper for less pad vibration.

As to cleaning your pads and rotors, brake cleaner works as well as braking and doesn't scrub your tires.

 

I don't mean "cleaning" like any kind of brake cleaner can do... clean isn't really a good enough word for it, but it prevents rust formation.

Put it this way... 90% of the time, brake squeal is caused by braking too LIGHTLY. One 15-minute road test and I can solve these cars' squeal problems. Lots of hard sustained braking combined with plenty of cool-down time in between brakings. This is actually a recommended method of solving brake squeal

re: the softening... i was fighting an insufficiently high brake pedal in my '80 for the longest time. Just could not get the pedal high enough for effective heel-toe. I noted that the anti-squeal crap and the backing plates had some give to them that would push the caliper pistons back a little too far. That has to be taken up every time you apply the brakes. I threw away the backing plates and cleaned all the goop off. That gave me a nice pedal. Ever since then, I take that junk off of every car I have.

 

Peejay, you are aware that you can adjust the throttle height to help heel-toeing aren't you?

 

Not without cutting the floor Moving the gas pedal low enough would have meant either a SERIOUSLY high idle or being unable to get full throttle after re-adjusting the cable so it had enough slack.

I did everything... I even swapped the pedal pads from the clutch pedal to the brake pedal, since the clutch pedal was worn only on the left side and the brake pedal only work on the right. That did a fair amount of improvement as well.

 

Well, you can only go as low as the adjustment on the bracket at the carby will allow anyway.

 

Gotcha, peejay. And yeah, with older cars I see people braking too lightly all the time. Probably why new models seem to be overboosted - to compensate for that. As for me, I'm a down-shifter, which in this neck of the prairies seems to be a rare thing.

As for heel-and-toeing, I envy you guys. With my 12FFF
(13FFF US) feet I barely have enough room to work the pedals conventionally. Then again I never need snowshoes either...

 

I have the same problem. I have 14EEEE (US) and am 6'-3", most of that being legs. My right knee rubs the steering wheel and leans up against the e-brake handle. I wanna heel-toe but its impossible. Just like you mantis; just operating the pedals normally is a task, I can only push on the very right side of the brake pedal. Oh well, I love this car too much to care

 

DO you have an SE? Try using the seat tilt lever on the side. It helps alleviate the steering-wheel rub

(As a former '83 driver I didn't discover this until after I'd driven the car 3000 kms from the Wet Coast to Saskabush. I felt tremendously stupid)

 

sometimes pj, you scare me.

 

Well it was a reasonly sunny day here in Austin so I forgo the brake job and walked down to the creek for some swimming and Tecate. But I know the left rotor is significantly pitted as the last pad was worn down completely and there was some metal to metal there for a few days. I need to get it turned and I may need a new one. Maybe that is accounting for the squealing.....I'll add it to the list.

Thanks for the excellent advice guys.

Right on.

 

Yea, I discovered that a few months ago. It helps a lot but my leg still rubs. i wish I was smaller. I wanna heel-toe dammit!!!!!

 

The tilt function on the seats doesn't make life any easier because the tilt assembly raises the seat about an inch.

I'm 6'5 and wear size 13's... The steering column is my "choke point", the wheel isn't really a factor... (see tall-boy shifter mod thread)