[Luisv]

I wanted to post this, because frankly, I was having trouble finding a great deal of detail on the SRT8 Brembo brake work. I was also inspired by Junior's 5.7L Brake Step-by-Step. Mine is not as well done, but I hope it helps. If this is duplicated, my apologies. This is a bit photo heavy, but I preferred that than not having enough.

A few notes before I get started in case anyone wants to skip the step-by-step.

- I am going to break this into parts because of the board post limitations.
- The car has 24K miles on it. The reason for the brake job was because I started to get the mechnical wear indicator noise. Once you hear that, you don't have to go running to swap pads, but it's a good idea to get it done reasonably quickly. The tabs give you ample warning.
- I went with Wagner Thermo-Quite pads. Three reasons why. First that make good products and I have used them before on a 2000 Excursion (7,000+ Lbs trick, BTW) and they were great. Second, the Bendix pads seem to be the exact same as the OEM pad but I have to internet order them. I prefer to support local business when I can and it makes sense. The Benidx pads were not available locally. Third, the Wagner are semi-metallic pads and stop as well as the OEM. The bite is great and they don't fade. All good.
- If you can spare it, replace the OEM brake lines. I went with StopTech lines and all I can say is "WOW". The pedal is far more sensitive and the travel is far less to get equal braking. Line pressure seems to be higher (measured from the ECU through guages). They are far better than I expected. Fittament is perfect and they are easy to change. I included the info here as well.
- This has to be the easiest brake job I've ever done. These calipers are awesome to work with and easy to pull/replace pads on.

Some excuses/apologies from the start.

- If I forgot something.....ask. I will write this as clearly as I can, but if I leave anything out, let me know.
- I will spend more time explaining the rears as they are harder to get to and work with. The front process is so similar that it was not worth going into so much detail. Why the rear first? Becuase I followed the bleed sequence to do this. Right Rear, Left Rear, Right Front, Left Front.
- I did this alone and bled the brakes alone. There are write ups for that part, so I won't detail it much. Again, why rewrite what has already been done. The one thing I can say is that I bled it the "commando way". Meaning I pumped till I filled the overflow bottle. Probably more than I needed to. Why? Brake fluid is cheap.
- I am sorry if something seems obvious. I don't know who will read this in the future. What is silly/obvious for somebody it may not be for the next person. Be patient.
- I am not going to detail how I lift the car, safety in that, removal of tires, etc. etc. Please use caution and look up the info. It's available all over the place. I will concentrate on the brakes... not everything else.
- Prepare yourselves with the tools/items you will need. Tools/measurements, I will mention in the text. However, I also wanted to let you know that I used a pan to catch fluid, a bleeder bottle to catch fluid there, I use nitrile gloves (blue "exam" gloves), I have a multitude of rags at hand. I also had a cardboard box (cut to lay flat) under the pan and wheel well to be able to place everything. In short, this is a messy jobs but it is very manageable if you think first.
- If I leave out a tool/bolt measurement/trick, again, let me know. I will clear it up where I can.
- Spelling and photos.... honestly... gift horse... mouth... all I have to say. ;-)

OK... So the process.

The stuff going in. I replaced the rotors. You mileage may vary. I figured for the price, it's worth it and I don't have to worry about it.

Just as FYI, the rear rotor (in front) is not that much smaller. This is the difference. The Caliper is another matter.

1) To start with I popped the hood and got to the master cylinder resevoir. It's under the plastic cover at the base of the windsheild on the drivers side. Clean off the cap before you take it off.
Don't want the nasties in the fluid. I clean mine regularly when I wash the car so that is how mine looks. (yes I am anal) I still wiped it down. I loosen the cap, I don't remove it. Murphy's Law... the leaf will fall from the tree as if it was a laser guided missle!

REMEMBER: Right Rear, Left Rear, Right Front, Left Front.

2) Jack the car up, support it, and get the rear tire off. This is what you should see. The wear is not much after 24K miles. Mine were still true and the wear is even in the center. If you look closely, you'll see the lip (from the wear) is confined to the edges of the rotor.

