I need to pull the rear inboard brake calipers off of my '83 to replace the pads, and have gotten as far as loosening the caliper-to-bracket bolts, but they don't come all the way out of the caliper.

Is there an online resource somewhere for information regarding replacement of inboard xj6 rear brakes?

I've also been reading that dropping the rear cage is necessary...I hope not, but could I get confirmation of this? I need to get the brakes done so I can get rid of this ongoing nightmare. I'll be selling it for $1200 or best when I'm done.

 

Hold everything !

Replacing the PADS does not require removal of the calipers.

Replacing the ROTORS does require removal of the calipers.

If you are replacing just the pads its simply a matter of removing the retainer pins (little clip at each end), pulling out the old pads, and dropping in the new pads. You'll have to push back the caliper pistons to make room for the new pads.

If you are replacing the brake rotors, well, that's a horse of a different color. Even after you get the calipers off (very tedious) you'll have to let the lower control arm swing waaaay down for clearance....which means having the car elevated higher than most would feel comfortable with if you're just using jackstands. That, and simply more convenience, is why a lot of people drop the whole rear suspension.....which really isn't all that bad.

Anyhow, the bolts don't come all the way out of the caliper. Just loosen them as much as you can to ensure they are no longer actually threaded in. And, in case you didn;t know, you'll have to separate the parking brake calipes from the main calipers. That's not so bad but reinstalling them is a stinker

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks for the info. I had to remove the entire caliper due to brake fluid leakage around the seals. Need to reinstall new seals.

After about 4 hours I was finally able to get the stupid caliper out. Dumb design. Reinstalling is not going to be fun, considering there's only about an inch of clearance between the caliper and the differential. Oh the joys. LOL.

 

I think its a brilliant design...right up to the time it needs repairing :-)

Cheers
DD

 

I concur with Doug. For such a heavy car, I have found that the braking system is awfully good, and stops very well.

 

Update: Received the seal kit from Coventry West, and in a matter of a few minutes had the new seals in. The caliper was put in place, and amazingly the bolts immediately lined up.
Aligning the parking brake system was a bit of a pain, considering there's no room to see what's going on, but I was able to get it in, and the bolt pins tightened down.

Everything went in great until I got to the brake line itself...what a pain. After roughly 2 hours, everything was back in place and tightened. One question remains:

Is there a specific torque I need to use on the caliper mounting bolts?

 

tight as hell.