How to Put on Bullet-Proof Suspension Paint

[mrrsm]

UPDATE - 09-12-2017:
Because of the problem of lost links to the separate placement of Digital Images throughout all these posts, I consolidated ALL 300 PICTURES of this work chronologically at my Photobucket:

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Because this topic can be applied to ANY vehicle suspension, no matter how super-rusted super-encrusted and awful looking the front end components of your suspension have become, the example parts being shown here are from my 1993 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. This is a project that has taken me about five years to gradually accumulate all of the necessary brand new components and assembling them on or attaching these new parts and fasteners to anything that is rusted, busted, corroded and just generally ugly looking co-components is simply out of the question.

I am not suggesting that anyone follow in my footsteps with the idea that "everything must be NEW"... because the components involved in THIS display are NOT new by any stretch of the imagination! But I can guarantee you that if you follow the procedures I am about to describe, those "Old and Busted" components that make up the core of your front suspension will look like "New Hotness" when you have finished with everything that follows...and they will Never, Ever Rust Again:

"How hard do I have to work to get the Rust Removed from EVERYTHING that is involved?"

All I did to conquer SO MUCH RUST was do this:

(1) Purchase a 5 Gallon Container of "Evapo-Rust" Non-Toxic & Practically Odor-Free ($88.00)

(2) Purchase a 1 Gallon Bottle of "Purple Power" as a Parts Degreaser ($15.00 )
(3) Purchase the Full-Size "POR-15 Black Gloss Rust Proofing Paint Kit" ($80.00)
(4) Get an empty, over-sized Chlorine Pellet Plastic Tall Container and Scrub it Clean.
(5) Take ALL of your Cast Iron or Steel front end components and Degrease them with Purple Power. Rinse them down with water and hand dry them (NO OIL SPRAY)
(6) Take all of your fasteners and brake lines and drop them in as well. (Nothing with any Aluminum).
(7) Wash all of these components BEFORE using the Evapo-Rust and ensure they are oil, dirt & grease free.
(8) Take EVERYTHING and figure out how to stack them all inside the Tall Plastic Container. Crowd them in!
(9) Pour in as much of the "Evapo-Rust" as needed to completely submerge all the components.
(10) DO NOT INCLUDE ANY BRAKE CALIPERS OR OTHER COMPONENTS MADE OF ALUMINUM!
(11) Place the Tall Bucket Cover on top of it... and walk away... Leave the bucket alone for an overnight soak.
(12) After a 24 Hour Bath... Remove every component...but DO NOT WASH THEM DOWN WITH WATER!
(14) Use a Hand Wire Brush or Wire Wheel and LIGHTLY go over each and every piece, top to bottom.
(15) (Thats right ... I skipped a certain number... I'm superstitious ....so as not to Jinx this Project)
(16) If you can see remaining Patches of Rust... just drop the items back into the Big Bucket to soak again.
(17) For the rest of the finished items that pass inspection... Wipe them with a Clean Rag & DIP again.
(18) Set the components on a clean space to allow the "Evapo-Rust" to Air Dry to prevent forming new rust.
(19) For Long Term Storage, Use a Water-Displacing Lubricant Either Kroil's or WD-40 NOT MOTOR OIL AS IT WILL ALLOW WATER TO SEEP UNDERNEATH THE FILM AND KEEP ON RUSTING!
(20) The Finished and Prepared Metal Surfaces are now ready for the application of POR-15 Products.

The next installment will be the use of a POR-15 Small Sample Kit for demonstration purposes on some of the smaller Cast Iron Brake Components... within the next day or so...

 

[mrrsm]

"Happy 2016 To All Who Dwell... at GMT Nation...!"

Part 2... The Basics of Painting and Protecting Bare Ferrous Metals:

The very thing that makes our amazing planet capable of sustaining all life is that we have an incredibly thin, 100 Mile Deep outer atmospheric layer that if carved out from the edge of space in an extended, One Inch Square Tube that ends right where you are standing in your driveway or if sitting on a Bathroom Scale, that Square Tube of AIR weighs in at just under Fifteen Pounds (14.7 Lbs... Per Square Inch at Sea Level). This chaotic and constantly moving atmospheric body of gas around our unique planet is comprised of approximately 70% Inert Nitrogen, 22% Oxygen with about 2% Carbon Dioxide and the Remaining volume of air contains the rest of the various gases such as Helium and Argon as Trace Elements along with a myriad number of gaseous organic compounds such as Chlorinated Hydro-Carbons, Sulfur-Dioxide and so forth...

Although many of these elemental gases are very chemically and corrosively active... The Prime Mover in our Story of Corrosion and Rust is: Oxygen...and how it loves to interact with Ferrous Metals such as Cast Iron and Mild Steel. This gas, known as O2 (Ohh Too) by its Nick-Name, has an Atomic Structure that absolutely enjoys combining with anything made of Iron and steel by means of a kind of "Slow Burning"... that we commonly refer to as "Oxidation". In doing so, the chemistry of this interaction forms a substance that no air breathing life form on this planet can do without: Ferrous (Ferric) Oxide (Fe2O3)... which is the ubiquitous compound we commonly call... RUST.

Now you might well wonder how "RUST" is capable of keeping you alive... but a brief look into your bloodstream will reveal that in Human Physiology, the Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide transport mechanism working each and every time that you inhale ambient air with Oxygen and exhale Carbon Dioxide and Water Vapour... are the millions of Fe2O3 molecules to be found inside the Hemoglobin of each and every Red Blood Cell circulating through your lung capillaries and distributed by your Heart, Arteries, Veins along with other Capillaries that end up at your extremities as being so tiny that in some cases, the Red Blood Cells have to pass through them in Single File! These little O2 friendly cells are constantly travelling throughout your adult blood volume of approximately Ten Pints... keeping you very much... alive.

Okay... So you might well say "Thanks!" to "RUST" for making all of this even possible... but sitting out in your driveway is "Your Baby"... Your favourite, Car, Truck or Less-Then-Four Wheel Ride...and if given the chance...that same exact resulting action of "Slow Burning" Oxidation... would slowly and surely dissolve each and every last piece of Cast Iron and Steel into a Two-Ton Pile.... of Fe2O3. We all know this phenomena happens constantly all over this planet, regardless of whether your location is high upon a cool mountain top... or down below upon a burning hot and Dry Desert (although RUSTING happens there at a very much lower rate) and finally, wherever you find yourself riding upon... or submerged below either fresh water...or the even more corrosion conducive, electrically conductive environment of the Salty Oceans and Seas... RUST will inevitably occur everywhere on The Earth unless we do something to prevent it from happening. And that understanding brings us finally to the next steps:

Part 3: "What Can Be Done to STOP RUST from Destroying Our Rides?"

There can be no other area of human endeavor in which so much time, effort and attention to details must be invested first... well before you actually get to DO the intended job at hand than 'PAINTING BARE CAST IRON AND STEEL". And once again... our old and omni-present enemy and companion on this ride: RUST... is ever-vigilant in watching your every single move... watching and waiting for you to make the slightest mistake... and if given the slightest chance... RUST will invariably creep in and under your work and ruin your efforts to paint and protect the various car panels and individual components made of Cast Iron and Steel that comprise most of the durable parts of your ride.

The truth is that for the most part... you can purchase a quantity of the Most Lustrous and Beautiful and Ultra-High Quality Paint...and RUST will laugh right in your face ...because he knows that you will probably be hasty and forget that the following most important features of the job are at hand if you are going to win the battle with RUST:

(1) Unless chemically created to De-Rust when coating Bare Ferrous metals (Like POR-15 and Rust-o-Leum)... PAINT WILL NOT STICK OR ADHERE OR BOND TO BARE UNTREATED METALS... ESPECIALLY CAST IRON AND MILD STEEL.

(2) The Very First Order of Operations when cleaning and preparing Bare Metals for Painting is that ALL OF THE RUST MUST FIRST BE REMOVED AS WELL AS ENSURING THE METAL SURFACES ARE CLEANED. Removing RUST by means of a Non-Toxic, Non-Corrosive, Non-Poisonous and Non-Destructive Deep Chemical Removal Method is preferred to either sanding or using any abrasive or grinding methods that can reduce the thickness and strength of the surfaces in need of painting protection and invariably... they leave particulate contaminants behind. And of course this cool part... YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIFT A FINGER AND CAN USE THAT TIME FOR OTHER JOBS!

(3) Once cleaned of all RUST and Residues of Dirt, Fine Metal Particles, Grit, Oil or Grease... THE SURFACES OF BARE METALS MUST NOT BE TOO SMOOTH OR SHINY AND MUST BE COVERED WITH AN ADHERANT PRIMER BEFORE APPLYING ONE DROP OF PAINT TO THE AREAS.

(4) The Biggest Mistake a Painter can make is TRYING TO GET THE ENTIRE PAINTING JOB DONE IN ONE APPLICATION OR COATING. This is obviously very challenging work... otherwise your Grandmother would be out in the front yard painting with her walker, painting her 65 Cadillac "Hot Rod Red" with a Four Inch House Painter's Brush... and...it would look AWESOME... So why rush things?

(5) APPLY EACH LAYER OF PAINT IN THIN COATS... and follow the manufacturers' recommendations for the required waiting time frames between the applications of consecutive coats of paint. The Rule of Thumb is you should see the BARE METAL GRADUALLY DISAPPEARS AS YOU PAINT...EVEN FOR PRIMER PAINTS.

(6) You must have all of the required Site Preparations completed to Contain Over-spray and avoid wind-blown dirt particles from adhering to recently prepared and painted surfaces. You must ensure the health and safety of yourself and others...especially when applying any kind of spray mechanism and in particular...whenever applying Epoxy Based Paints. This means isolating your work area away from children, family and visitors to avoid exposing them to airborne carcinogenic chemical contaminants. You should have the correct level of Air Breathing Masks, Gloves and Garments that will protect your "surfaces" from modern paints that are so adherent on human skin that the paint has to wear off before it will come off.

(7) Beyond the actual secondary reason for painting bare metal surfaces to make them "look pretty" is the fact that When All Ferrous Metals RUST... They Lose their Structural Integrity and Strength. Rusting Cast Iron Heads and Metal Gaskets lose their integrity and leak combustion chamber gases and water jacket coolants and rarely (since all oils retard rust) adjacent oil leaks. Body panels begin to vibrate and shake as their underlying structures are dissolved by Road Salts and acids and RUST. Body and Fender Fasteners become loose and rattle with every bump from the roadway. Metal Components held together by Torqued Fasteners come apart as the threads on Studs, Bolts and Nuts RUST AWAY.

(8) And then we come to the most critical components that allow you to propel and control the vehicle, such as when Rusting Needle Bearings in U-Joints completely dissolve into Reddish Brown Powder causing drive-shafts to fall dangerously out of the bottom of the vehicle. But the real danger can also come from Rusting Ball Joints that can literally fall apart and leave a driver without the means to control the vehicle at all highway speeds.

The next chapter will involve preparing the finally Rust Free components for Painting Using the Por-15 Products shown in the attached images.

 

[mrrsm]

Part 4: Preparing the Parts Prior to Painting:

Okay... so we are now at the point where the Old, Cast Iron Suspension Components have been cleaned and scrubbed; first with a powerful De-Greaser to remove Oil, Dirt and Filth and then with a Deep Bath in the Non-Toxic Evapo-Rust Chemical soup...and after pulling out the pieces and allowing them to dry... then we must be ready for painting....Right?

