Caliper needed

[mrsprite]

I had a bit of a mishap this weekend and need a passenger side dust shield & brake caliper (that works!). I buggered up the rotor too, but luckily I have spare ones.

LMK what you've got and what you need for them.

Thanks.

 

[Billm]

Mike
You pay shipping and I'll send them
Bill

 

[mrsprite]

Thanks Bill!

 

[Billm]

Mike
PM me your address

 

[mrsprite]

Just PM'd you. I just can't say thank-you enough. Thank-you!



Mike

 

[JPSmit]

Is there a story here?

 

[mrsprite]

Is there a story here?

Well....yes there is a story (isn't there always a story!?).

I'm a little embarrassed to even say what happened, but here it goes. Three years ago I did a brake job on the Bugeye.....new pads & rotors (calipers were in great shape). Last week I noticed the pads were getting a bit thin so I ordered a new set of pads and set about replacing them this past weekend. It's a very straightforward job....I did the drivers side then the passenger side. I removed the caliper to push the pistons in then reattached it to the spindle before installing the pads. I could not get the outboard pad to go in so I loosened the caliper bolts. The pad slid in place and I buttoned everything up and went to bed.

I drove the Bugeye to Denver and back home yesterday (~50 mile round trip) and about 2 miles from home the right front wheel locked up and I skidded to a stop. Luckily, I had exited the freeway to grab lunch at Arby's and was on a surface street only going 35 MPH (I was driving at 65 MPH just a few minutes earlier). I had no idea what happened, but after taking the wheel off I discovered that the lower caliper bolt had backed completely out and the caliper rotated upward causing the wheel to lock up.

I broke the caliper (where the bolt goes through), twisted up the dust shield and bent the rotor. Evidently, I failed to re-torque the caliper bolts after loosening them up to install that pad.

A stupid mistake, for sure.....I'm just glad it didn't happen in the freeway!

 

[BugeyeNJ58]

Thanks for sharing with us, The best past is that nobody was hurt. I'm due to work on my brakes this Fall, so I'll be keeping your story in mind.

It's not the mistakes we make, but how we correct them and hopefully don't do the same thing again. There's so many new mistakes to be made.

When the caliper locked, did the car try to turn in that direction? Was the wheel yanked out of your hands?

 

[Gerard]

Is there a story here?

A stupid mistake, for sure.....I'm just glad it didn't happen in the freeway!

Hi Mike,

I'm glad only damage to you personally was the embarrassment!

I always use Loctite on those bolts.

 

[mrsprite]

Thanks for sharing with us, The best past is that nobody was hurt. I'm due to work on my brakes this Fall, so I'll be keeping your story in mind.

It's not the mistakes we make, but how we correct them and hopefully don't do the same thing again. There's so many new mistakes to be made.

When the caliper locked, did the car try to turn in that direction? Was the wheel yanked out of your hands?

I certainly have done my fair share of stupid stuff, but hate admitting to any of it. Definitely double and triple check the bolts to make sure they are tight.

The wheel was not yanked out of my hands......it locked up and did migrate to the right, but it was 100% under control (so to speak). I never felt like I was in any real danger. I think the low speed helped.....if it happened on the freeway then it probably would have played out differently.

On a positive note, I did leave a cool skid mark on the road!

Gerard, I think I will use a little Locktite this time. Cheap insurance.

 

[mrsprite]

I got the replacement caliper & dust shield today from Billm....thanks! Everything went together perfectly until I reattached the wheel and gave it a spin. It has quite the wobble now.....I guess I bent the wheel too!

Gotta love it.


(I have a spare wheel, so no big deal.....just sucks to have ruined a perfectly good one.)