stubborn brake bracket bolts.. - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

madness410 · 06-12-2013, 09:05 PM

i checked my rear brakes recently and decided time to do new pads and rotors. I get into it today pop the wheels off and the caliper slid off fine but got to the brackets and the two bolts behind there wouldn't budge. so i hit it with dw40 and let it sit..try it again..still wont budge. hit with a hammer a few times to loosen it up a bit..dw40 again and still nothing.

finally I got the torch out and began to heat up the bolts..heated it up for a good 1-2 minutes...tried and still nothing. tried this numerous times and still nothing. these brakes haven't been changed in a few years since before I got the car...i don't know the history with them. I'm a do it yourself guy and not a mechanic so my tools are limited but has anyone ever had a problem like this? if so how did you get the bolts out without destroying parts? maybe I can get some advice here before my last resort which is bring it to a shop. thanks for any help in advance

Jon

PolarBear · 06-12-2013, 09:29 PM

Most people are going to tell you that wd40 is not a penetrating oil, get something better, like PB blaster and soak it frequently for a few days. After that I got nothing

madness410 · 06-12-2013, 10:38 PM

I'm not familiar with that..is it available at advanced or autozone?

WildBillyT · 06-12-2013, 10:39 PM

Kroil if you don't need to spray it, PB if you do.

If you were using a propane torch it was not hot enough.

PolarBear · 06-12-2013, 10:40 PM

It doesnt have to be that brand, just get something better than WD40. An actual penetrating oil product, even though WD40 says penetrates

coolmanvette75 · 06-12-2013, 10:43 PM

PB Blaster and a breaker bar...

madness410 · 06-12-2013, 11:03 PM

got it ill take a trip tomorrow to get penetrating oil and a breaker bar. yeah it's a propane torch I didn't know there would be a difference.

sweetbmxrider · 06-13-2013, 08:12 AM

1/2" drive and maybe a pipe to get some leverage. Sometimes GM throws loctite on the caliper mounts and they can suck.

Featherburner · 06-13-2013, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildBillyT

Kroil if you don't need to spray it, PB if you do.

If you were using a propane torch it was not hot enough.

Do you think the spray PB works better than the spray Kroil?

PolarBear · 06-13-2013, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Featherburner

Do you think the spray PB works better than the spray Kroil?

Featherburner · 06-13-2013, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PolarBear

Serious question.

sweetbmxrider · 06-13-2013, 10:34 AM

I was curious as well. PB can definitely out distance aerokroil, but kroil does come in spray can form as well as jugs of awesomeness.

WildBillyT · 06-13-2013, 10:35 AM

Again, serious.

I didn't know they made spray Kroil. I have the gallon can of liquid.

In my time working on heavily rusted junk I noticed that Kroil in a squeeze lab bottle works better than PB sprayed from an aerosol can. Seems ridiculous but it's true in my case.

sweetbmxrider · 06-13-2013, 10:40 AM

http://www.kanolabs.com/

WildBillyT · 06-13-2013, 10:42 AM

Stevoone · 06-13-2013, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

1/2" drive and maybe a pipe to get some leverage. Sometimes GM throws loctite on the caliper mounts and they can suck.

I was just going to post the exact same thing. I usually use a breaker bar and a 3' length of pipe for more leverage. Some cars are worse than others, had a really difficult time with my brothers Grand Prix a few years ago. I would not recommend this but I ended up lowering the car on the breaker bar just to pop the bolts loose.

madness410 · 06-13-2013, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stevoone

I was just going to post the exact same thing. I usually use a breaker bar and a 3' length of pipe for more leverage. Some cars are worse than others, had a really difficult time with my brothers Grand Prix a few years ago. I would not recommend this but I ended up lowering the car on the breaker bar just to pop the bolts loose.

lol howd u do that? put the breaker bar where the wheel well ends then lower the hydraulic jack?

Stevoone · 06-13-2013, 01:35 PM

Yea pretty much, I was in my parents garage and didn't have enough clearance for the long pipe since I was working with a jack and stands. I have a compressor now so hopefully i never need to try that again.

madness410 · 06-13-2013, 02:22 PM

I see I see I may need to resort to that for desperate measures lol. I bought pb blaster and was looking for a 1/2 drive breaker bar. was wondering if anyone in the Somerset or warren county area has one. they're kind of pricey for me to use for just 4 bolts. I can give collateral in cash or anything of equal value if you have any issues lending to strangers.

The_Bishop · 06-13-2013, 05:53 PM

Could go this route:

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-driv...bar-67933.html

I have one of these, works well.

BonzoHansen · 06-13-2013, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Bishop

Could go this route:

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-driv...bar-67933.html

I have one of these, works well.

the bar inside a 4th gen door is the perfect companion to that. I highly suggest everyone grab one from a 4th gen with a bad door

V · 06-13-2013, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BonzoHansen

the bar inside a 4th gen door is the perfect companion to that. I highly suggest everyone grab one from a 4th gen with a bad door

ill be selling bad doors for $10 each now

The_Bishop · 06-13-2013, 09:40 PM

Always generous, V.

lowrider095 · 06-14-2013, 04:11 PM

are you sure you are loosening the bolts and not tightening them ?

madness410 · 06-14-2013, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowrider095

are you sure you are loosening the bolts and not tightening them ?

haha yes im sure.

i ended up getting a breaker bar from harbor freight tools i cant believe how low the prices there are. got pb blaster too going to get into working on it in a few minutes.