Hey Dukejag, going by your signature you were probably a teenager in the early 80's like me in NZ. Bands like The Dudes, Red Light Nuns, The Mockers, Dance Exponents etc. All good Kiwi bands that didn't make the Tasman crossing to make the big time like Split Enz, Dragon, The Swingers and so on.

Today I pulled the calipers apart and deciced they were beyond a home rebuild so ordered a refurbished pair from Jagdaim and sent the old ones back to them(exchange). Along with the new pistons and caliper kits I already got from them for a credit on the new calipers. I kept the new rear brake pads as they will fit the XJ6 and XJS, I will need them at some point in the future.

Hand brake calipers stripped cleaned and ready to go. Just waiting on the calipers then I can reassemble and hopefully have this car on the road in a few weeks.
And fire ban lifted so I finally got to burn some stuff. (arsonist from way back comes out in me)

 

Clarke - that is correct - I remember when The Mockers and Dance Exponents played at our College in the 6th form. Very cool.
Oh and the Th Dudes - such a cool band. We live in the country, just out of town and who does not love a good fire.
My fires are more of a pile, not nearly as well organised.

​​​​​​​Good to know Jagdaim do exchange calipers - interested to see how the look. If they will rebuild yours then they cant be that bad?
​​​​​​​Is it cheaper in the long run?

 

Are you pulling fulcrums and bearings apart?

 

Jagdaim have a set of rebuilt ones on the shelf, the deal is you send them your old ones first as an exchange. I believe they are rebuildable, I just don't have the tools or experience with how bad they looked inside. I rebuilt my XJ6 calipers after they caught fire.

No not removing the fulcrums at this point, Just doing the brakes to get it roadworthied and registered. I can go down that path at a later date, I'm not too concerned about pulling the IRS out again at a later date.

XJ6 caliper

 

Wow! What an awesome workshop! Can't wait to see the finished product!

 

Hand brake calipers ready, rotors ready. Reconditioned calipers arrived yesterday afternoon. Just in time for me head off for a 12 hour nightshift.













I got home from work this morning and decided it was a good time to start assembly.
Rotors and calipers in. In my opinion it is easier to leave the discs loose and fit the calipers before the half shafts and hubs. Gives you more working room.

 

Over axle pipes in next, saves a lot of heart ache later on putting them in place before putting the drive shafts and hubs in.








Hubs in place, just hand brake calipers to go.
Putting the hubs back on is really a 2 person job, but if you persist you can do it on your own.

 

I thought putting the hand brake calipers on my XJ6 was a PITA because I did it with the IRS in the car. I was wrong, it's still a PITA with the IRS out. I gave up for today after doing one.
I couldn't for the life of me get all the holes to line up to bolt the forks in. After an hour or so I gave up and drilled the bolt holes out from 8mm to 9 mm. Forks done in 10 minutes after that.

I used pieces of 1.6 mm plastic to set the calipers, just insert them between the pads and rotor and do up the adjusting bolt until firm then pull them out.
I did this on the XJ6 five years ago because I couldn't see the pads to get a visual setting and they still work perfect now.

I should have the IRS ready to go back in the car tomorrow.

 

Dude -loving this thread!!!
Everything looks great..OMG .. what are you going to throw up next to make our tongues wag?
I feel like rolling in a ball and saying live is not far!!!!!!
One day my shed will happen, so pleased you are living the dream... I bet it feel good.
If I could get my XJS in your shed it would leak all over your floor while we said Hi.. LOL.

 

Nice work. My rear brakes and hand brakes are still waiting for assembly. Did you install new forks and return springs for handbrakes ? I am asking because, my old forks are little deformed (little bent) and I thought install it. New forks are not cheap = 13 euro for 1 pcs.

 

Yep, this new shed feels like living the dream. I would be welcoming you with a beer on one hand and a can of degreaser in the other so you could clean up before you leave.

 

Yes, new forks and return springs. If I'm working with brakes I always put new parts in for peace of mind.
I had to take to the new forks with the hammer and pliers to make them the same deformed shape as the old ones. (and they still didn't fit). I did the same with my XJ6 a few years ago.

I just think putting 34 year old parts back in is asking for trouble. New bolts, pads, springs, forks. They all looked like they would be ok but I won't have to touch the brakes apart from pads for the next 20 years.

Suspension and diff are stayang as they are at the moment because I did a track day in this car not long before it was taken off the road 18 months ago and it performed very well.

(and the diff does say it's OK)

 

Clarke, Thanks for the link to this thread. But I had to make my way through pages of great bike photos before I got here! (I had a Kawasaki H2 in the '70s, and just bought my latest hoon bike a KTM 790 Duke).
Your way of fitting the handbrake up is the best I have seen. Drilling the holes of the keeper plates to 9mm seems a lot better idea than bending the fork tangs.
On the subject of hydraulic brake calipers, mine were so seized up it took 120psi of air pressure to push the pistons out. I then removed all the brake lines, plugged the holes and bead blasted them in my cabinet. After a through washing and with new pistons and seals fitted, I was quite satisfied with them. I have never separated the halves and can see no reason to do so.
John

 

John, I tried up to 120 psi and no pistons out of one caliper. The other came out fairly easy but the bores were so pitted you could lose a small child in the holes.
I had to separate the calipers when I did the XJ6 because they had been on fire so I had them checked for warping by the engineer at work.

 

IRS back in today, just the brakes to bleed tomorrow then ready for Roadworthy Certificate.

 

*Wonderful* thread, Clarke, thank you for the link!
I bet you rattle around like a marble in a barrel in that shed. I do appreciate a *CLEAN* work space.
And, I would expect nothing less than exactly what you have; a place for everything and everything in its place.

Next couple days you'll be able to DRIVE THE WHEELS OFF in a proper manner!
(';')

 

Roadworthy Certificate done today, and sneaky test on back roads near us. Registering tomorrow then drive time

 

Air con sorted and ice cold just in time for a Queensland summer.
New compressor, system checked and repaired/replaced as needed. Complete rewire of system and a new battery for a touch over $1400.
A job I would usually take on myself, but been off work for nearly a month and not able to lift or even pull on a spanner to undo tight bolts I bit the bullet and had the job done.
A big chunk of the cost was parts, so I really only parted with about $250 in labour costs so not too bad in the big picture.

 

Good work Clarke.

What on earth have you done, surely NOT old age.

 

Hey Clarke, Goose is a beauty. How did you hurt yourself? Being down for a month, and still can't pull a wrench / spanner, Hope it isn't a long term thing, cause that would really be a bad thing. Just getting the shop done, and all, then not being able to work in it??? Ouch. I pray your all better soon.

Jack