Nope....

Believe it or not... as clean as the metal surfaces appear to be in that first batch of photos... we are a LONG ways away from being ready to paint.. .and here is why: They are all just FILTHY! Look at the attached images for a view of what happened to the the once White Hand Towel that I used during the "Kitchen Sink De-Greaser Wash Time" phase of cleaning that is the next step for us to take. Yes... you CAN use your Kitchen Sink as THE place to do BOTH of the POR-15 Metal Prepping Procedures.

Using Common Sense and Care...You just have to clear the sink area of any food consumption items, dishes...especially silverware and be careful not to splash the contents in the two POR-15 Bottles.You will need Eye Protection and Nitrile Gloves during both events. I just found a very small Plastic Drip Pan to nest in the bottom of the sink and filled it about half way up with Extremely Hot Tap Water (think 140 Degrees here...) to assist our "De-Greasing" efforts and act catalytically to accelerate the chemical cleaning activity.

Next... I used about half of the small bottle of the Marine Green De-Greaser liquid and then laid in all four of the Cast Iron Front and Rear Brake Brackets and using what was once a Pure White Hand Towel as a means to aggressively scrub and collect any particles of ANYTHING embedded into the extensive, pock-marked casting surface areas of each cast Iron Piece... I went to work on scrubbing them like Hell after I put on a pair of "Hardy 9 Mil Size XL Nitrile Gloves" and Glasses. Do not skip the Safety Suggestions here... Please.

After letting the parts soak in the De-greaser for another 10 Minutes... I then used just Hot Tap Water and gloved finger tips to wash all of the De-Greaser down the drain. Since the pieces are such excellent conductors of Heat as well as Electricity, they all heated up to the point of steaming once removed from the Hot Water (Agua Caliente). I used regular Bounty Hand Towels to PAT DRY the items and sat them on the kitchen counter on the same paper towels to "smoking hot air dry". Now just repeat this entire procedure on BOTH the Left and Right Suspension Knuckles.

Now this is the point where you will realize the value of the Devil in the Details when you drain the pan in the sink and see all of the Dirt, Trace Metal Deposits and "GOK" (God Only Knows) that was once embedded into all those pocked Cast Iron metal Surfaces... just look at what happened to the White Cloth... the Gray Color is coming from the metal particles that went from the deep metal surfaces... deep into the cloth fabric... and so it is better THERE than left on the metal to conspire at loosening the coming coating of Black POR-15 Paint.

After a sufficient amount of Drying Time... clean out the small plastic pan and leave it bone dry in the bottom of the sink and put on another FRESH PAIR of "Hardy 9 Mil Size XL for me... for you..??? Nitrile Gloves". Why...? Because it will be CHEAP INSURANCE AGAINST CONTAMINATING THE CAST IRON PIECES DURING THE SECOND PHASE... THEY COME AS 50 GLOVES PER BOX...AND THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO GO CHEAP ON YOURSELF!

Cap and put away the "Marine Green" Bottle and after you pour the Used Dirty De-Greaser Liquid into an EMPTY AND CLEAN Gallon Jug for the next use of it... wipe down all surfaces of your work area so that during the second POR-15 Procedure... you don't accidentally transfer ANY chemicals or contaminates FROM your Work Field TO the Work Pieces.

Next, place all of the Cast Iron Brake Brackets back into the small dry pan and open the small Blue Bottle of "Prep and Ready" and set it down in the far corner of the sink where it won't get knocked over... Just loosen the cap for now. Again... MAKE SURE YOU ARE WEARING EYE PROTECTION AND NITRILE GLOVES! Take the Bristle Brush NOT the Black Foam Applicator and after uncapping the "Prep and Read" Bottle, tip it and pour a small amount on the Brush Bristles and let it soak in.

Set the open bottle in the corner of the sink... NOT inside the plastic pan... or it will get knocked over. Begin slowly applying this Highly Chemically Acidic mix of Zinc and Phosphates that will gradually burn their way into the surfaces of the Cast Iron Parts and literally RUST THEM ALL OVER AGAIN... But THIS time... The ZINC and Phosphates will penetrate all the metal surfaces and wind up etching them in such a way that it accomplishes two things:

(1) The Chemical Rusting will stop any future progression of atmospheric rusting.
(2) The Chemical Rusting will leave an antagonized, rough-looking surface that will finally allow the POR-15 Paint to PERMANENTLY ADHERE.

As you apply the acidic chemical... be mindful to cover all surfaces over and over again, but be careful with moving the brush strokes too aggressively, and flinging droplets into your face and eyes... "THIS STUFF... AIN'T PLAYIN' "... it will BURN YOU! This constant re-application can be done with the overage that dripped already from the pieces down into the plastic pan... so there is no need to empty the bottle to do this job.

After 15-20 Minutes... the effects of the "Chemical Burn" on all of the Cast Iron Surfaces will be very apparent as the metal darkens under the onslaught. When completed on the time of exposure... Cap the bottle and set it back down in the corner of the sink with the brush. Then one by one, remove the Cast Iron Parts to the Hot Water Flow and thoroughly wash them down (Wash, Rinse REPEAT.... This is your LAST CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT!"

As you finish washing down each piece, PAT DRY them completely while they are still steaming and warm and set them down on paper towels on the counter to fully dry. As this occurs you will notice that they bear a strange combination of a Gold Patina and Rust looking Patches or Black Patches... These looks are normal and do NOT require any additional sanding or cleaning. Whatever rust might seem to have formed on the surfaces is normal and in fact is EXACTLY what the POR-15 Black Paint will bond with as well as the newly "Roughed Up" cast Iron Metal Surfaces. Now just repeat this entire procedure on BOTH the Left and Right Suspension Knuckles.

Now that all the Bracket Pieces have dried. CHANGE YOUR NITRILE GLOVES AND DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO TOUCH ANY OF THESE PREPPED METAL SURFACES WITH YOUR BARE HANDS AND FINGERS! Let's Don't Get Crazy Here! That is the LAST thing you want to do now... because everything is finally ready for the POR-15 Black Paint.... during Tomorrow's Next Installment.

We are done for today's procedural installments. Place all the Cast Iron Brackets in Large Plastic Bags and set them in the garage to acclimate their temperature for the POR-15 Painting... Tomorrow...

 

[mrrsm]

Part 5: Finally... We Get to PAINT The Suspension Parts...!

A good place to start is with the POR-15 Technical Data Sheet:

http://www.por15.com/POR-15-Technical-Information_ep_62.html

Actually.... Calling what follows "PAINTING" is probably a Misnomer... The process is identical to painting...and God Knows... Besides being a successful Oil on Canvas Landscape Artist (I'll drop a few images of my work down below)... I had my fair share of "painting" with Military Navy Battleship Gray and OD Green as a "Boot" before improving my MOS prospects and being accepted to USCG Aviation Mechanics School in Elizabeth City, NC back in 1970... so I know full well what all the regular sensations of painting look, smell and feel like... But this POR-15... is a whole 'nother Animal!

But I'm getting ahead of myself... Let's Set the Wayback Machine to the major parts of this project just for a moment or two and cover the "Five Peas":

PREPARATION PREVENTS PISS-POOR PERFORMANCE

Nothing I have ever worked with has ever been more relevant as in this case. But... because I had the huge help of Chemistry from "Evapo-Rust", "Purple Power", POR-15 "Marine Green" and POR-15 "Prep and Ready"... That first part of the "Five Peas"-> Preparation was a breeze. All I had to really do was sit down and plan the Orders of Operation... then execute using each Chemical intervention on all the parts, just placing One Foot in Front of the Other... and basically... standing aside and letting the magic happen. I say all this because I can be just as lazy as the next man and WIN a contest for that talent any day of the week. But when it comes to doing anything mechanical with implications of safety, durability, reliability and strength... I have only one philosophy:

"There is No Right Way...To Do a Wrong Thing..."

In short... I refuse to cut corners and do things Half-Assed, with the idea that I MIGHT get the chance to do a better job later down the road if my work on things goes sideways. NO!

FTN

And with that philosophy in mind... many of the projects I tackle make me groan with the understanding of what it will mean ...work-wise, wait-wise, setback-wise...and on and on... But having done the "Five Peas" analog of Due Diligence... by the time I arrived at the point of all the prior efforts... something happened that I had never experienced before in my garage. I used "The FrankenLifter" as a place to provide an elevated hang point while "painting" the POR-15 Black Rust-Proofing Coating.

I wrapped two blended white nylon Zip-Ties around the Square Steel Lift Arm and as the painting of the four Cast Iron Brake Brackets progressed... I moved them from the very front Wire Hanger mount position to the vacant Nylon strapped locations and then slipped one more Zip-Tie through the bottom hole in the brackets with the idea in mind that this would flip and reverse the position of each bracket and allow me to look them all over for any places that I failed to deposit the New Black POR-15 "Goo". This worked well and I made a point of looking each bracket over very carefully painting and touching up everything... at least a half-dozen times. The reason I did this is because all Cast Iron is formed in Sand Molds that can leave tiny pockets and voids and by moving the brush over the work coming at the surface from many different directions would guarantee complete surface coverage of the protective substance.

Now this is where it gets weird... I managed to "paint" all four Brake Brackets AND one Suspension Knuckle with about 1/4 of the Small Can of POR-15 Black Glossy Coating from what they call a "Super-Sampler" set of POR-15 Products... (I never had to go near the much BIGGER Full Size Set I still have available for other uses. The stuff flowed over that metal like it was magnetic! I was using the Small Bristle Brush and dipping only the very tip of the brush in the can periodically... and Man... Does that stuff COVER! The other aspect of this job was that since I had my work area and actions planned out very well.. I was finished with the job of coating everything for the first go-around in about 15 minutes! I cleaned up the small can to lid areas...so that in about Five Hours of drying time... I can go back out to the garage and finish the job with the second and last coat. In the mean time... I placed the Small Paint Brush inside a plastic bag to keep it from drying out... but when I went back just a few hours later to check on whether the Brush was still usable... it was bone dry and "Harder than Chinese Checkers!"

I must have swapped out five pairs of HARDY NITRILE GLOVES because I wanted to memorialize this rare job with images to share here. I would echo the written instructions and warn you that this material LOVES moisture and not only bonds deeply into the metals it covers... but the few small droplets that came off of my brush and landed on my forearm... absolutely WOULD NOT COME OFF... NO MATTER HOW HARD I SCRUBBED! So like the man said... "This Stuff Will Have to WEAR OFF... To COME OFF!"

Don't linger around these chemical fumes very long as they are quickly absorbed by local inhalation into the bloodstream and can wreak havoc on your liver, kidneys and lungs. As soon as you finish... walk around outside right away and take some very deep breaths for while and allow your lungs to take the load off of the your liver and kidneys by exhalation, acting as an organ of elimination. This stuff will make you feel very dizzy and stomach sick if you stay closed up with this bizarre material as the aromatic portion evaporates into your breathing space. Besides... you have to come back in 4-5 hours to do the final coat to be completely done. Take a Break! You've earned it!

