What all do you need to replace the front and rear brakes of a 1984 cutlass supreme?

Answer 1

a basic tool set and potentially an Allen head key for the front calipers (very common on GM vehicles, I think its a 3/8 but the auto parts store should be able to tell you exactly).

check you brake fluid and make sure its not all the way full, if its low, its likely to go back up when you do the brakes so don't top it off till you are completely done.

Pull the Emergency Brake (e-brake) and lift the front of the vehicle and place a jack stand underneath it, if a jack stand is not available put the wheel underneath it just in case(not as safe as a jack stand) you can do the brakes up front 2 ways:

• take a large flat head screw driver and place in into the hole at the outer edge of the caliper and use a gentile prying motion to push the caliper piston into its inside position.

• or you can use a large c clamp, and clamp the back of the caliper with the outer brake pad, and slowly send the piston back to the inside position.

Either way is fine, depending what you have you may need to use the screwdriver, that's my preferred method, it may tear up the old pads a little but they are getting trashed and replaced anyway so no harm done. once you have the caliper piston reset you can loosen one of the caliper bolts and swing the caliper off the mounting bracket (look at the brake hose and make sure the caliper will swing without putting too much stress on the hose, if that cant be achieved remove both bolts). then pull the old pads and put on the new ones(make sure to matched the old ones with the new ones, like if it has a squeal pin or something, use common sense to make sure nothing is gonna be in a bind). the n drop the caliper back on and tighten it up, make sure to thread by hand first to avoid cross threading the bolts. once its don, go on to the other side and its the same as the previous..

when it comes to the rear, it can be a nightmare,, lots of little parts springs clips and adjustments, if you don't know how to do it, pay someone.. if you seriously want to attempt it... Keep Reading

the rear brakes you have drums, you are gonna need a few out of the normal tools you are gonna need drum specific tool, its used to stretch and snap the springs on and off the pins as well as adjust the adjuster.. i use a pair of good locking needle nose pliers.. also make sure you get a brake hardware kit so you have all the new springs and clips, springs are often reusable but the clips tend to get rusty and crusty..

First and foremost, block the front wheels so the car doesn't roll (you will loose park and your emergency brake as soon as you lift the rear end) once its on the jack stand take the wheels off used the e-brake if you need to once the wheels are off make sure the e-brake is off and pull the drums off, if the drums are stuck you are gonna to have to loosed the adjustment from a tiny hole in the back of the drum plate usually about 1/4 in tall and an inch or so wide, once you have them loosened take the drum off and take multiple pictures, then take off all the parts(make sure to keep the pads/shoes separated front shoe stays up front ans rear shoes stays to the rear, some cars the front and rear shoes a slightly different) and replace them using the pictures you took as a guide, its like a puzzle that I cant help you through.. make sure the pads go in exactly how they came out, some cars all 4 shoes are the same, some its 2 and 2. if its 2 and 2 one pair will have more friction material on it, whether it be a longer surface area or a thicker pad, just make sure to match it up. once you are done replacing all the parts triple check everything then put the drum back on, and put 2 or 3 lug nuts on to keep it tight, and spin it if it spins free good if not take it back off and adjust the adjuster looser.. you want it to barely kiss the drum as you spin it.. then when everything is adjusted and you are ready for the test drive.... PUMP the brakes several times, its gonna be soft since the front pads are not touching the rotor yet.. pump several times after the pedal gets harder just to be on the safe side, then pull the e-brake several time and pump the brakes more. once you think everything feels good go to a parking lot or a less traveled street, you want to drive and brake, drive and brake, drive and brake harder, then do the same in reverse (by cycling the brake you are forcing the brakes to adjust themselves to the proper adjustment) one all is done check your e-brake and adjust the cable if necessary (you shouldn't be able to move with the e-brake on, if the car can more in gear with you hitting the gas, the rear brakes are too loose).