3) Loosen the caliper and brake line. Since I am replacing the brake lines as well as the pads and rotors, I will have to remove everything. I mention this only beacuse you can replace pads without removing the caliper. I however, will go through the whole thing. Below is the shot of the back (inboard) side of the caliper. The caliper mounting bolts are the white arrows and use an 18mm nut. The brake line attachment bolt is the yellow arrow and uses a 15mm nut. I removed the line first. Fluid will drop out but it's not a big deal (Pan is under it). The lower caliper bolt is next. This
is the worst one of the whole job. It's a tight fit. I used a wrench and tapped it with a rubber mallet. Do-able but be careful not to hit the wrench against the caliper. Just move it about and hold it well. I did not have to really beat it. A couple of medium hits did it for me. Loosen...don't remove yet. THe upper bolt is easier. Again loosen. By loose I mean I can turn them by hand.

4) Going back to the front (outboard side) remove the rotor clips from the lug nuts. You should have two. I discard these as they are not really needed.

5) Now that the caliper and rotor have play, support the caliper and move it about a little. Since you have the brake line out you should be able to compress the pistons a touch without too much trouble. NOTE: Brake fluid can squirt out as you compress the pistons. I had a rag in back to catch the squirt. Once the caliper pistons are in a bit you can move it easily to get the bolts out. You'll move them a bit and you'll see the bolts come out easily. As you begin to loosen them, alternate top to bottom. As you do this you will be able to pull the rotor and caliper out a bit as you go. The reason you do this is that lower bolt. You are blocked by a suspension arm so you'll have to wiggle it out. Be patient, it's easy enough.

6) Once you have the caliper and rotor off you can pull ethe caliper off easily. Once you have it in hand, you can compress the pistons by hand. It's not that tough. REMEMBER: Point the fluid feed hole towards the pan and not near the car so you don't get fluid on the paint! A little hand pressure and you will have all four pistons in.

 

[Luisv]

7) WIth the pistons compressed you can replace the pads. The way this is done is by removing the pins. I put a piece of electrical tape on the outside of the calier. This will protech the finish from the punch you will use to remove them. I press the tape hard so I can see the pins underneath.

You will then use the puch and a hammer to remove the pins. You can do one at a time. Once you have the first out, the retaining spring comes out easily. Clean the spring. Once that is out then tap out the second pin. The pads come out very easily.

8) Remove the shims from the old pads. Clean them off. They will have "Brake Quiet" on them. Basically a sticky grease. You will reuse the shims.

9) The new pads. A note on this. The tabs were on the same side on my right rear. It occurred on the right side. Clearly a screw up from factory. Not a big deal as it's not going to effect the brakes they are the same shape overall. I alternated them as I figured it was the way to go and when I got to the next wheel, it was the case. I applied "Brake Quiet" on the back of the pads (side that is against the pistons) and the back of the shims.

10) Put the pads back into the caliper. They drop in easily. Then you put in one pin. Remember the shims in between the pad and pistons (this is only the case with the rears). Tap that in from the back side (can only go in one way) and seat it all the way with the punch. Place the spring back in and under the first pin. You will then push down on it while putting in the second pin. It will go in snug but easily. Tap the second pin in. Clean the caliper, this is the best it will look! Caliper is done. Place it someplace that will protect that awesome look!

11) Onto the brake line. The rear connection point to the solid lines is under the wheel well cover. Removing the lower push pin is good enough to get access. Once under there, remove the bolt holding the clip. It is a 10mm nut. Once that is off, you can hold the clip (it's attached to the brake line nut) and loosen the solid line nut. That is a 13mm nut. Once you get a half turn loose, it will come off very easily by hand. Yes, brake fulid will drop out, but not a big deal. Take out the old line.

 

[Luisv]

12) The new line uses the same thread as the stock against the chasis mounted solid line. It is also side specific. Make sure to place the right side line on the passenger side of the car. It's a fine thread so be easy on it. It will go in easily so be careful not to strip it. Tighten it down by hand and then the final tighten is done with the 13mm wrench. I tighten about half a turn. It does not need more and the seal will be fine. Do not overtighten this. The caliper side will come in when we put the caliper back on. Reinstall the clip against the chasis using the 10mm bolt.

