HedgeHog

Hi guys,

For those of you in on the AP group buy (thx Jim/Nick!), I've got a coupla questions for you.

1) Do we remove or trim the dust shield?
2) The included shims are for lining up the caliper, correct?
3) Did anyone get fluid w/ the kit? Was is not part of the group buy (although N-Tech's site does indicate its inclusion)....not being cheap, just be curious. OK...I am being cheap.

BTW, here are some pix for those who didn't get the kit.

AP Racing - front view
AP Racing - rear view
AP Racing - caliper bracket

maxcooper

I just got in from installing the kit.

1) I did not remove the dust shield because you have to cut it or take the hub off to get it out of there. Instead, I bent it back to clear the rotor and cut a little off the part that is above the axle because it interfered with the caliper.

2) The shims go between the aluminum mounting bracket and the upright. Bolt everything together and see if you need them. I had some contact between the outer edge of the rotor and the pad-retainer spring thing. I mistook it for caliper interference and mounted and unmounted it a bunch of times. Eventually, I realized what was hitting and removed the bridge bolt and pad retainer while I was checking if I needed shims. I ended up using a thin one for both bolts (I think you should use the same top and bottom) on the passenger side and no shims on the driver's side. I think I should have used a shim on the driver's side, too, though because I noticed it was shaving the pad when I mounted the wheel and turned it. Oh well, I think the retaining clip and the pad rubbing problems will solve themselves with a little driving.

3) I did not get fluid either. I figured it would have been susceptible to damage in the box with the heavy parts. Perhaps Nick won't charge us shipping in lieu of not sending the fluid. I would be happy with that.

You have the caliper on the wrong side of the car in the pics. The bleed screws should be at the top. The rotor looks right, though.

I got some Speedbleeders at Pep Boys (they are now a HELP! brand product there). The size is 10mm x 1.0. Unfortunately, the ones I got are too short to seat the needle. I still used them for some one-man bleeding, though. I swapped each bleed screw back to the original after bleeding. I am sure I could use a little more bleeding, but the pedal is reasonable firm now and I didn't have anyone to help me. Bleeding was easier than I expected. Speedbleeders usually don't work very well with that much air in the system.

Need to go take a drive. It is rainy, I have new brakes, and the roads are full of drunks. Wish me luck!

-Max

HedgeHog

Hi Max,

Thx for replying.

I was thinking of just bending it too...that's what I did for the pix.

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2) The shims go between the aluminum mounting bracket and the upright.

So these are for positioning the calipers away from the center of the hub? Or for locating the caliper relative to left/right offset wrt rotor (ie. towards outside of car or towards center of car)?

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3) I did not get fluid either. I figured it would have been susceptible to damage in the box with the heavy parts. Perhaps Nick won't charge us shipping in lieu of not sending the fluid. I would be happy with that.

Dang it...i'm whining again... I paid for shipping. And Motul cost a grip up in communist Canada. GRRRRRR

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You have the caliper on the wrong side of the car in the pics. The bleed screws should be at the top. The rotor looks right, though.

Are you sure? I installed them based on the caliper's stock number. One sez LHT and the other RHT. So I'm thinking LHT = Left Hand Trailing which is what I have on. Must consult www.apracing.com

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Bleeding was easier than I expected. Speedbleeders usually don't work very well with that much air in the system.

I was told by Nick bleeders are not so good...they have thread wear problems and start to leak after repeated use...or sumpin like that.

BTW, there's two bleed nipples (one per side). Is there a bleed order (inside then out or outside then in)?

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Need to go take a drive. It is rainy, I have new brakes, and the roads are full of drunks. Wish me luck!

Good luck...have fun bedding the pads/rotors in. Let us know whether the 929 master cylinder is in our future.

Scott 89t2

haha, dumbass. should've given me the $10

maxcooper

2) They seem to be for changing the "offset" of the caliper because they are the right size for those bolts. However, my clips rubbing seem be a symptom of the caliper being too close to the center of the axle, so who knows. It would probably be smart to call Nick and see where they go.

3) Call Nick and see what's up. I sent some more money, but I thought it was for pads rather than shipping. Perhaps I am just confused.

I am 100% sure that the bleeder screws should be at the top of the caliper. Check the part numbers again. It does matter which way the caliper goes, as the pistons are different sizes. It is possible that they put the bleeder screws in the wrong end (it appears that you can just swap the bleeders and crossover tube to convert between leading/trailing), but it seems unlikely to me. Though I am wondering about mine now... Please post your findings.

Yeah, that's true that Speedbleeders wear out after a while and start sucking air past the threads. Time to get a pressure bleeder I guess. I don't think it matters which bleeder screw you do first, but I am not really sure.

