bongobobny Posted April 7, 2012 Author #26 Posted April 7, 2012 OK today I cleaned up my newly acquired original '85 caliper brackets. You can see what about 10 minutes with a wire wheel can do! Also thought I would show you the comparison of the Ducatti pads vs the stock Civic pads. Notice what those lovely pads did to my first set of rotors?!!?
leo3wheel Posted April 7, 2012 #27 Posted April 7, 2012 No squeal from them yet, don't expect them too. When was your trike built? There were only about 30 trikes affected and they were built within about a 45 day window form 12/09 to 01/10 You might try a different pad compound. Talk with your local Ducati dealer, those rear pads fit several Ducati models and are available in a few different pad materials from EBC and others. The original pads are brembo. I recall the EBC pads as being FA47. Be sure to lightly sand the rotors to remove any glazing when switching pads. Our trike was built the summer of 2010. Our rear brakes work fine, and the rotors are not scored. The squealing is just annoying. Thanks for the tip.
ragtop69gs Posted April 8, 2012 #28 Posted April 8, 2012 Our trike was built the summer of 2010. Our rear brakes work fine, and the rotors are not scored. The squealing is just annoying. Thanks for the tip. Pull the pads and sand them with 80 or 100 grit sandpaper to remove the glaze. For the rotors use some 120 grit, put the bike in first and let it idle (of course this is while it's on jack stands with the rear wheels off) and sand both sides to remove the glaze. You can also bevel the lead and following edge of the friction material which may help reduce the squeal. Another thing is to use a little anti-squeal silicone between the pad and brake piston, you can get it at any auto parts store. All of this should cure it.
bongobobny Posted April 14, 2012 Author #30 Posted April 14, 2012 *#&*@$#^%&!!! Somebody is lying to me!! Just went to put my freshly painted calipers from Fleabay onto my freshly painted caliper brackets and they don't line up! The spacing on the holes on the brackets are about 1/2 inch wider than the bolt holes on the calipers!! Both are suppose to be from an '85 Honda CRX. I compared the rusted up old calipers that were attached to the brackets and they are identical except for the spacing on the ears! Sooooo, I just went the route I should have gone in the first place and ordered a pair of remanufactured calipers with the brackets attached from JC Whitney. So, if anyone wants to follow in my footsteps with this conversion, do I ever have a deal for you! All you have to do is transfer the good guts from the rebuilt calipers onto the pair of rusty calipers I have after you clean them up a tad with a wire wheel or sandblast (not keen on that) and you should be set to go! Also I recommend looking into a master cylinder from some metric car so that you can use the stock brake line and save yourself around $60 for a custom made line...
dingy Posted April 14, 2012 #31 Posted April 14, 2012 *#&*@$#^%&!!! Somebody is lying to me!! Just went to put my freshly painted calipers from Fleabay onto my freshly painted caliper brackets and they don't line up! The spacing on the holes on the brackets are about 1/2 inch wider than the bolt holes on the calipers!! Both are suppose to be from an '85 Honda CRX. I compared the rusted up old calipers that were attached to the brackets and they are identical except for the spacing on the ears! Sooooo, I just went the route I should have gone in the first place and ordered a pair of remanufactured calipers with the brackets attached from JC Whitney. So, if anyone wants to follow in my footsteps with this conversion, do I ever have a deal for you! All you have to do is transfer the good guts from the rebuilt calipers onto the pair of rusty calipers I have after you clean them up a tad with a wire wheel or sandblast (not keen on that) and you should be set to go! Also I recommend looking into a master cylinder from some metric car so that you can use the stock brake line and save yourself around $60 for a custom made line... Isn't going where no one has gone before fun. Like a box of chocolates. Never know what you are going to get. Gary
Cougar Posted April 14, 2012 #32 Posted April 14, 2012 That sucks ! So did you re-order from JC then? Keep going --- YOU WILL GET THERE ! Jeff
bongobobny Posted April 14, 2012 Author #33 Posted April 14, 2012 Yes, Jeff, I just ordered a set of calipers with the brackets attached from JC Whitney! When they arrive I will find lout whether the Fleabay dealer in Florida sent the wrong model calipers or if the junk yard lied about the calipers and brackets coming off of an '85 CRX! Supposedly the Civic, CRX, and Vagovan are the same...
ragtop69gs Posted April 14, 2012 #34 Posted April 14, 2012 That's the problem with online buys, sometimes things don't go as planned in the end I'm sure you'll be happy. I hope.
bongobobny Posted April 19, 2012 Author #35 Posted April 19, 2012 The saga continues!!! So today the caliper with the brackets arrived so I decided to see who was lieing. They match up with the calipers that I bought off of Fleabay from Florida, so it seems as if the junk yard lied, right? Hold on! I try the brake pads I bought and they don't fit, too wide at the ears!!! Well, I also picked up a second set of pads that also arrived today, and they match the pads I already have!! Both claim to be for a '85 CRX!!! They DO fit the calipers from the junk yard!!! But both sets of calipers were specifically ordered for an '85 CRX as well!!! Sooo, I spent over a half hour tonight grinding down the ears so they will fit into the calipers and have 3 done, one more to go. Also in today's delivery was the new pistons and seals for the junk yard calipers that are now cleaned up and ready for primer and paint and rebuild. I had to take a torch to the bleeders to get them out. I will be installing speed bleeders in them. I got my stock brake line back from Pennsylvania after finding out the guy that makes them up down there does not have SAE fittings to screw into the master cylinder. In the mean time I did find a local hydraulic place that will make me up a line with SAE on the one side, and metric banjo on the other side but will cost $15 more than the PA guy was going to do them. Unfortunately they close weekdays before I could get up there after work, so the only time I have is Saturday mornings. Unfortunately the brake line did not get back to my place until saturday around 11:00 in the morning, too late for me to run up ansd have them make it up for me that day. Hope one of you Hannigan owners want to upgrade your rear brakes some time, I have calipers with brackets and pads ready to go that I will sell for $200 shipped. Then all you will need is rotors, a bigger master cylinder, and a brake line unless you go to some metric master cylinder...
ragtop69gs Posted April 19, 2012 #36 Posted April 19, 2012 Well.... at least these uncharted waters haven't sunk your ship. Have you actually figured out. which is wrong, the pads or calipers ? Having to grind the pads sure takes all the fun out of an otherwise easy job. You know, it's possible there are 2 different CRX models, maybe a standard and a Hi performance version or a mid year engineering change to the brakes.