13) I apply some anti-sieze to the rear axle hub. Rotors will oxidize when on and could stick. This makes life easier for brake job version 2.0.

14) I place the new rotor on the hub and then slide the caliper over the top. If you backed out the pistons all the way the caliper will have ample room to go over the rotor. In fact, it's completely loose. Hold the caliper in place and start the thread on the upper bolt. Once that's in, thread the lower. Note how the caliper is off the mounting and the rotor is out. As you hand tighten the screws, move the rotor and caliper in as a unit. Again, this is because the lower bolt has little room to work with. With patience, it goes in all the way. Once the bolts are hand tight and the caliper is all the way down, tighten the bolts with the 18mm wrench. I used the rubber mallet to do the last tighten. The rotor will still have some room to move. This is normal and will go away as soon as you bleed and close the lines.

15) Next reattatch the brake line. The StopTech kits comes with new bolts. Use them. New washers as well. Put them in as shown and attatch the brake line to the caliper. This time the bolt tightens with a 12mm wrench. The StopTech kits use a 12mm bolt head. Thread it and hand tighten. The last tighten only needs about 15 ft/lbs of torque. It's not very much. Don't over tighten it.

16) Bleed the brakes. Again, I won't go into detail here as there are various writeups already. What I will say is that the rears have two bleed valves. Make sure to bleed the back (inboard) valve first, then the front (outboard) valve. Also, like I said above, bleed the crap out of it. Brake fluid is cheap and you'll be sure to have the air out. Take your time and do this right. Remember to keep topping off the master cylinder. Final look with the brakes.

Move onto the left rear and do the exact same thing as described above.
The Front. By comparison, the front will seem like you are working in a stadium vs working in a closet. The front is far easier to do. The biggest difference is when you replace the brake lines. Since you are closer to the master cylinder, more fluid will flow when the bolts are loose. Be careful and have that pan ready but you will be fine. Just a little messier.

1) To start with make sure to loosen the cap, I don't remove it.

REMEMBER: Right Front and Left Front is last.

2) Jack the car up, support it, and get the wheel off. This is what you should see.

3) Loosen the caliper and brake line. Below is the shot of the back (inboard) side of the caliper. The caliper mounting bolts are the white arrows and use an 21mm nut up front.The brake line attachment bolt is the yellow arrow and uses a 15mm nut. I removed the line first. More fluid will drop out than you saw in the rear. It's not a big deal (Pan is under it). What i did, that was diffferent from the rear, was to put a rubber glove over the end of the brake line. Essentially a balloon around the tip. The fluid will no longer drip and you can keep working. The lower caliper
bolt is next. I used a wrench and tapped it with a rubber mallet. Do-able but be careful not to hit the wrench against the caliper. Just move it about and hold it well. I did not have to really beat it. A couple of medium hits did it for me. Loosen... don't remove yet. The upper bolt is easier. Again loosen. By loose I mean I can turn them by hand.

4) Going back to the front (outboard side) remove the rotor clips from the lug nuts. You should have two. I discard these as they are not really needed.

5) Now that the caliper and rotor have play, support the caliper and move it about a little. Since you have the brake line out you should be able to compress the pistons a touch without too much trouble. NOTE: Brake fluid can squirt out as you compress the pistons. I had a rag in back to catch the squirt. Once the caliper pistons are in a bit you can move it easily to get the bolts out. You'll move them a bit and you'll see the bolts come out easily. As you begin to loosen them, alternate top to bottom. As you do this you will be able to pull the rotor and caliper out a bit as you go. The reason you do this is that lower bolt. You are blocked by a suspension arm so you'll have to wiggle it out. Be patient, it's easy enough.

6) Once you have the caliper and rotor off you can pull ethe caliper off easily. Once you have it in hand, you can compress the pistons by hand. It's not that tough. REMEMBER: Point the fluid feed hole towards the pan and not near the car so you don't get fluid on the paint! A little hand pressure and you will have all four pistons in.