I drove about 25 miles in the rain. At least one side is still making a scraping sound, but nothing (but the pads) is scraping the swept area. I'll have to check clearances again and make sure everything is aligned properly. If it is just the retainer clip, I might grind it a little to keep it away from the rotor. The pedal was a bit soft, but I am not surprised with my half-assed bleeding. They do exhibit a lot of stopping power when you put your foot in it. And that is with cold track pads even. The track pads seem to be mating nicely with the rotor -- no grooving or anything like that. I would be running EBC Greens, but I got the wrong ones and they didn't fit. I'll have to exchange them this week and put those in for street driving.

-Max

jimlab

1. I'm also 100% sure that the bleeders are supposed to be at the top of the caliper... air bubbles tend to rise.

2. The rotor splash shield (it's for keeping water off the rotor, not brake dust off the underside of the car) can be modified or removed. I used a set of tin snips and cut mine off completely. My car won't see inclement weather, but judging by the condition of HedgeHog's lower control arms, his is used for swamp racing. Better keep the splash shields.

3. I didn't receive any Motul 600 either. I'd forgotten that it was supposed to be included, but then again, I'm just happy to finally have my brakes.

Max, if you find the part number for EBC Greens, please let me know. I got HPS pads with my kit, but have heard that the EBCs produce even less dust.

maxcooper

Well, it ISN'T DP2008

I got them from http://www.brakeco.com/ and I expect to be able to exchange the ones I got for the right ones (+ any difference in price). I am pretty sure that they make pads for the CP5200 caliper. The pads I got are about the right shape but just not long enough -- for a smaller AP caliper is my guess.

-Max

WorkS2R

Hey.. any reason why EBC green versus EBC red?

HedgeHog

I thought about that last nite and came to the same conclusion. And the fact that the AP site also stipulates connecting pipe goes down and bleeder goes up finalized it. However, just to be clear on LHT vs RHT calipers, is the top piston larger or smaller?

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2. ....My car won't see inclement weather, but judging by the condition of HedgeHog's lower control arms, his is used for swamp racing. Better keep the splash shields.

Jim, that's what car parts look like if they ever leave the garage.

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3. I didn't receive any Motul 600 either. I'd forgotten that it was supposed to be included, but then again, I'm just happy to finally have my brakes.

DOH! Time to spend some more... 2 bottles enough?

maxcooper

I got track pads with the kit, so I was just looking for street pads. I have heard you can run Reds on the street, so I might choose those as dual-purpose pads in the future. I go through pads quickly, so I'll be trying a number of things to see what works for me.

-Max

HedgeHog

OK...I checked the part number on the calipers this time...they were switched WRT the AP boxes.
Thanks for the heads up, Max.


BTW, Nick sez fluid should be part of the deal and is suppose to have been sent to everyone. He told me to call him tomorrow....will report for those who care.

jimlab

Pretty simple... bleeders up, AP Racing logo on the outside. You can't miss, unless you were sent two left calipers.

Oh yeah.

WorkS2R

Yeah all I got were those Ferodo track pads as well. I am not going to use them for the street though, as I think that would be rather bad.

I'm thinking about getting those EBC Reds, so I'll give you all a shout once I get around to calling them.

-M

maxcooper

My scraping noise persists, so I think I need to add some shims between the caliper and the braket to move them out from the axle center a bit. I guess the edge of the pad should be flush with the edge of the rotor surface. I have just a bit of gap there and of course the retainer clip scraping, so I need to move my caliper away from the center just a tad.


I've been using the track pads on the street and the only bad part is some squealing. They don't seem to be eating the rotors or anything. I was advised against running two different brands (essentially) of pad on the same rotors because the transfer layers aren't the same/compatible. Ferodo DS2000 was the street pad suggestion I got to run with these track pads. I think the track pads we got are DS3000 (but I didn't actually read the back of the pad to be sure). I bet Nick can get them.

EBC Reds and Greens would be compatible, but I also heard that Reds are streetable, so you might just get some Reds and see how they work.

I got a tip that Pagid 4-2-1 pads would be good for street and track, so I am getting some of those. I might hit the rotors with some 600-grit sandpaper to remove the transfer layer, but it probably isn't a big issue considering that I just put them on there.

Anyone wanna buy my Ferodo DS3000 pads with about 100 miles of light street use on them? I'll sell them for $100.

I need some grippier pads for the rear to balance things out a bit. I might get some Porterfield R4 pads or something like that for the rear.

-Max

maxcooper

Thanks for checking on these things.

-Max