Cougar Posted April 19, 2012 #37 Posted April 19, 2012 OR maybe on the CRX the front and rears are differant sizes Just a thought. KEEP GOING!
bongobobny Posted April 19, 2012 Author #38 Posted April 19, 2012 No, I haven't found out which is right and which is wrong. Sure wish I knew an older knowledgeable Honda mechanic. Either set will just bolt up, where the mounting brackets bolt on to the spindles are the same. Can't be the rear brakes because the rears on the Civic and CRX were drums. Y'all remember drums...
bongobobny Posted April 21, 2012 Author #39 Posted April 21, 2012 The good news is I now have a nice jacketed SS brake line from the master cylinder to the rear brake splitter!! Yay!!!! The bad news is it cost close to $100. Boo!!! I am now considering removing the right exhaust pipe to put a dent in it where the one bolt just touches so there is no nasty buzzing or heat transfer...
ragtop69gs Posted April 21, 2012 #40 Posted April 21, 2012 OUCH that's one expensive line! Can't ya shorten the bolt instead of beating up your bike?
Carbon_One Posted April 21, 2012 #41 Posted April 21, 2012 Well Bob you sure have been have a fun time with this brake conversion. At least by the time you get around to the auxiliary tank conversion things will have settled down for you. At least that job should be a piece of cake compared to what you've been going thru with this project. Larry
bongobobny Posted April 23, 2012 Author #42 Posted April 23, 2012 The saga continues!! One set of brake pads I have, the set of Bendix, will fit the calipers from the junk yard, so I ordered new pistons and seals, and cleaned and honed the bodies. One went together jusdt fine but the other seems to have a problem with the main seal. it binds up!! I tried switching pistons, and switched the seals from one to the other and the seal binds up no matter which caliper it is installed in. This is the first time I've ever had any problem with Raybestos! Sooo, order a new rebuild kit and try again. This project is Demon possessed!!!!! PS Jay you talked me into grinding the heads of the bolts. I was concerned about the integrety of the bolts but decided to gamble...
ragtop69gs Posted April 23, 2012 #43 Posted April 23, 2012 PS Jay you talked me into grinding the heads of the bolts. I was concerned about the integrety of the bolts but decided to gamble... How much did you take off the bolt head ? With all you've been through already with this 1 off brake conversion, does this latest hiccup surprise you !?
bongobobny Posted April 24, 2012 Author #45 Posted April 24, 2012 Engineering change 2177! Was all set to mount up the whole assembly when I noticed the brake pedal was all of a sudden binding and not returning. {Problem being the rubber dirt boot on the front of the master cylinder was binding up on the floorboard assembly. A splat of crazy glue and the problem should be fixed...
ragtop69gs Posted April 25, 2012 #47 Posted April 25, 2012 Don't forget to put your seat belt on for that first test ride, we dont want you throwing yourself through the windshield first time you hit the brakes.
bongobobny Posted April 29, 2012 Author #48 Posted April 29, 2012 At long last I have functional rear brakes again!!! They are still the stock Hannigan setup but as soon as my slotted and cross drilled rotors are in I will finish the job. Besides I want to see what kind of difference, if any, the master cylinder makes on the setup! This project has fought me every step of the way!! I had one heck of a time getting the new master cylinder bled! My vacuum pump wasn't cutting it! It would draw fluid from the resovoir but then the plastic line would colapse from the vacuum, and as soon as I pulled the line from the bleeder the fluid would surge back into the resovoir. Finally pressure bled the system by reversing my vacuum pump to a pressure pump . Dropped my new ss line into the can of brake fluid and used the vacuum pump on the rear bleeder to fill the line and then screwed the line on to the master cylinder and viola, the rear brakes work again!!! I'm sure there is more air still trapped in the system so I plan on bleeding the entire system again later on tonight. I only bled the one rear wheel caliper, but the bike is jacked up with that wheel up in the air so it was the high point. Maybe sometime during the week I'll take it out for a test spin to see how effective they are before converting the rear calipers and rotors...
Cougar Posted April 29, 2012 #49 Posted April 29, 2012 Way to go Bob, glad your nightmare is almost over
bongobobny Posted May 3, 2012 Author #50 Posted May 3, 2012 OK so I finaslly got Sexi running after charging up the battery and took it for a spin with the new master cylinder and the old brakes. I was ghoping for a little better performance from the new master but I am disappointed!! I sure have a lot tighter pedal but I still can't lock up the rear brakes much at all. When I stopped and held the pedal tight and tried moving in first it would not hold the rear brakes locked up. It sure bogged the engine down but I could not stall it out with higher RPM's. Sooo, I'm patiently waiting for my rotors to come in, they just got shipped today. God knows if I'll ever see my EBC's as tnhey are back ordered but the ones that got shipped are american made slotted and cross drilled. I have 2 complete sets of calipers loaded with pads ready to go, andf plenty of brake fluid left to bleed the calipers once I mount them...
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