Reply to "Installing Brake Kit"

Things are working out. The machinist pressed the old rotors off and the old bearings out. He's a former professor at the local technical college, and he studied the drawings I brought him. We decided it's best to use new original ball bearings. He said water got in the bearings and caused bearing failure. I can probably get another 10 years out of new ball bearings, so I'm planning to do all this again in 2015. The bearing races hadn't spun, but there was some discoloring from heat, with otherwise good condition of the axles, good spline teeth, etc. He found some and tried to charge me a little more than I found them for. Somehow from the POCA grawings he guessed it's a Pantera and charged me, I saw his evil grin, hehehe. Pantera, eh, he can afford to pay a little more, and I can use money.... So I cut a cost from his bill. Machinist's they do cool work.

Another machinist did a hot dog job on my new cross-drilled slotted rotors. I see how they work now. The directional rotor vanes spin one way, and the holes spin the other way. Every vane has an air outlet drilled into it. Let's heat out every hole. The slots go the same direction as the spin on the holes. Everything is chamferd, nice smoth edges. The new rotors are 1/16" larger diameter, hope that's not going to be a problem, don't need them dragging on the free floating calipers.

A trip to AutoZone and new 27100 Red Permatex Threadlocker. Glad I remembered to get a new cigarette lighter to wire up and attach the G-Tech Meter to for power and rpm input.

Two 3/4" 500 ft/lb torque wrenchs lined up, and a trip to the machinist with the CDS rotors and hats to press back on the the axles and bring the new bearings before the end of the week and I'm ready to install newly rebuilt rear uprights, new locking axle nuts, new half shaft bolts, new rotors assy included on uprights, and this is good for another 40,000 miles or 10 years. Have to stay out of the rain, even though the zinc coated rotors won't rust. Bearings, body rust, and several other reasons to stay out of the rain, inside window fogging, questionable windshield wipers... lot's of reasons to avoid rain and wet.

It's not a perfect world. The brake rotor guy forgot to throw in the 'hardware' in the box. That's the socket head screws and lock nuts for the rotors/hat connections. Glad to see the 'hardware' fit from the undrilled vaned rotors (now back-up rotors) to the new rotors. Really glad.

Still have a little leeway for other, unforeseen things that might happen. And without looking at the instructions, figure out my newly arrived G-Tech Meter. How many rear wheel horsepower are coming off this Tacoma 4X4 anyway? I know a way to get the maximum ponies from the truck, clean out the airfilter and clean off the MASS air flow sensor. Last time I did that, I know it ran a lot stronger, and got better mileage again. Gotta, things to do.

And Coz, leave those X-Ray glasses at home, the gizmo's box says "Magnetic Media' DO NOT X-RAY.
;-)