7) WIth the pistons compressed you can replace the pads. The way this is done is by removing the pins. I put a piece of electrical tape on the outside of the calier. This will protect the finish from the punch you will use to remove them. I press the tape hard so I can see the pins underneath. You will then use the puch and a hammer to remove the pins. You can do one at a time. Once you have the first out, the retaining spring comes out easily. Clean the spring. Once that is out then tap out the second pin. The pads come out very easily. There are no shims on the pads up front.

8) Prepare the new pads. I applied "Brake Quiet" on the back of the pads (side that is against the pistons). Again, no shims to worry about here.

9) Put the pads back into the caliper. They drop in easily. Then you put in one pin. Tap that in from the back side (can only go in one way) and seat it all the way with the punch. Place the spring back in and under the first pin. You will then push down on it while putting in the second pin. It will go in snug but easily. Tap the second pin in. Clean the caliper, this is the best it will look! Caliper is done. Place it someplace that will protect that awesome look!

10) Onto the brake line. The front connection point to the solid lines is easily visible up front. What keeps it in place is a pressure clip. Before you remove the clip, loosen the solid line nut. The braket stops the line from rotating. It is a 13mm nut. Once that is loose, remove the clip. Then remove the solid line completely. Again, more fluid will flow.

11) Before installing the StopTech line, cover the caliper end with a glove or baloon again. This will stop the dripping while you put it back together. The new line uses the same thread as the stock against the chasis mounted solid line. It is also side specific. Make sure to place the right side line on the passenger side of the car. It's a fine thread so be easy on it. It will go in easily so be careful not to strip it. Tighten it down by hand and then the final tighten is done with the 13mm wrench. I tighten about half a turn. It does not need more and the seal will be fine. Do not overtighten this. The caliper side will come in when we put the caliper back on. Use the original pressure clip to hold the connector in place.

12) Once you have the line connected to the solid line, you will need to mount the line to the suspension. This is different from the rear where the line just floats there. Since you turn the front wheels there is a routing clip. Here I took a step that was not needed. The Stoptech kit comes with the clips needed (one is on the brake line itself) but I decided to modify the stock clip. This is up to you. The stock clip holds the brake line and the ABS sensor line. I like the setup. So what I did was cut the stock brake line holder and kept the lower portion. I then used the Stoptech
over it. See the photos below.

13) I apply some anti-sieze to the front axle hub. Rotors will oxidize when on and could stick. This makes life easier for brake job version 2.0.

14) I place the new rotor on the hub and then slide the caliper over the top. If you backed out the pistons all the way the caliper will have ample room to go over the rotor. In fact, it's completely loose. Hold the caliper in place and start the thread on the upper bolt and hand tighten. Once that's in, thread the lower and hand tighten. Tighten the bolts with the 21mm wrench. I used the rubber mallet to do the last tighten. The rotor will still have some room to move. This is normal and will go away as soon as you bleed and close the lines.

15) Next reattatch the brake line. The StopTech kits comes with new bolts. Use them. New washers as well. Put them in as shown and attatch the brake line to the caliper. This time the bolt tightens with a 12mm wrench. The StopTech kits use a 12mm bolt head. Thread it and hand tighten. The last tighten only needs about 15 ft/lbs of torque. It's not very much. Don't over tighten it.

16) Bleed the brakes. Again, I won't go into detail here as there are various writeups already. What I will say is that the rears have two bleed valves. Make sure to bleed the back (inboard) valve first, then the front (outboard) valve. Also, like I said above, bleed the crap out of it. Brake fluid is cheap and you'll be sure to have the air out. Take your time and do this right.

That's it..... for now. I am sure you all will find a great deal I left out, but feel free to let me know and I will clear it up. Hope this helps those looking for info...

 

[mnunes]

Nice write-up! :bigthumb:

 

[Vito]

Ballin write up...Thanks

 

[DynoXG]

Awesome write up! I would love to upgrate to srt brakes in the future. Thanks!

 

[sector 2]

Awesome write up, Luis.....thanx

 

[rodneyiii]

Excellent work! I know this takes a lot of time to put together. There are a few "That's what she said" worthy phrases scattered throughout your write-up so that keeps things lively (Just move it about and hold it well.).

