brake pad/rotor replacement, painting calipers

[MJK]

He's asking about the brackets, not the caliper. :wink:

I looked at the service manual and also checked an online factory parts supplier. Neither helped, they apparently don't sell the bracket only, it's part of the caliper replacement kit. Need to wait for Spartan to look at an actual mounted bracket.

Oh, I misunderstood - my bad! I don't know about that, as I have only ever disassembled one caliper at a time. I know the 2 pins that fasten each NA2 bracket to the caliper are dissimilar material from each other. I don't remember if it is only material or also dimensionally. If memory serves the heavier duty pin is on top. I cannot remember if the pin SIZE is any different, but if it is then the ID of the hole might help.

Sorry, I wish I could remember more of it.
:redface:

 

[Jay444]

yeah...I am talking about the caliper brackets...not the caliper body. The caliper body says 'L' and 'R'...not on the brackets...kinda confusing...

I tried keeping track of each set...but I think I might have swapped the left/right rear caliper brackets...

I have stock brakes on my 93...I dont recall the caliper bolts (bracket to caliper) being different....

spartan...we'll see how the paint holds up...already painted red. What are the drawbacks to removing the heat shield?

 

[MJK]

I have stock brakes on my 93...I dont recall the caliper bolts (bracket to caliper) being different...

I've never tried it with NA1s, but with NA2s you can pick up a pair of front caliper/bracket bolts and the top one feels noticeably heavier than the bottom? Also, they look to be treated/coated/hardened/forged or whatever differently after they have been cleaned up with simple green. I can't remember if they are different dimensionally, but if they were it was not by much.

Sorry for going off topic - I thought a quickie ID check might help you track down which one goes where.

 

[spartan2-3]

I have not checked the brakes but I dont recall seeing the engravements on the brackets as I never separated them :redface:...

Not sure regarding drawbacks on heatshield removal but was told by NSX Track experts it can reduce brake temps by 100-200 degrees simply by allowing cooler air to actually flow through rather than being blanketed by the heat shields.

 

[Jeff A]

I think 100-200 degrees is a bit optimistic, for just removing the splash guards. I saw about that much when adding full brake ducts. But it will help to some degree.

One thing to be aware of (if you remove the spash guards) is that it exposes the lower ball joint to direct radiational heating from the hot rotor, which destroys the rubber boot over time. NSX mechanics recommend not removing them for that reason. A compromise is to cut the shield to leave just the part in front of that ball joint. I used a bit of galvanized sheet metal, it was easier to cut than my old shield:

 

[Jay444]

caliper brackets...heat shield

I'd be comfortable swapping front caliper brackets as the numbers stamped on them are the same...but the rears are different. ('4' & '5').

They look identical though...

Regarding the heat shield...makes sense...I'm wondering why Honda would design it so big that it hampers cooling? How many others have removed the heat shield?

 

[Jeff A]

It's there to block water and more importantly mud from being splashed onto the brakes from the other front tire. Water is not too bad, you just have to brake a little harder to evaporate it. Mud is more serious, the goo and particulates can severely degrade the brakes, which can be dangerous. It can also scratch your rotors.

Many NSX track rats remove them. I've had mine off for a few years. But my car is not a daily driver, I never drive it in the rain unless I'm caught out in it, and never have hit any mud. Never heard of anyone regretting taking them off, except for those who burned up their ball joints.

 

[Jay444]

Anyone know if the caliper brackets are interchangeable (left/right)?

 

[donwon]

They arent. The bleed will be on the opposite side of the caliper if reversed, but I dont remeber what side it is suposed to face. I would think the bleed side should be facing to the center of the car, but im not sure.

 

[Jeff A]

He's asking about the brackets, not the calipers.

It it were me, I'd closely inspect them, and if they are identical as far as you can determine, just pick one and install it. If they are different, you need to look at some installed brackets or get someone else to look.

My $0.02.

Jeff

 

[Jay444]

Re: bleeding...

Got everything back on the car last night. Bled the brakes (almost 1qt). The brakes are soft, and don't really engage until the pedal is closer to the floor. I'm assuming that there is still air in the system. How much fluid do you typically have to bleed off? Also, with speedbleeders, does it matter if you pump and hold the pedal or pump the pedal quickly.

The paint doesn't seem to be holding too well to the calipers after one drive. :frown:

 

[Jay444]

One other thing...when I was taking everything apart last week, I noticed that the master cylinder reservoir drained fairly quickly (to empty) after removing the front left brake hose from the caliper.

Is this normal?

 

[Jay444]

back on the road again. Thanks to those who posted...many thanks to those who helped me through it...LarryBastanza, John@microsoft and ak