make sure your using a deadblow hammer, BUT
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This information is taken from the Talon Digest Archives, and was originally posted by Ian Jordan. Although I haven’t personally used this technique, I wish I had, after cracking a rotor during my BigBrake install, and after hearing how well this technique worked. Here’s his account, just cleaned up a bit:
I was doing the Big Brake upgrade a week or two ago, and I spent about two days trying to get the damned driver’s side rotor off. I used the “bolt in the removal hole” trick, but, as expected, it just ripped off the face of the rotor. Big chunks of metal, rotor stayed on. I tried heat, slamming on the brakes with loose lugs, a rubber mallet, a 3lb hand sledge, a chisel, and just about everything else I could think of. The rotor never came off. I literally spent 15 hours trying to get it off. Just for more info, the size for the rotor removal holes is 8 x 1.25, not 8 x 1.0 as listed in the archives. Don’t even bother though. Also, my '93 calipers have 10mm bleeder screws, while my friend’s 95 have 7mm screws. That’s info for Speedbleeder upgrades. 10mm all around for 1st gens, 7mm in the front for 2nd gens, 10 in the back. (TS- Actually, some of the later 1G BigBrakes also have 7mm bleeders, and some 2Gs might have 7mm in the back, so it is best to throw a wrench/socket on them to be sure.)
I’m an engineer so I engineered a solution. Here it is: The caliper bolts to the hub via two holes in the hub mounting bracket, right? Well, if you look carefully, these holes line up with the very inside of the rotor where the rotor and hat meet at a 90 degree angle. So I went out and bought 14mm bolts and nuts. I put these in the caliper bracket holes and tightened the whole system down. The idea is that the nut ends up pushing against the caliper mounting bracket, and the tip of the bolt pushes against the rotor. Use a box-end wrench to hold the nut, and turn the bolts with a ratchet and socket. Tighten the bolts very tight, and then let off. Rotate the rotor 90 degrees and tighten down again. Keep repeating this until the rotor walks off.
NOTE 1: Someone else has noted that 14mm bolts were too large, he used 12mm. He also used regular pitch 12mm bolts instead of fine pitch, they were much cheaper (the pitch used doesn’t matter since you don’t want them screwing into the bracket, you want them fitting loosely through the threads in the bracket)
NOTE 2: Someone else has noted that what worked the best was the super hard, pointed tip, OEM “knuckle to strut” nuts and bolts (part # - MB871888 - he had already removed them, and found they fit perfectly). Using these instead lets you tighten without worring about screwing up threads on the bolt (the tip is pointed with no threads at the end). Because it’s pointed, it is suggested that you put a washer between the tip and the rotor, so you don’t chip tiny pieces off of the rotor (trust him, it’s strong enough to do that!
Removing rotors with 14mm bolts
This system worked great. I killed the first rotor trying to get it off, denting it, breaking it, and I spent forever doing this. Once I tried the bolts, it took 30 minutes. I went over to the passenger side, and it took 45 minutes, with no damage to the rotor except a couple very small dents where the bolt made contact with the rotor. Obviously I loosened the driver’s side with all my pounding. The dents that were on the rotor are so close to the inside that they aren’t in the path of the pad. The rotors would be reusable if they weren’t so damn small
Other suggestions:
* Put the lugnuts on, and tighten all the way down against the rotor. Back them of a millimeter or so. This allows you to see if you are making any progress with any removal system. You can see the rotor press up against the lugnuts, which means the rotor moved. Obviously, when you see the rotor against the lugnuts, back the lugnuts off a bit.
* Lightly file the edge of the hub once the rotor is off. This will allow for easy removal any time in the future.
* Use anti-seize on the edge and front face of the hub to prevent future problems - put a thin layer on, and wipe it off with a cloth, leaving a very thin layer that you can see through on the hub face/edge (basically leave the hub a shiny grey color without leaving a layer of anti-seize behind). Use nickel-based anti-seize if you can get it (Locktite 77, available at NAPA) instead of the standard aluminum-based anti-seize, as the nickel is good to 2600 degrees, but the aluminum is only good to 1700.
* Make sure you use 8.8 or 8.9 grade bolts.
* I only used one bolt on each side, even though the picture shows two. I'm not sure which system would work better.
* Make sure you have enough bolts, since I toasted the tips of the bolts when I used them, leading to the destruction of the threads when pulling them out of the holes. They also got bent. Have separate bolts for each side.
* Use anti-seize on the lugnut studs before putting the wheels back on the car - using a heavy layer here doesn't hurt. Just rub it into the threads all the way around the stud, then wipe it off with a cloth (along the length of the stud, not with the threads, to leave a decent layer in the threads).
Anyway, anyone every trying to get a rotor of the front of a DSM should try this. It works fast, it doesn’t trash rotors, and should be easier on the wheel bearings than pounding on the rotor for hours on end. Good luck!