EDIT:

The next phase will involve the preparation of the Aluminum Brake Calipers...and while the Clean-up and Metal Prep has involved a considerable amount of "Elbow Grease" to accomplish...I have an alternative POR-15 Path to follow in that they have recently come out with a Beautiful Brake Caliper Kit... that for the most part is identical for all intents and purposes to the materials I just employed on the Cast Iron components... with the exception that the paint available for the Aluminum Caliper Housings is a Brilliant Red. I wish there was a way I could take a consensus of opinion here that would allow the Members and Lurkers to put a Check in a Box following their popular prejudice for either: BLACK or RED

I am REALLY looking forward to having a fresh set of SS Rims with Brand New Brakes and a Complete New Front Suspension to hold everything on my car...so I can have a decent safe ride and get back to working ASAP on "The $85,000.00 4.2L Engine Repair"

 

[mrrsm]

Okay... I just wanted to give a short update on the outcome of using the POR-15 Black Coating on the Cast Iron Suspension Parts. In a word... Stunning! The coating feels like Liquid Glass on the parts and I doubt that even a True Powder Coat is any harder or more durable... and with the correct preparation...this stuff will never Rust, never Chip and never Scratch. In any case... No More Bare Cast Iron... and more importantly ...no requirement to use Two Part Epoxy Base Paint or the need to Bake Powder Coating onto the parts to obtain a high quality, super-bonded outcome.

As for the Calipers... In spite of my hard work and efforts...no amount of horsepower I applied has managed to dislodge the Bleeder Screws from any of the four calipers for the front and the rear and Autozone offers me an "Option Two" way out in that I can trade these in to offset the High Core Charges and kill Four Birds with One Stone here.

Suggestion on How to Break Loose the Bleeder Valve in Place on the Vehicle:

If you are faced with doing a Brake Rebuild that does not require removing the calipers from the Brake Line for a Bench Rebuild... when it comes time to Bleed The Brakes and you can tell that the Bleeder Valve will not budge... Place the slotted Brake Bleeder Wrench over the fitting and then Apply the Jaws of a small pair of Vise grips on the opposite side. The additional clamping force the Vice Grips will apply will give a more uniform amount of holding force on the fitting. If you tighten or loosen the fitting with just the wrench, under the hard torque, the Hollow Fitting will distort and bind even further as it becomes Out-Of-Round, thereby making it harder to break loose the binding threads on the fitting. After the Bleeder Valve breaks free... remove the Vice Grips and tighten/loosen the fitting in a normal manner with just the Bleeder Wrench.

I have also decided that since I intend getting the re-manufactured calipers, I'll tape off the rubber seals and Steel Cup Piston areas and the Brake Hose and Bleeder valve port areas and then apply the POR-15 RED Paint ($14.00 from POR's Site) AFTER treating the Aluminum surfaces with the "Prep & Ready" Solution. I will test the stuff out on a sacrificial aluminum component first because its powerful and deep etching penetrating effect on clean Cast Iron was very dramatic after around 20 minutes of exposure and I want to know how long to leave it on the aluminum calipers without the stuff destroying the metal completely.

If it looks like the chemical will do too much damage to the surfaces... then I'll opt instead for a rough sanding of the surfaces and afterwards, clean the parts down with a residue solvent and then apply the RED POR-15 Coating.

 

[mrrsm]

I'm hoping not to get bounced for seeming to hijack my own original post and digressing... but I think I can be forgiven in this case, because the ancillary hardware being installed onto the Prime Suspension Parts at the heart of this POR-15 Bulletproofing process...also involves being properly prepared prior to having their own coatings of “Hot-Rod Red” POR-15 applied.

The attached photo-play shows not only All Four Factory Rebuilt 98-LS1 Aluminum Brake Calipers, which I obtained from Autozone at very reasonable prices due to having All Four Core Calipers to trade in, but these images show the entire cast of New Parts, Necessary Old Parts...and the Necessary Specialty Tools as well, because they all becomes part of this story by helping to smooth over some of the repair R&R Rough Spots, as well.

Regardless of whether or not the Brake R&R Job at hand involves a 4th Gen F-Body like this one does... There are some (10) or more Universal Principles which will help those among us with deep mechanical skills and experience, right along with those attempting their First Brake Job, who are about to be anointed with experiences of their own. An underlying basis for being serious about these efforts is obvious: The Brakes might wind up being “Painted and Pretty” to look at... but they will be Worthless if they cannot be relied upon to Work the First Time ...and Work EVERY Single Time...anyone Steps on the Brake Pedal:

(1) If you have a complete set of Calipers from either a Donor Truck or the one you want to “Brake” in with New Quad Set of Dancing Shoes and you have decided to do your own reconditioning and rebuilding, I make the following suggestions:

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!

Unless you're doing penance and believe that entry to Heaven will happen because you're willing to sacrifice a Mason Jar full of Sweat and Elbow Grease... the efforts you invest will not remake those Crusty, Brake Dust Barnacle Covered Lumps of Aluminum that once managed to stop your vehicle in flight to your expected satisfaction. If for no other reason than you probably want the Truck safely back on the road as soon as possible, you'd be better advised to just put All Four Calipers in a Sturdy Cardboard Box and show up at the counter of either Autozone, Advance Autoparts, NAPA...or even at a GM Dealership Parts Counter for that matter... as they sometimes will sell these Caliper Sets at competitive prices.... and the bonus here is that GM's Parts in this case are always Brand New!

(2) Please look at the attached images so you can see first hand all of the support paraphernalia that either goes into or onto those Four Calipers. If you decide to use the Autozone, Advance, etc... route... make certain that you COMPLETELY strip everything in the way of the Old Hardware off of the ALL the calipers BEFORE you turn them over as OLD TRADE-IN CORES to get a better price on the Re-Built Calipers. You are going to need many of these parts... in particular... All of the Stainless Steel Inserts that augment the sturdy, but roughly manufactured cast Iron Brackets and allow the Four Pairs of Disc Brake Pads sandwiched on both sides of the spinning Disc Brake Platters to glide in and out of their motion slots and not bind up inside these cast Iron Brackets and accidentally get stuck firmly against rotating Cast Iron Brake Discs. In the absence of having Brand New Hardware...even if these S/S components look Battered, Bruised and Blued from the repeated exposures of high temperature friction heat dissipation...they MUST be used again in this case.

(3) When in doubt...and even if you do this kind of work more than a handful of times in a decade, use the readily available resources of The Factory Manuals and The Internet (Google and Youtube) to either review or learn from scratch... “How to Do a Safe and Successful Disc Brake Replacement and Repair”. While you are looking things over for the sake of familiarity and the occasional time and trouble saving suggestions that can often be seen on Youtube...consider obtaining well in advance of their use...all of the various Fluids, Lubricants and Anti-Seize materials that this job cannot be done without their direct use. And purchase enough of these things in quantity to be able to do TWO of these jobs, if push came to shove. It is always better to have more of these materials on hand and NOT NEED them all...then to need them and not have them readily available. You will eventually need to Bleed the Brake System completely and it is wise to purge the entire system of ALL older fluid and better ensure the performance of your new brakes. Don't use anything Old or Opened from your garage... USE ONLY BRAND NEW FLUIDS, GREASE AND ANTI-SEIZE MATERIALS. Also... DO NOT RE-USE COPPER GASKETS ON BRAKE LINES AND FITTINGS ATTACHED TO THE CALIPERS!!!

(4) The use of Specialty Tools in this case is NOT a trivial matter when it comes to installing or repairing brakes on ANY vehicle. Much of what will be done to the Four Brake Brackets that are now covered and protected in BLACK POR-15 can and will be done “At the Bench” so that the installation of the Brackets will be fairly straight forward. (I will cover the Basic Brackets Build, Lubrication and Assembly Actions in an upcoming installment). You should consider whether or not you face the unhappy prospect of having to do this entire job all by yourself, as you will require the right means to Bleed the Brake System, following your manufacturers recommended choice of which wheel to start with and what pattern to follow to guarantee that all the Old Fluid, Moisture and Compressible Air are thoroughly and completely purged from every inch of all Brake Lines and inside all Components.

(5) The Orders of Operation you must follow are quite critical in ensuring that you don't make mistakes such as Power Bleeding the brakes without remembering that you MUST keep the Brake Fluid Reservoir TOPPED OFF as often as possible. If you accidentally vacate the Master Cylinder of Brake Fluid, you will ultimately have to remove it to your bench to undo the problem of purging it of air and re-priming it with even more effort....So Please... Don't try to draw Fresh Fluid through the Brake Reservoir in too rapidly by working the hand Vacuum Pump too many times in a row and in such deep amounts as to drain the Brake Reservoir below One Half of its total capacity. Take your time and go remove the cap of the Brake reservoir...then Top it Off...Replace the cap...and then continue on once again. You will have to do this at least TEN times if you intend on drawing out ALL of the Old, Dirty, Rust and Water contaminated fluid everywhere in the entire system. Just because you have Disc Brakes instead of the Old Drum Brakes does NOT mean that over time, water has either been absorbed into the system because the Brake Reservoir Cap was loose...or some brake component on the wheels lost enough of the factory seal to allow water and dirt to enter the system.

More on Sections (6) through (10) ...in 10 Minutes...

 

[mrrsm]

...continued ... (6) through (10) Universal Principles for R&R Brake Repairs:

(6) When using the Brake Vacuum Bleeder... I would suggest substituting a squeaky clean Large Plastic Hellman's Mayonnaise Jar instead of the small Factory Vacuum Cup and create a sufficient length of permanently submerged clear tubing so the passage of the fluid in or out will happen in such a way that if the Vacuum Tool Handle must be relaxed (As it will when you are re-filling the Brake Reservoir), then no air will be accidentally drawn back inside the Bleeder Valves and reverse your efforts. When using the Special Brake Bleeder Tool, you must ensure that your Bleeder Spigots or Valves are situated at the TOP of the Brake Calipers...as you cannot bleed any Brake System with the Bleeders at the Sides or at the Bottom position... the Air Bubbles will simply rise to the upper, inaccessible chambers and confound all efforts at removal.

(7) Please remember that Air is always compressible...but Pure Brake Fluid is NOT. If you determine that your Bleeder Valves are indeed located on the down side of your Brake Calipers...then they have either been placed on the wrong sides of the vehicle...or they have been installed incorrectly. You must rectify such problems before continuing on with any efforts to Bleed the Brakes. Filling the Hellman's Jar half way up with FRESH FLUID FROM AN UNOPENED CONTAINER...and no matter what position you find yourself in... as long as the Hellman Jar Bleeder Reservoir is sitting on the ground in an upright position, only FRESH FLUID will back up inside the Brake Lines and components...doing no harm and moving things quickly along towards a Fresh Installation.

(8) When using the Hand Vacuum Brake Bleeder, it is important to draw out small amounts of Brake Fluid at a time...and immediately tighten the Brake Bleeder down in a clockwise direction...BUT NEVER DO THIS WITH TOO MUCH FORCE. Just snug each Bleeder after the fluid pull and then check the Brake Reservoir. Sit inside the vehicle and slowly depress the brake pedal to draw fluid from the Brake Reservoir and fill the brake lines gradually. The pedal should gradually become less “spongy” and more reliably solid after bleeding each line a little at a time and so you will feel more solid brake pedal sensations without any “spongy” feeling in them. Every time you return to re-fill the Brake Reservoir... take a moment to step gently on the Brake Pedal... IF THE PEDAL DIVES TO THE FLOOR...YOU HAVE PROBABLY FORGOTTEN TO CLOSE THE BLEEDER VALVES ON ONE OF MORE WHEELS. STOP IMMEDIATELY AND TOP OFF THE BRAKE RESERVOIR BEFORE CLOSING ALL FOUR BRAKE BLEEDER VALVES.