I may have missed the info but, what brand of rotors did you install?

Thanks.

 

[Luisv]

Thanks everyone.... glad you liked it and I hope it helps...

As for the upgrade to the Bremobo/SRT8 setup.... I would highly recommend it. Remember, if you do though... remember to check the whole system.. I don't know if the master cylinder and ABS are the same...

Excellent work! I know this takes a lot of time to put together. There are a few "That's what she said" worthy phrases scattered throughout your write-up so that keeps things lively (Just move it about and hold it well.).

I may have missed the info but, what brand of rotors did you install?

Thanks.

The rotors are the Mopar originals. The originals held up really well. No warp to them and the wear was low. The price was also pretty impressive. I paid less than $90 each for the rotors. Considering the brake pad prices, I thought that was a bargain.

 

[GLHS837]

Very good show. I never use a line (flare nut) wrench, but if you are the fumble fingered sort who rounds off bolts by just looking at them, buy a set. Cheap insurance. Look like this.

 

[sonicdevice]

Nice thread specially because I'm a fan of Brembo brakes, I run it on my Dodge with wagner brake pads Brembo brakes are very responsive, but I've had no 'hard' braking effect on my Dodge.I have had plenty of times when I've had to brake suddenly, but it's always been a very quick, but smooth braking.
The only negative point I have about Brembo brakes is that there's a heck of a lot of brake dust comes off them. But that's not really an issue the trick is stock brakes will be fine, but personally, I prefer something with a bit more trust factor built in, and for me, that's Brembo. Plus they add a little something to the look of the car too.

 

[VP_07SRT8]

i did the passenger side today (rear) and have a few questions:
I used hawk pads, stop tech lines, and brembo rotors

- The line runs behind the two but it rubs on the top one for me or at least is very close to it, is this normal?

- does it matter if i bleed the front valve first or last on the caliper?

- does anyone have more pics of their rear line set ups and room?

 

[Luisv]

i did the passenger side today (rear) and have a few questions:
I used hawk pads, stop tech lines, and brembo rotors

- The line runs behind the two but it rubs on the top one for me or at least is very close to it, is this normal?

- does it matter if i bleed the front valve first or last on the caliper?

- does anyone have more pics of their rear line set ups and room?

OK... on the first question... I am not clear as to "the two"... what do you mean? Picture? The line does run close to the swaybar and suspension, but does not touch. You should be fine.

On the second question. The order does matter. Make sure to bleed the back (inboard) valve first. This is the case only on the rear. The front only have one bleed valve.

If you go to the original post, go to the 6th pic on the 3rd post. After #15 on the instructions. It's not very clear but you can see the path I run the line in... again, the line runs close to, but not touching the suspension. Close is about an inch.

One last thing on that... the line can be "positioned" by using the connection to the caliper. The line is rigid for the first few inches. If you loosen the bolt you can move the line up or down by pointing the connection up or down. The line is rigid enough to stay in place but will flex as the suspension travels.

OK?

 

[VP_07SRT8]

thx helped alot. i wrapped the lines where they could rub against the sway bar. almost forgot to check the direction of the rotors lol

 

[un4givun2]

Dude.....you rock! I can only imagine how much time this took to write up. Good Job!

 

[Luisv]

Dude.....you rock! I can only imagine how much time this took to write up. Good Job!

Thanks... not a problem... I just did not find another write up that detailed so I figured I share what I learned....

There are a couple of others out there... write ups... the most recent one is a belly pan mod...

 

[Pippen129]

I had a rag in back to catch the squirt.

-Nice. Another of those 'That's what she said' lines.

 

[Luisv]

-Nice. Another of those 'That's what she said' lines.

From the entire write up.... that's what you get??????? :clap: Really?!?!

Hell... at least I know you read every line.... :bigthumb:

 

[Dodge Driver]

Great report. :clap:
You used OEM Rotors?
Are the Front Brake Pads Wagner MX1149?

 

[Luisv]

Great report. :clap:
You used OEM Rotors?
Are the Front Brake Pads Wagner MX1149?

Yes... OEM Rotors and the Wagners are MX1149's...