(9) When you have bled the system into a safe condition... TOP OFF the Brake Fluid Reservoir one last time and secure the cleaned Cap to prevent contamination of the system with Air, Dirt and Moisture. Check each and every Brake Bleeder Valve by tightening each one SNUGLY but NOT Over Tightened! If you can... get someone to sit in the Driver's Side and depress the Brake Pedal as you examine all of the Brake Lines attached at all four Brake Calipers for any apparent leaks. All Leaks MUST be fixed as there is no such thing as “My brakes are leaking *JUST A LITTLE* Brake Fluid."

If they leak anywhere... they are unsafe.

(10) Don't jump right into the vehicle and head off at high speed down the highway and create a situation where you have to SLAM ON THE NEW BRAKES. If you do this... you will RUIN the Discs by causing the un-tempered Metal Surfaces to OVERHEAT---CRAZE...CRACK AND WARP! The best thing to do is to find a stretch of road where you can gradually accelerate to 35-40 MPH and then let them come down in speed just as gradually SLOW DOWN TO A COMPLETE STOP. Repeat this process and allow several minutes in between these actions to allow the Brake Hardware the opportunity to COOL DOWN. After 15-20 such actions.... Take the vehicle out onto a long straightaway where you can accelerate to 60 MPH and using MEDIUM BRAKE PRESSURE ...slow down fairly quickly to a complete stop out of the way of other traffic. Again... after doing this complete second procedure of 10-15 repetitions, the surfaces of the Brake Discs should be fairly well seasoned. But... if at all possible ...avoid driving at extremely high speeds that demand extreme episodes of hard braking as just like breaking in a horse to accept a saddle and rider, gentle treatment in the early going will pay dividends in obtaining Reliable Braking Performance in the years to come.

 

[mrrsm]

Getting back on track with working on the last portion of using the Black POR-15, I simply removed the opposing knuckle from the Evapo-Rust bath where it has been soaking and loosening and dissolving the last vestiges of the heavy RUST Infestation. After a good and final scrubbing in a Pan of Hot Water in the sink and a healthy mixture with the Marine Clean followed by a 30 minute daubing and painting on of the Prep and Ready and finally, being coated with the BLACK POR-15 I came to understand something astonishing was happening that is well worth sharing with any members who delve into Re-Building or Modifying Motor Vehicle Engines, Here is what I realized:

Those of us crazy and determined enough to rip the living and dead guts out of an engine right down to the bare block and then start from scratch to clean, machine and restore the motor to its original glory, know full well that because the quality, density and strength of the various Grades of Steel and Iron engine components is very low... it places a burden on the Builder to take extra special precautions when breaking in newly assembled engines that have either Solid, or Hydraulic Flat Tappet Camshafts in them as one of two things is going to happen once the engine is started and the RPM of the motor is raised. If the Builder was clever, he coated the entire rotating engine assembly components with "Engine Assembly Lube" to protect the delicate Bi-Metal and Tri-Metal bearings that encircle the Crankshaft, the Connecting Rods...and most critically... the Camshaft inside the engine.

One further step is necessary too, as the clever Builder will have filled the engine crankcase with Valvoline Racing Engine Oil or Royal Purple Engine Break In Oil as these lubricants are chock full of lubricants and metal hardening and the famous chemical compounds such ZDDP (Zinc-Di-Dithio-Phosphorous) that function to both to lubricate the moving internal parts of the engine...and ...if the motor is held right at 2,000 RPM for around 30 Minutes Non-Stop... HOPEFULLY, THE ZDDP IN THE OIL WILL GET SQUEEZED AND CRUSHED IN BETWEEN THE HIGHLY ECCENTRIC LOBES AND THE FLAT BOTTOMS OF THE HYDRAULIC LIFTERS AND PENETRATE DEEP INTO THE PORES OF THE ROTATING CAMSHAFT LOBES AND THE FACES OF ALL THE LIFTER AND CHEMICALLY HARDEN AND STRENGTHEN THEM ENOUGH NOT TO WIPED OFF COMPLETELY AT LOWER RPMS WHEN THE ENGINE IS IDLING. AFTER COMPRESSING THE CHEMICALS OF PHOSPHORUS AND METALLIC ZINC... THE CAMSHAFT AND HYDRAULIC LIFTERS WILL THOROUGHLY HARDENED AND STRENGTHENED SUFFICIENT TO STAND UP TO THE NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR THESE PARTS WILL HAVE TO ENDURE FROM THEN ON FOR THE ENTIRE LIFE OF THE ENGINE. IF THIS PROCEDURE WERE TO BE INTERRUPTED OF THE ENGINE RPM ALLOWED TO COME DOWN TO AN IDLE SPEED OF 600 TO 1,000 RPM.... THE CAMSHAFT LOBES WOULD LITERALLY BE GROUND DOWN LIKE THE KNUCKLES ON THE HANDS OF AN MMA FIGHTER.

I know.. Right now, You're Like," Okay Bob....Tell us something we DIDN'T know about all this... Well... Here it comes: THE ACTIVE CHEMICALS CAUSING THE "RUST" ON THE CLEANED, BARE CAST IRON PARTS ARE... (Wait For it.......) ZINC PHOSPHATE...!!!

Guys...? Dudes! Do you realize what that means? It MEANS that instead of risking the destruction of a Just Built, Brand New and Ready to Run Engine to the Vagaries of OIL Pressure and Rapidly Spinning Engine Parts being expected to do to the Steel and Iron what the FACTORIES should have been doing in the FIRST PLACE! It MEANS that with a Small Bottle of POR Prep and Ready, a Small Brush ...and Pair of Steel V-Blocks and a Roll of Painter's Blue Tape... You could take that Cast, Untreated Weakling of a Solid Lift or Hydraulic (Non-Roller) Camshaft and do THIS to it...

After taping off the areas In-Between the Camshaft Lobes and be particular to cover and protect the Sides of the Cam Lobes and the Camshaft Journals... AND THEY WILL ALL GET AS HARD AS DIAMONDS! JUST SLOWLY SPIN THE CAMSHAFT ON THE V-BLOCKS WHILE THOROUGHLY COATING ALL OF FLAT CONTACT SURFACES BETWEEN THE CAM LOBES AND THE LIFTERS FOR THIRTY (30) MINUTES...AND YOUR CAMSHAFT WILL SURVIVE ITS INAUGURAL START UP... WITH FLYING COLORS!

LIKEWISE, YOU COULD TAPE AROUND THE BARREL OF EACH HYDRAULIC LIFTER AND THEN UNIFORMLY DIP THE FLATS OF THE HYDRAULIC LIFTERS BY STANDING THEM SHOULDER TO SHOULDER IN A TRAY WITH A MERE 1/16TH OF AN INCH OF THE POR "PREP AND READ" FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES AND THE FLATS WILL BECOME DENSE, STRONG AND HARD. OF COURSE ALL OF THE PARTS MENTIONED IN THESE TREATMENTS MUST BE THOROUGHLY WASHED, DRIED,LUBRICATED AS BEFORE AND INSTALLED TO BE RUN JUST AS THOUGH IT WAS NEVER DONE...BUT THIS TIME, YOUR LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE THAT THE RE-BUILT ENGINE WILL SURVIVE.... WILL BE HIGH...!

More in the Morning...

 

[mrrsm]

Okay... I was glad to mention the Camshaft Hardening Process because to get this done by CompCam or other companies using their Nitriding methods would cost about twice what the Camshaft originally cost you...IF...you can find a company to do the job in the first place!

Moving on to the OP issues:

This is a Good Time to Pause for a Safety Reminder:

Gentlemen... Please... Be Very Careful when using the POR-15 Products... The stuff is NOT LIKE PAINT! It is VERY Dangerous to Inhale the Vapors from POR-15... USE A QUALITY 3M AIR FILTERING FACE MASK CAPABLE OF STOPPING ORGANIC VAPORS!

I can't complete the entire R&R for this LS1 Brake Installation without having to pull the rear axles to install the 12" LS1 Rear Brake Assembly as well. The stock 1993 rear brakes are only slightly smaller... but assuming the behavior of these will be altered with the change to LS1 Front Brakes means that I don't want to risk having weird problems from any braking timing or a bad interplay between the two completely different brake sets. Besides that... in the 4th Gen F-Body Carline Series... The Rear Brakes engage well ahead of the Front Brakes to allow the vehicle to remain level with the road and improve steering control. For this reason if for no other... replacing ALL of the 1993 Z28 Brake Hardware is an absolute must.

This part of the job requires taking the Long View and making certain that every single aspect of this exchange is done perfectly. I won't elaborate on everything that is required here, as the photo-play will say everything better about what will used. I will mention that obtaining a Brand New Rear Differential Cover with internal magnet from J.C. Whitney for around $10.00 seemed to make much more sense them me beating the hell out of the Rusty, Crusty, Nasty Old One and scraping and leveling the outer rim of the damned thing would be very time consuming and a distraction, Once I start to do this part... I want to proceed straight through and get on with the installation of the New LS1 Hardware so I can see how those New Calipers are going to look on the car after having the POR-15 "Hot Rod Red" coating applied. So... New Cover... New Lock Pin New Axle Roller Bearings first... then the LS1 Brakes will go on.

The only issue I have now is how to prep the Re-Manned Calipers prior to painting. It Looks like there is some kind of silvery paint on them and while I am waiting for the POR-15 products to arrive, I will need to do some research and find out how to proceed. If anyone has the dope on this... I could use that advice.

 

[mrrsm]

Ordinarily I would just edit the Last Post and add these new images... However... I maxed that acceptable number images - per - post... (20) So I am doing a fresh add-on to the topic here:

UPS just showed up here at 07:30 PM EST with a small box containing two modest sized paint containers: The POR-15 "Hot Rod Red" Caliper Coating has arrived. Tomorrow, I will follow instructions you can see in the attached images from the two cans and hopefully by Saturday they will be Nice and Red and Bone Dry and ready for Installation! I would like to mention something that occurred to me yesterday while finishing the Last Steering Knuckle; There is no distinguishable difference between the Natural Bristle, Blond Wood Paint Brushes that come singly with each POR-15 "Super-Starter" Kit ...and the Turkey Basting Brushes that are sold at Publix and Wynn Dixie Supermarkets...and THOSE brushes are a bit "meatier". I will grab me a hand full of those in the morning so I can stop from having to cover all four calipers at one go with this fancy RED Stuff if needs be... and then I can take my time with each one until the all look Loyally, Royally PERFECT.

 

[mrrsm]

Today was full of revelations about the things that need doing and what happens if they are not and how that can make the difference between a Long Lasting, Durable and Attractive result...or throw all the previous days of invested time, money and effort... right down the Toilet.

A Famous Mathematician and Philosopher once said,

“If you're NEARLY Correct... Then you're PRECISELY Wrong!”

I almost fell into that very same kind of trap today... and it happened just as I was approaching the Finish Line of completing the necessary preparations on the Aluminum Brake Calipers and had I not stopped and re-considered what I was about to do... a good portion of this work would have been ruined. It follows that by re-tracing my steps and just taking a chance that the POR-15 Instructions which were obviously written for the pre-treatment of FERROUS metals and that by applying the POR-15 “Prep and Ready” Liquid Zinc-Phosphate Chemicals on anything made of Aluminum... I would damage of destroy the metallic surface in the process.

It turns out that nothing could have been further from the truth. As I was making a constant visual comparison between the two Re-Manufactured Front Brake Callipers, one looked like it had been around the block a time or two whereas the other looked quite pristine and new... however its colour was less “silvery” and more like the colour of Charcoal...and this worried me for another reason. The Dark Calliper had a strange sort of “COSMOLINE” waxy and oily feeling to it and no matter how hard I would scrub its surfaces... it simply would not or could not get “squeaky clean” as were the other callipers doing when being washed with the POR-15 Marine Green De-Greaser bath.

Initially, I chalked these observations up to the fact that the Dark Calliper also looked Brand Spanking New and so... I continued to Wash, Pat Dry and Zip-Lock Bag all four callipers with plans to use “The FrankenLifter Hoist” to dangle array them with a handful of Zip-Ties and apply the POR-15 “Hot Rod Red” Coating. I was just about to head out into the garage and something stopped me... Something gave me just long enough of a pause for me to come to my senses and follow my own indelible advice. I set all of the bagged callipers on the counter and one by one...I began washing and scrubbing them down all over again with small amounts of the corrosive POR-15 “Prep and Ready” and while this process added about an extra hour to the length of time I was spending … it soon became very apparent that a disaster had been averted.

Within ten minutes of applying the stuff...I could see the surface of the Aluminum metal changing and becoming lighter in color...and within 30 minutes...the scrubbing actions hit Pay Dirt as all of the Dark Colouring was getting dissolved and scrubbed away into what looked like a Watery Black Magic Marker. I figured that whatever was supposed to happen had happened by then... so I capped the POR-15 stuff and proceeded to wash the four callipers repeatedly with very hot water and then...once again patted all four dry... and then I realized that the only thing to compare them to that can do justice to their appearance was something I saw as a ten year old boy...for the first time in the movie... “The Day The Earth Stood Still”...when the Robot Gort walked down the ramp of of the most iconic Flying Saucer ever that was also made out of the same stuff. Yeah... it was that cool! (Look at the images and you will understand...)

So... having staved off a huge problem, I continued by Zip-Tying the four calipers in an arrangement that will allow me to efficiently paint one after the other and observe them all for any excess dripping. I positioned them with their Bleeder Valves upright...so that the POR-15 will not fill the spaces around the Bleeder and solidify making them impossible to open properly. The other precaution will be to avoid getting any of the stuff on the Caliper Pistons and protective Silicone Rubber Boots. I started on these at Noon today and finished up as much as necessary so that all that remains to do is apply the POR-15 “Hot Rod Red” Coating...and that will have to wait until tomorrow morning.

 

[mrrsm]

Okay Folks, Its Show-Time. They look ... (Well.... Judge for yourselves with the images.)

Some observations on the Painting Procedures:

(1) Hang all the pieces at an elevation High enough to view them from Above AND Below.
(2)Take the Natural Bristle Brush & using a pair of Scissors...Cut off about 1/3 of the Bristles.
(3) Stir the Caliper Paint with a Small Stick for at LEAST TWO (2) Minutes .....Non-Stop.
(4) Clear away any walking obstructions around the painting area and lay down Newspapers.
(5) Wash your face & hands just before putting on 3M Vapor Mask & Gloves to starting @ (1).
(6) Clean your glasses and ensure a Good Light Source from above and from the sides.
(7) Don't Shake the Can of Paint! Open the can and place it and the lid conveniently nearby.
(8) Shake out the Bristle Brush well and then dip out a small amount of paint on the brush tip.
(9) Use the inside of the Paint Can Lid & tap the Brush Tip well & distribute the paint inside.
(10) Start with the Caliper the farthest away on the hanging line or array ...begin on the top.
(11) Hold the piece with two gloved fingers at the bottom- most bracket hole for stability.
(12) The Trimmed Brush will allow you to force the paint into the metal surfaces quite hard.
(14) Don't worry about being able to see through the paint through to the metal on coat #1.
(15) Use the Bottom Bracket to maneuver pieces around to allow better Paintbrush access.
(16) Work quickly. Be deliberate and detail aware to cover every nook and cranny possible.
(17) You will miss some spots...no matter how hard you try for perfection.... No Problem....
(18) Later ...when the piece is Bone Dry...you can do a more complete and precise touch up.
(19) Remain in the area for about 10-15 minutes to address daubing off any paint drippings.
(20) Don't waste time trying to get out any streaks...This paint is "Self-leveling" & "Forgiving".
(21) After the last piece is painted and all the gravity drips are managed, Cap the Paint Can.
(22) Clean the Brush Bristles well with paper towels & wrap it anaerobically in Saran Wrap.
(23) Open and Close any access doors...Very Slowly to avoid depositing Dirt on the Work.
(24) Set an ALARM Reminder to alert you in Three Hours (3) to return and apply Coat #2
(25) Return ON SCHEDULE and Repeat ALL Steps from (1) through (22)
(26) Allow the pieces to dry overnight and Avoid Fooling around with Slight Imperfections!
(27) When the paint is ROCK HARD... attempt to install the Thin S/S Guides.
(28) Use a Box Cutter style blade to trim down any paint that obstructs (27)
(29) Lay in the Brake Pads and Carefully fit each one for ease of movement & insertion.
(30) Take Apart the Pistons/Calipers & use Olive Oil & Remove Paint from Rubber.
(31) Use Fresh DOT3 Brake Fluid to Install New Weather Silicone Piston Seals. DONE!

As a Landscape Artist... I could not help but notice the unique color of this Red Caliper Paint... If I were to mix up a batch of this stuff... I would have to use Permanent Red (Opaque), Alizirin Crimson (Transparent), Van Dyke Brown (Opaque) and finally ...perhaps just a touch of Indian Yellow (Transparent) for a slight hint of a Gold &, Butterscotch Tone. The stuff really is beautiful to see "in person"...and it kind of reminded me of colors I have seen used on the McLaren MP4-12C Super Sports Car owned by Jay Leno... Very Rich...and so the POR-15 Product does do a Damn Fine Job of making those Calipers Look "Real Nice", Too...!

////-= Me...Likey...!=-\\\\. ;>)

 

[mrrsm]

Okay... The Four Brake Calipers have received one final "Going Over" and so I say in Norwegian to my Wife, "Mange Takke Skal De Ha'' for the "Loan" of a Make-Up Bristle Brush with just the right consistency to add the finishing touches on the Final POR-15 Caliper Paint portion of this job. It only requires a few more days for the rest of some of the equipment I require in order to switch gears and continue this build over on the appropriate venue at camaroz28.com. I think the Calipers look Loyally, Royally Grand and I cannot wait to see how they look once everything new is finally installed on the car. For those who want to follow the progress of the R&R there... I am including the below listed link for your interest.

http://www.camaroz28.com/forums/sus...nt-suspension-replacement-1993-z-28-a-883727/

Once the job is completed over there... I'll bounce back to this thread and Close the Show with a nice photo-play consisting of BEFORE and AFTER images to balance the motivational scales as to what in the Name of God's Holy Trousers would possess anyone to take on this project. There will be a follow-on group of posts HERE concerning the use of The Suspension Spring Compression tool and the related new components going under the Z-28. That information relates to Safety and the Procedures to follow to get that portion safely completed... and not die as a result. Please examine the OP @stickypoop 's Important Safety Thread on this matter here on GMT Nation:

http://gmtnation.com/forums/threads/strut-spring-compressors.14710/

After that... I will begin another related post HERE as it concerns HOW TO ALIGN THE FRONT END... AND SET YOUR CASTER AND CAMBER when doing a complete R&R of virtually all of the front end components.

While I do have some Specific Specialty Tools to accomplish this... I will describe some other very Basic Tools, Tricks and Procedures to allow the Average Mechanic the opportunity to do this job without losing his mind... or wind up with the object of his adjustments "Crabbing Sideways...Down the Highways..." I think it will be an interesting process to observe and keep in the back of your mind if it ever comes down to cases and so much old suspension hardware has got to go... and finding a shop to do these necessary alignment and stability corrections is either inconvenient to find... or simply way too expensive to consider.

With all that said... Here are the Final POR-15 Caliper Paint Application Images until after they get installed on the Z-28:

EDIT:

I've added in a still screen shot I snagged from the Documentary on the McLaren MP4-12C "How to Build a Supercar" because the color of this vehicle put me in mind of the same appearance of the Final POR-15 Caliper Application...and hence... Quite Cool...

 

[mrrsm]

Just in case there are any of us wondering as to why it would be vaguely necessary to paint the caliper sets from Top to Bottom AND Inside Out... The reasons are more than one might first think plausible... until you dig a little deeper into the thermo-dynamics of braking. The Cast Aluminum LS-1 Caliper Bodies have aerodynamic Cooling Fins cast into their design so as to maximize heat dissipation and minimize Brake Fade and disc distortion from repetitive cycles of heavy braking. Having the calipers painted either BLACK or RED allows for a more immediate heat retrieval that marshals the heat outward towards the surface where ambient air in motion can more easily carry the heat away. And so, painting the support brackets and adjacent Steering Knuckles in POR-15 Black aids in preventing heat soak under stressful operational conditions.

Now this might seem a bit presumptuous on my car... until you realize that the top speed of my 1993 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 is 152 MPH... and while I have neither pressed this car to go that fast very often (nor done so ...lately)...Trust me... If you step on the gas pedal in that vehicle ...and don't let up... with a low ratio rear-end gears and the GM Gen II Corvette LT1 Engine, eventually... the speedometer WILL bounce between 145 to 150 MPH... Right along with your heart racing while taking it all in on the highway. And so it does not hurt to have the ability to come down safely from such a high speed... and anything that is practical in helping to keep your Brake Hardware from overheating just makes good sense.

A great example of this principle of heat dissipation by employing the color BLACK is reflected in the purposeful Blue-Black staining of the entire Titanium surfaces of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Aside from offering a certain amount of stealth... the darker coloration makes it possible to draw the heat of friction that builds up on the skin surfaces on the leading edges of the wings, engine cowling and aileron edges to the tune of 2,000 Degrees Fahrenheit that occurs when the airplane approaches speeds of Mach 3 at 80,000 Feet... which is faster than the speed of a Remington Boat Tail .30-06 Rifle Bullet (AKA "Thirty-Aught-Six"...)...fired from a WWII Vintage M1-Garand!

The reason I included the attached "still shot" close up images of MP4-12C Brakes during the factory assembly of the Supercar... is to prove that THEIR Brake Calipers are also completely painted from Top to Bottom AND Inside Out... and to make one other interesting observation.... The contact points have been made CLEAR of any paint... and that provides me with an answer to the question as to whether I should razor-blade clean those similar contact points on mine, rather than just bolt everything back together with the POR-15 Coatings covering up their bolt-down locations. Now... I have a Definitive High Performance example of how to do this correctly!

 

[mrrsm]

Here is a fairly comprehensive Youtube Review of the POR-15 Caliper Paint Products, independent of my complete procedures recommendations and with some minor flaws in how he handles the preparation side of the surfaces to be painted. However... The Dude more than makes up for this shortfall with his suggestion of obtaining an abundant and useful set of Artist's Brushes to meet the demands of having to apply repetitive coats of POR-15 Caliper Paint in both the Red and the Black Colors. It also gives the viewer the opportunity to see the finished products "in situ".

Just an FYI... I have opted to replace all the Discs and Pads with AC-Delco components... since I lucked out and found the complete set of Disks along with Borg-Warner Ceramic Pads for the front for around $150.00 on eBay... the place where patience and diligence in searching will reward you time and again in cases when you know your OEM Part Numbers and are willing to get creative with your search strings. You would be surprised what is sitting on somebody's shelf that is for sale for a fraction of the High Dollar prices at NAPA and GM parts stores.

 

[mrrsm]

Good Evening, Fellow Members... I give you a taste of the...

"The JAM in My Jelly Roll..."

Or at least a taste of what will eventually wind up stopping my 1993 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28...on the Left Rear Side... More to come Tomorrow...

EDIT: Friday 01/22/2016 @ 13:51 Hrs

Many of us who are very detail conscious were perhaps chagrined at the idea of having ANY slight staining of the Neoprene Weather Boots circumferentially protecting the Steel Brake Cylinder Pistons. But I remedied this situation very easily by using a dishcloth with Dawn Dish Soap and some warm water leveraged with a touch of Elbow Grease and the RED POR-15 Coating yielded from the Silicone Rubber soon enough. The durable and forgiving nature of this Black Silicone Rubber Material will flex enough to allow practically anything to come off... and using the above technique with some patience allowed for the stained areas to become POR-15 Free.

I mentioned somewhere further back in this tome ...that I would use a Razor Knife to adjust the thickness of the BLACK and RED POR-15 Coating on the Calipers and Mounting Brackets to accommodate installing the Stainless Steel Brake Pad Guides/Retainers... but if the other three calipers behave as THIS one did for the Driver's Side Rear Caliper "Dry Test Assembly" ... this action of carving with a Razor will NOT be necessary. There is enough relief around the S/S Inserts to more than allow for the multiple POR-15 Coatings to be applied in a very generous manner and not cause concern about any "Fitment" issues when:

"The Whole Becomes Greater... Than The Sum Of Its Parts..."

 

[mrrsm]

Okay... so this Photo-play will hold the subject as up-to-date for what the Front LS1 Disc Brakes look like once all the POR-15 RED & Black Coatings have been applied after rigidly following all procedures for Metal Prep. I tried installing the Stainless Steel Brake Pad Retainers/Guides...but because of the very close tolerances... I DID have to resort to carving off (an accurate noun as it concerns this adjustment) with no small amount of effort the POR-15 BLACK Coating that had solidified in all the angular turns that guides the Brake Pads reliably back and forth during on and off Brake Pedal Actuation. After this necessary "surgery".... The S/S fixtures fit inside their correct nesting locations and the Brake Pads went in like a dream.

I had to Dummy Up some cardboard inserts in order to hold the Brake Pads in place as the new S/S inserts that popped into place with no "Razor-Blade Editing" are quite "springy". I have not heard a peep out of any of the 500 + "Observers" looking in my progress...but if it occurs to anyone to offer any comments, suggestions (No... not THAT... I'm sure I'm going there anyway...) or constructive criticism... I am all ears (and eyes...of course). Anyway... I think that these latest photo line ups of the Finished Front and Rear Brake Caliper and Brackets should be sufficient to show "what happens at the end of the movie"... and prove that it can be done,

Next, I will have to work on the Emergency Brake Hardware and since my AC-Delco Front and Rear Brake Discs arrived today, I will be able to demonstrate the R&R of the New Drum and HW as well as show how to adjust the thing in a very unusual way... since the HW is OFF the car... I can simply assemble the E-Brakes and slip one inside of an inverted Rear Brake Disc that is sprayed down first squeaky clean and do a breakdown step-by step on how to adjust the damned thing... so the New Drum will STOP when the E-Brake handle is Yanked on... but NOT "Drag and Hiss" and cause my gas mileage to die because it winds up too close to the inner race of the "Drum Innards" of the Rear Disc.

Currently... there is a developing thread on this very subject... and since the OP has expressed an interest in how all of this works...and since for all intents and purposes practically everything is "GM Generic" on the design of the E-Brake System ( Thanks... @Sparky) ... when the time comes, I will post the results of this portion of the job here on GMT Nation over at this link in support of his concerns:

http://gmtnation.com/forums/threads...brake-is-properly-adjusted.14817/#post-482896

 

[mrrsm]

Okay... More progress this evening with the arrival of my New Front Hubs from Jegs Auto for right at $85.00 a Pair with Free S&H. Considering that I am heading towards 7 Decades in my life "Time Line" ...I am not going to get all wound up over dropping $260 per for wheel hubs from AC-Delco when I am living on a fixed income and I could not give a Tinker's Damn if the ABS works as we don't have problems with "Black Ice" on the Gulf Coast of Florida. I did pop for the AC-Delco Brake Discs and Ceramic Pads though because I got them at a very fine bargain price, front to back.

I want to say a few words about "Fastener Prep" as it might seem like more trouble than it is worth to spend so much time trying to resurrect fasteners that in all likelihood as seems the case here... the suspension parts acting as the donor vehicle probably came from the area of Hurricane Katrina and were under brackish water for many years before being salvaged and parted out. And ordinarily I would agree that working on such parts would seem counter-intuitive... except nothing is further from the truth.

Unless you have Brand New Suspension Fasteners of a Grade 10.9 Quality growing on the trees in your back yard... you should NOT throw away the ones that look like they are in no condition...to be re-conditioned. I am posting a link to a good PDF Resource on this matter and if you check my Photobucket, you will have a chance to examine some "katrina hardware" that I basically just dropped into the bottom of the "Evapo-Rust" De-Rusting Chemical bath for a week or two and then cleaned the carbon residue that forms on them after the Rust dissolves away and used some more "Elbow Grease" and a S/S Fine Wire Brush to clean the threads, shanks and heads of all (8) Bolts for these new hubs. These will ultimately be torqued VERY CAREFULLY SO AS NOT TO CHANGE THE GEOMETRY OF THE CAST BEARING CASE VIA TWISTING AND BENDING THE ITEM AND CAUSING PREMATURE BEARING FAILURE... THIS is NOT the place to "Freelance Hogg Down Tighten" the Four Cornered Bolts. When the time comes after the Spindle and HW are installed to their respective A-Frame Ball Joints... The Four Fasteners holding the hub inside the Spindle will be removed and have Red Threadlocker applied to ensure that after being torqued down in place... they remain so:

Here is the link to the Fastener Data PDF:
http://www.m-d.co.za/images/M&DTechnicalData.pdf

It followed on last night, that I wanted to shoot some "Cheesecake" shots of the assemblage of the LS1 POR-15 prepped Right Front Knuckle-Spindle with the New Hubs, the POR-15 Dual Caliper Brake Assembly with Pads and the New AC-Delco Brake Disc to demonstrate what all this hardware looks like and will appear just so behind the Camaro Super-Sport Rims if I can ever get enough of this project completed to bolt everything onto the vehicle. Not to worry... this project will move ahead even "...if it upsets Governor Skelator"....

Next in line is to prepare the new upper and lower A-Frames-Ball Joints with Zerk Fittings and a healthy dosing of Redline High Pressure Grease...and I believe I do have some Brand New OEM Mounting Bolts and Nuts to make that assembly happen under the car. I also need to put together the two new Front Struts and Springs with the new ancillary hardware as well. I think these latest assembled parts and pieces shown in my Photobucket link will prove that they all play well together:

 

[mrrsm]

The Zerk Grease Fittings that dot the landscape of those suspensions fortunate enough to have them, occupy an obscure place there as the only gateway for the nourishing High Pressure Grease to enter...and ensure the smooth, uninterrupted and reliable performance of the Ball Joints and Idler and Pittman Arms. These and other suspension parts transmit the instructions of the Driver in command of the Front Wheels...and in return, send the signals of that moment by moment performance back through the suspension components, into the steering wheel held in the Driver's Hands. Ball Joints are the communicators of the condition and health of your Front End.

If their function is either absent or ignored... the Silicone and Plain Rubber Boots of even the Best in the Top Tier of Suspension Components may fail when Rain, Road Grit and the Loss of Lubrication invite the harsh wear and tear that comes when Ball Joints Rust...and Metal on Metal Friction causes their premature breakdown. When that happens, the sensation can be unnerving, as the Driver can never be certain of the reliability of his Steering Wheel inputs and can never relax once the damage is so extreme that he must of need, constantly compensate for a failing front end with Herky-Jerky Steering.

Most of the time... the neglect will come simply because so few owners will take the time, a decent Grease Gun and a few hand Rags and get underneath their vehicles and search out, wipe down and refresh their Ball Joints, Pittman and Idler Arm Bearings with a decent dollop of HPG (High Pressure Grease). The process is greatly assisted if the end-user is in possession of the right tools and lubricant fitted for this very purpose. Naturally... Good Sense will tell you to elevate the vehicle on reliable and sturdy Jack Stands before crawling under the vehicle.

These are the Four Important Things necessary to make the Mechanics' life easier and smooth out sketchy steering problems:

(1) LU-MAX Model LX_1152 Heavy Duty DeLuxe Pistol Grip Grease Gun w/ 18" Hose

View attachment 74129

(2) Redline CV-2 Synthetic High Performance "Extreme Pressure Grease"

(3) Mechanics' Shop Rags

(4) Flattened Cardboard via BIG Cardboard Box

The Process is simple: Lay down the cardboard in a manner that allows you the ease of sliding around on your back under the vehicle and not be restricted by the friction from the driveway or in ordinary dirt... (Props to @MAY03LT for echoing this idea in HIS Instructional Videos). The Bigger the Box the Better. Then take a Clean Rag and after locating the Zerk Fitting positions, wipe each fitting down thoroughly so when you attach the end of the Grease Gun Hose Fitting... you don't contaminate the innards with sand, dirt and grit from the adjacent filthy areas. A Good Flashlight comes in handy here.

Loosen the knurled nose-cone of the Hose End Fitting and stick it over the Zerk Fitting as far down as it will go.... then lightly finger tighten the end of the hose fitting. Start pumping in the grease until you can see the residue coming out near the top or around the boot. At that point, stop pumping, or the grease will collect into heavy blobs that will either get all over everything or drop down on top of you. If the Zerk Fittings have Nipple Caps, wipe off any new excess grease and pop the caps back on the nose or nipple ends of each Zerk Fitting. Follow the recommended cycle for re-greasing the front end in your service and maintenance manual and use these materials for best results.

 

[mrrsm]

Okay... It is time to get serious about what needs to happen after I drop out the “Old and Busted” Stock 1993 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 Front End with 23 Years of wear and tear and about 98,000 Miles behind it and then bolt on all the “New Hotness”. Unlike many earlier generations of the F-Body Carline Series that used Eccentric Nut and Bolt combinations to tweak the Caster and Camber alignment adjustments... The Fourth Generation Camaro and Firebird cars have to rely upon what can only be described as:

THE FATTEST TURNBUCKLE AROUND.

This tool is MUCH BIGGER and HEAVIER than it looks in the photos and supports extremely fine left and right hand threaded elbows with a large Adjustable Hex Shaped Barrel Nut in between that acts as a “Push and Pull” device to triangulate between two separate positions on the K-Member (Cross-Member) and the Lower Suspension Arm at three separate points: There is (1) common insert point on the Lower Control Arm for the Tool + (1) on the Cross-Member for adjusting Caster + another (1) on the Cross-Member for adjusting Camber. This PDF has better details and images to show you:

OTC-7480 CASTER-CAMBER TOOL INSTRUCTIONAL PDF
https://www.otctools.com/sites/default/files/105984.pdf

View attachment 74189​

This is where to buy it:
SUMMIT AUTO PARTS SELLING OTC-7480 CASTER-CAMBER TOOL
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/otc-7840/overview/make/chevrolet/model/camaro

...and here comes “Hands on “How-To” with an alternative Non-Specialty Tool Application from:

http://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/1205749-alignment-tool.html

“This Tool would make the adjusting easy, but I did these cars for years without the special tool. I just used a pry bar to move the lower control arm any direction which was needed to correct the caster /camber. If you jack up the car to the point where the front tires are only just touching the pad/street/turn plate or whatever the control arm is easy to move...”

However...If you are on a “Strict Elusive Spondulix Diet”.... Translation: “Uhhh... I Have ...No Money...”

View attachment 74190​

...there IS a lighter weight, less expensive flavour of this Caster-Camber Tool.
But.... Buyer Beware: Caveat Emptor...You GET what you PAY for:

http://www.amazon.com/Specialty-Products-Company-83775-Caster/dp/B000JZUS12?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-ffhp-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B000JZUS12

Of course, being able to make all these arcane adjustments means absolutely nothing if you cannot establish a baseline from which to work and precise gauges to measure changes that will bring the Front Suspension under control. Standard Carpentry “Bubble” Gauge tools will NOT fit the bill, as every time subtle inputs from the tool adjustments hit “The Bubble”... the only responses you can get from looking at the result on Cheap Carpenter Levels will just confuse you. Enter the hero...

Joe's Racing Magnetic Caster-Camber Gauge from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Joes-Racing-28210-Magnetic-Adapter/dp/B009EVLVDQ?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-ffhp-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B009EVLVDQ

“Our 8 degree vials give you the room so that the bubble is clear to read and won't cause errant readings due to the bubble running into the end of the vial. Make sure your front-end is set accurately with a JOES Caster Camber Gauge. Machined from billet 6061-T6 aluminum with a magnetic adapter to attach to your hub. JOES includes a billet gauge with durable laser etched numbers that last a lifetime. Our powerful rod style magnets sit straight - Competing models use a disk that easily collect chips affecting your measurements negatively. Please compare - and you will quickly see you get more with JOES! “

Street Toe IN and OUT Settings for the F-Body Carline Series are usually correct at (0) so I will begin to get it in the ballpark by stringing two “Snap Line” Cotton strings between two Jack stands (Left and Right sides) and “Straight Line Align” the Rear Wheels after CHOCKING BOTH THE FRONT AND BACK CONTACTS OF BOTH REAR WHEELS. The reason for doing this is because I'm going to try to be clever here and use 2 X 2- 12” square Linoleum Self-Adhering Tiles by gluing two of them, glue-side down flat (Left and Right Sides) on both Boxed and Elevated ramps and the elevate the car and glue the other two tiles to the tires.... Meanwhile... in between there will be a healthy dollop of Redline CV-2 Bearing Grease.

Now the idea here is to not only provide a frictionless way to Center the Steering Wheel... but having a virtually friction-free arrangement for using the Alignment Tools also comes with the risk of making adjustments while under the car...and having it very easily slide either to the left or to the right sides and literally... FALL OFF THE RAMPS ON TOP OF YOU. So Double Chocking the rear Wheels and Boxing in the outer edges on extra wide ramps will prevent this from happening.

CAUTION: A Brief Lesson in Understanding the Physics involved here... So You Don't DIE!

Inertia: Is the property of Matter... to remain at REST...or remain in MOTION... unless acted upon by an EXTERNAL FORCE.

In Plain English, that means that when you put down your two 50 Lb Dumbbells after the 4th set of 40 reps... their tendency is to STAY PUT...RIGHT THERE. Conversely... if you “Light the Candles” on the ass-end of a Saturn V Apollo Rocket-ship with 8 - Rocketdyne F-1 Engines producing 7,000,000 Lbs of Thrust...then you will start to move... and keep moving until you reach the speed of 25,000 MPH and permanently escape the gravitational pull of the earth... and you will keep moving at that speed...forever... unless some other force acts upon the spacecraft to either slow it down, speed it up...or change its direction. The slightest nudge... anywhere on the Space Ship will change its direction!

…. and so...in this scenario... the same tendency for your Truck, Car or even an Abrams M1A1 Battle Tank to REMAIN at rest... NO LONGER APPLIES... because the co-efficient of friction (REDLINE CV-2 BEARING GREASE)... will conspire to screw everything up. How? Well... Imagine that you have just set up your vehicle exactly like I described above....and so you get under there and start by trying to loosen the Lock-Down Nuts at the Tie Rod Ends...with your Genuine, Double Rectified and Head Busted Crescent Wrench...and you start tugging and pulling and yanking...and then the worst possible thing happens...the elevated vehicle starts to slide in the direction and vector of the force you just applied to it...right off the ramps and right down on top of YOU.

So if your tendency or inclination is to jump right in and start DOING Mechanical Things... before you've had time for some serious THINKING about what might or what WILL go wrong when doing Mechanical Things... stay away from trying out this method ...and leave the Front End Alignment of your vehicle(s) to the Experts!

When It comes time to actually perform all of these necessary Safety Arrangements and Specialty Tool Adjustments, I will document the procedures and memorialize everything in Step-By-Step digital imagery. Other Members with more experience and expertise with comments, tips, suggestions, corrections or criticism are welcome to jump in and help out here. The following video covers the basics of what Caster and Camber are and how to use a similar device for making these measurements and adjusting as needed:

EDIT:
Okay... I've decided to skip trying a "Home Made" Fix on this job because I have more than one vehicle (including two GMTs) that I want to align correctly and using these Heavy Duty Rand Wheel Alignment Tables in conjunction with the Joe's Racing Caster-Camber Tool will speed up getting the Z-28 back on the road with the correct adjustments done in a timely manner. After that... I will Get Back on the Horse and return to "The $85,000.00 GM 4.2L Engine Head R&R" Project... But I need DD transportation right now... and these plates were priced right at $199.00 Plus S&H on eBay.

 

[mrrsm]

This relates directly to the prior post but had to be added here:

If you read further down the linked page below on the pair of Rand Tables... you will notice that they give extensive proprietary details about its capacity as being 1.5 Tons or 6,000 Lbs per wheel for a total capacity of 12,000 Lbs... which is substantial enough capacity to work well on most GMT or similar size and weight vehicles. My thinking as a fairly accomplished mechanic is that these devices will pay for themselves after two or three Front End Alignments.

In my present circumstances with having 4th Gen F-Body vehicles... I am compelled to do this work myself, as most of the complaints on the Performance Camaro and Firebird Boards are that Alignment Techs supposedly doing these expensive alignments have neither the GM Specific Tools... nor the proper understanding of how to do this work correctly... even when using the high end computer alignment procedures.

The last point I would make on Post #20 has to do with the fact that average prices of similarly designed tables are inordinately high; in the neighbourhood of $750.00 to $1,750.00 if not much more... and so the decision to purchase the Rand Turntables for $199.00 was both a matter of practical need... and simple economics:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rand-Wheel-Alignment-Turntables-Plates-Turn-Tables-Pads-Car-Turnplates-Caster/172067473757?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIC.MBE&ao=1&asc=35314&meid=514ba611575743178e561558afeb8531&pid=100005&rk=2&rkt=2&sd=351561320456

 

[mrrsm]

This is just an update on either the arrival of...or the preparation of three (3) Specialty Tools required (amongst many others) to help get past the "Hard Candy" of disassembly, re-assembly and alignment in order to finally arrive at the tasty, soft center of the better safety and performance of having the LS-1 Suspension and Brakes Upgrade installed on the 1993 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28.

I have a beef with the OTC people in the general idea that instead of producing One Standard SAE Thread Pitch and Count for ONE FIVE POUND SLIDE-HAMMER... they have around five different versions of the damned things and you have to do some research to figure out which of their versions of the Slide-Hammers that abound will fit inside of the Rear Axle Bearing Pullers they produce. The other issue is that since it has taken over a month to arrive here... I think they take a suspiciously long amount of time to get the damned things shipped ...and that makes me think that they do not stock these tools stateside and so these must of needs come special order by way of the "Slow-Boat-From-Taiwan" side of the world. Hell... You'd think they were casting them and co-machining them out of Solid Gold...as they charge an Arm and a Leg for these things. (See the below link for updated tools images and boxing images)

I also wanted to cover some necessary clean up and prep work I think is the order of the day whenever it becomes necessary to purchase Used Dealership Kent-Moore Specialty Tools. The majority of the "Used One and Done Tools" that we encounter on eBay or Amazon were in all likelihood purchased in As-Is condition from either dealerships that have gone out of business... or as Obsolete Sell-Offs that are no longer needed in their Service Bays. As such... they will arrive at your door in the same condition they were just before the poor Mechanics got their Pink Slips... covered in Black Grease, Dirt, Rust and "Mung"...and though made to last under those conditions... they are all in need of a good going over and tidying up before you should consider putting them back to work on your private vehicles.

This is especially true when the tool in question has any kind of threaded precision aspects built into their design. Well... such is the very case where the Kent-Moore J-38658 F-Body Caster-Camber Adjustment Tool is concerned because it is fashioned like a huge Turnbuckle with a long Barrel Nut in the center and both Left and Right Handed threaded elbows on its ends, I purchased this tool off eBay for around $45.00 and when it arrived, I decided that since I could not move the center Hex Barrel Nut easily... it just made good sense to take it completely apart, scrub it up with hot, soapy water and a Scotch-Brite Pad and then after cleaning the threads on all three sub-components, apply some Redline CV-2 High Pressure Grease lightly on all the threads and then see how it behaved afterwards. Naturally... I did not want to have to worry about this when it comes time to insert the two ends in between the Lower Arm and the K-Member positions and make the Caster-Camber micro-adjustments.

The last of these unique items to be used very soon that have finally arrived are the RAND Front End Wheel Alignment Plates. THIS paired set of items is very remarkable. They are extremely heavy and are very nicely built for the purposes intended. They weigh around 60-75 Lbs each and are made out of two pancake like layers of powder-coated 3/8" Plate Steel that have Ball Bearings sandwiched in between. The large rectangular Chrome Handle with the two safety locking pins hold the upper flat round red plate still while the vehicle is jacked airborne a mere two (2") inches to allow their correct placement after centering the steering wheel. After the vehicle is lowered, the two chain-linked pins are pulled up and out, then the wheels can move independently of each other. The plates have up to 30 degrees or radial turn capability at 15 degrees left and right per wheel to allow for accurate Camber and Caster readings and adjustments. Toe-In or Out adjustments are a breeze since their is virtually no friction to interfere with the motion of turning both tie rods. Since the Camaro Carline Series relies upon the "Thrustline" basis for aligning the front wheels to the non-adjustable rear wheel alignment... the "Taut String Method" works well in establishing either the factory settings for Toe-In or using a "ZERO" setting as many F-Body suspension tuners recommend. (See the below link for Top-To-Bottom images of this unique, $199.00 Tool)

The last images included today are some of the OEM Factory Fasteners that will be used during the LS-1 Suspension change-out... right along with some additional Prothane suspension components to add to the performance and handling characteristics of the vehicle. Next in the series will be the assembly of the two Front Struts and Coils hardware and a look at the Specialty Spring Compressor Tool and how to safely handle doing this in proper manner as well to ensure that the Left Side parts know what the Right Side is doing.

http://s557.photobucket.com/user/60dgrzbelow0/library/1993 CAMARO Z-28/93Z28SUSPENSIONANDBRAKES?sort=3&page=1

 

[mrrsm]

This is just an update on the arrival of and photo-play included of the Dorman (GM OEM Quality) “C” Clips Rear Axle Retention Locks. Judging from the Copper Plating they applied, it appears that having these done up in metal cladding over the forged steel will assist in having them mate to the Differential Axle retention grooves and allow for less axial slop as well.

I suspect that the rounding of the edges on one side versus the sharper edges on the opposite side is an artefact of the Drop-Forging being “cookie-cut” and slam hardened at the same time as they are being manufactured from white hot steel. Also... by the rounded appearance of the clip ends, it tells me that the clips must need the freedom to roll around in both directions and orbit inside the groove of the axles; probably due to gyroscopic precession as the Camaro 3.23 Gear Ratio would translate at say... 1,800 RPM down to 577 RPM on each axle... making the clips orbit a great deal within each groove as the axles spinning speed goes up and down the RPM scale. It is a kind of a durable, clever and very simple design that won't jam or easily wear out. Very cool... but should still be changed out once the Differential Cover is unbolted and removed.

View attachment 74333 View attachment 74334 View attachment 74335 View attachment 74336 View attachment 74337

This is a superb video that describes "How a GM Limited-Slip Differential Works" that will never be done better:

Gyroscopic Precession:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precession

Below is a Link to some Early Model historical Descriptions of GM Differentials. There is some interesting info on a wide range and years of passenger vehicles and light trucks up to 1998 concerning the use of the various differentials that employ the use of “C” Clips for Axle Retention:

http://www.oldsmobility.com/old/10bolt-tech.htm

 

[mrrsm]

Sorry for the long delay in getting more of this work done... but my left left leg has given me enough problems to prevent my ability to stand upright for any substantial length time. I will have to pace myself for a few days after this and by and by... I'll try to get more done. Today has been a “Good News- Bad News---Fortuitous SAFETY NEWS” kind of day. I discovered a Serious Safety Flaw in the Design of the Harbor Freight Scissor Coil Spring Compressor that needs the immediate attention of anyone intent on getting one of these tools or using the their own before solving this problem.

The Best Post on this very subject has already been penned and documented by @stickypoop via this GMT Nation link:

http://gmtnation.com/forums/threads/strut-spring-compressors.14710/

The photos below include images that show the Pivot-Pin at the Apex where the two halves of the frames comes together. The pin is simply a Galvanized, Mild Steel Rod of around three inches in length and it is probably a little less than 3/8” in diameter. It slips through a single drilled out hole that passes evenly through all four metal bracket ends. The outer edges of this pin are rounded off and there is shallow groove about 1/8” from each end to allow for the insert of a Half-Moon Spring Steel Clip... similar to the ones they used in the old Old Colt 45 Revolver that held rimless ammunition at three Bullets per clip. This damned thing popped off under the stress of using the tool today like it was nothing!

After I finished assembling only the one strut (the limit of my endurance today)... I found one of those damned, cheap clips just laying on top of my plywood work table. I turned beet red and instantly looked over the Scissor Tool that I had just removed from the Shock-Coil Assembly. I realized then that after the clip popped off... the pin had gradually slipped through one of the four bracket plates and this explained why the whole thing looked sort of like a Tilted Box or a Parallelogram while I was using it.

I spent so much time worrying and concentrating on watching the position of each of the four Bracket Hooks and their Pin-Locks along the edges of the Coil Spring while compressing it that I completely missed this very dangerous problem! I'm betting even money that had that pin slid through just one more plate... I would not be able to write this missive and the pain in my left leg would be the least of my problems! I will make some essential measurements and come up with a true fastener replacement using a High Grade Steel Carriage Bolt with a Locking Nut and/or a Smooth Bolt with a Castle Nut & Cotter Key as Back-Up and post that data back here as soon as I can before I finish the other Shock/Coil Unit. I'll just need a few days to get back on my feet... in the mean time if there is ANYONE about to use this device... Watch yourselves when using this Damned Thing!

Before I start describing the work I have just completed using the scary HF Scissor Strut Spring Compressor... I want to cover the other Safety Issues that simply cannot be over-emphasized:

ALL RIGHT.... (STARTING AT 10:29 ON THIS VIDEO)... IT SHOWS TWO ALLEGEDLY EXPERIENCED, HIGH DOLLAR TV MECHANICS WORKING RIGHT ON TOP OF A COIL SPRING AND A-FRAME UNIT UNDER AN ELEVATED MERCEDES BENZ ...WITHOUT USING THE SPRING COMPRESSOR TOOL PROPERLY …. WHEN THAT UNIT SUDDENLY COMES APART---> EXPLOSIVELY!!!

Once again... “realfixesrealfast” comes through with what is arguably the BEST Instructional Video on How to Safely Use an Older Scissor-Type Compressor for the “Shock Absorber Inner-Coil Spring Outer” Design... (Starting at 2:57)

And likewise... This video echoes and reinforces the Safety Considerations and Correct Tools to use as recommended by @stickypoop and by other thoughtful and careful GMT Nation Members as well:

Okay... Because I'm working on a 4th Generation F-Body... I'm uncertain that doing what follows will be necessary on other types of vehicles... but as matter of caution and care, it would not hurt to follow this procedure if you can get your hands on complete, inexpensive used set of used OEM Factory Strut Assemblies for your particular vehicle. In my present circumstances... I decided to “spring” (pun intended) for the $15.00 a piece purchase of the two complete Left and Right Side Shock Absorber/Coil Spring assemblies via eBay to use as L&R Analogs to follow in building the Brand New Assemblies from scratch. These items guaranteed that the new ones would be constructed EXACTLY the way the GM OEM Units were assembled prior to being installed in the car at the factory.

This method prevents having to later twist parts of the sub-assemblies around and out of their incorrect positions in order to make them fit and prevented me from putting them together ass-backwards as an additional and frustrating Time Waster. If you have 4th Gen Vehicle these detailed photo-play of the Old and New assemblies might prove helpful for own Brand New Assembly builds..

When some of these components arrived, they were packed in various small boxes.. they were NOT marked in such a manner to indicate whether or not the parts were either universal or target specific in their designs for either the left or the right sides of the suspension. Having these older units allowed me to look and match up everything carefully and only work one new assembly with the Older Unit nearby as a Guidepost to each build. I like the fact that doing it this way took all of the guess work out of the equation and I felt confident that when the time comes to install these units under the Camaro... everything will align and correctly fit in place.

It's time for a personal “Thank You” to @hockeyman at GMT Nation for his suggestion to not only apply the CRC Moly-D- Graphite High Pressure Grease to the Scissor Spring Compressor Threaded Center Rod , but also to the lather up the large Galvanized Steel Cross Pins and their Thin Metal Side Guides to prevent them from galling, binding and warping during use! This idea worked well towards minimizing torque stress and may have been the only reason that the Pivot-Pin did not completely fail and cause me dreadful harm!

The attached link to the Photo-Play tells the rest of the story:

http://s557.photobucket.com/user/60dgrzbelow0/library/1993 CAMARO Z-28/93Z28SUSPENSIONANDBRAKES?sort=3&page=1

 

[mrrsm]

Okay... at 3 AM... and I woke up with this Safety Fix in my mind for the Scissor Coil Spring Compressor that owners might want to consider using. Instead of working a new 10 MM X 110 MM Bolt/Nut/Cotter-Key Combo... I drilled out...in two careful stages...two small holes into the shaft of the Through-Bolt from just inside the inner bracket areas and then used Summit Engine Stand Washers as Spacers and slipped in a length of Spring Steel Wire, bent in such a way that it holds the washers in place and prevents the Through-Bolt from moving more than a fraction in and out...and should the outer "Half-Moon"Clips pop off again... it will not make any difference... that Bolt will NOT ever come loose again! Safety Problem Solved... Disaster Averted!

http://s557.photobucket.com/user/60dgrzbelow0/library/1993 CAMARO Z-28/93Z28SUSPENSIONANDBRAKES?sort=3&page=1

 

[mrrsm]

God willing… with several days of Good Weather and some improvement with my present physical movement limitations… I will finally be able to drop the 1993 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 Old and Busted” OEM Front Suspension Components… and install all of the “New Hotness” components that have been so laboriously prepared to date. Likewise, it will be time to install the Brand New LS-1 Brake components on all four wheels. After that… a complete Front End Alignment will be absolutely necessary prior to dashing down the street with both feet down on the Gas Pedal. In the mean time… I will be healing up and either reading up on these procedures or watching as many videos like these that make sense to view to prepare for the job.

Without any exaggeration or hyperbole… these two 30 minute videos will go a VERY long way towards “Showing & Telling” all of the necessary steps to properly align your GMT360 Vehicles. This Goofy Trio at Garage X will show the use and evaluation of a variety of techniques and a variety of specialty and cheap tools to be effective while doing this otherwise expensive job.

These guys have proven to me that it was a very good idea to spend the $199.00 for the “RAND Heavy Duty Toe Alignment Tables” and also getting the “Joe's Racing Camber and Caster Bubble Gauge Tool” instead of guessing the alignment positions while using sloppy or inadequate substitutes prior to making all of the tie rod adjustments and locking things down:

Garage X Episode 6 DIY Wheel Alignment Part 1

You can skip the nonsensical first three minutes of “Bravo Sierra” that the Garage X guys indulge in and get on with finding out what is really good about these videos that will be instructive and a definite confidence builder if you are doing a major suspension repair prompting the need to align the wheels.

Garage X Episode 7 DIY Wheel Alignment Part 2

Because this video is on topic...:

"What is Camber?"

A better title would have been....

"Dude WTF is wrong with you, Man? You really did this MOD... on PURPOSE?"

 

[mrrsm]

Just a Fast Follow Up on this subject... I made some changes to fix the annoying "Cart Before The Horse" problem of having the Full Size Images be bang up at the top of each post... rather than at the bottom of each consecutive text entry. Also... I took some better close-up images of the Joe's Racing Caster-Camber Tool and did likewise for the Harbour-Freight Pittsburg Digital Torque Meter Gauge that measures in the range of 29.5 Ft Lbs to 147.5 Ft Lbs (40 Newton Meters to 200 Newton Meters). When it comes time to tighten the Suspension Fasteners under the vehicle and the Harmonic Balancer on the coming Replacement Engine for the $85K Engine Repair Post...having more control using a long Breaker Bar for leverage with the use of this Torque Meter is going to be important ...so I don't wind up over doing it and destroying a $50K Back Operation... in one Go (--==Thank You...Archimedes!==--) :

 

[mrrsm]

UPDATE - 09-12-2017:
Because of the problem of lost links to the separate placement of Digital Images throughout all these posts, I consolidated ALL 300 PICTURES of this work chronologically at my Photobucket:

Photo Storage

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