Front wheels won't spin, stuck brakes?

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thegawd

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I had a 3/8 and i was rounding it. I'm not the one who made it difficult! that's GM. to be fair who knows if those brakes were ever replaced, at least not by the person I bought it from .... it didn't look like it and the bolts were stuck! I have measured this and it's pretty much 9.5mm... so I dunno..
iv said this before and got the same reaction... then why did I have such trouble getting a perfect fit so I did not round it.... I dunno.

i guess nevermind, my experience is irrelevant.... LMAO.
 

someotherguy

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I had a 3/8 and i was rounding it. I'm not the one who made it difficult! that's GM. to be fair who knows if those brakes were ever replaced, at least not by the person I bought it from .... it didn't look like it and the bolts were stuck! I have measured this and it's pretty much 9.5mm... so I dunno..
iv said this before and got the same reaction... then why did I have such trouble getting a perfect fit so I did not round it.... I dunno.

i guess nevermind, my experience is irrelevant.... LMAO.
Someone probably pre-rounded them for you with a 9mm ;)

Richard
 

Pinger

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Like @thegawd said, I live in Sweden and while US car/truck parts are cheap to us, especially if you have a friend who imports said parts for a living since taxes are deductible for companies here, there is still custom fees (22%) and shipping cost ($$$$$).
These prices are from a local company that actually keeps alot of these parts on the shelf but they get more expensive since we (the consumer) have to pay taxes at 25%. The way things are right now doesn't help either, parts are hard to find and if you find them the prices have gone up ALOT. Shipping is insane, costs a small fortune and takes forever to get here.
From Rock Auto?
@Pinger It's a 4x4 and from what I've seen you don't need to do anything with that, at least nothing that is brake related. I will take my time and do it carefully, I don't want to die or kill

Yep, if HWB says no need to disturb the bearings on a K then there'll be no need to disturb the bearings!
@thegawd I actually have a whole set of US-sized hex wrenches. The videos I watched said 3/8" hex socket so (hopefully) I'm good.
3/8" is 9,525mm so you're probably right on that, odd size to us metric peoples. :)
I 'found' one in my toolbox that got the job done - probably metric.
 
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red98

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Wow! When I bought the calipers for my Burb in 2018, they were about $30 each ( I think). Glad I am not paying y'all's prices! GM used the 3/8" hex bit on their disc brakes for many years. Then when they went metric, they changed to the Torx stuff.
Yeah my calipers were $35/side, and in stock at 3 different parts stores.
 

Schurkey

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If this were me, (it isn't) and if I had four weeks vacation to do this in (I'm retired, so every day is a vacation) and I lived in Sweden where parts + shipping + duty is really expensive (I don't) I sure as hell would not buy rotors until I'd had a chance to inspect the originals.

OTOH, after spraying WD-40 all over creation, there's a fair chance the rubber seals and mounts of the calipers will be ruined. You'll need rebuild kits, or--more likely--replacement calipers already rebuilt. You could inspect and see what (if any) damage the WD-40 did, but considering how horrible the inside of my calipers looked, and how stiff the pistons were because of the crud build-up inside, I'd be more inclined to order replacement calipers.

Verify that the rubber hoses leading to the calipers are in good condition. If the rubber outer jacket is cracked, you need new hoses, too.

When it's me, I use the longest-handled ratchet I have, and a six-point socket on the bleeder screws. The long handle is for control, not leverage. Turn SLOW and STEADY, SUPPORT THE RATCHET HEAD with your other hand, and maybe the screws won't break off. I've popped one bleeder screw in about a dozen years, so this technique is working for me. OTOH, that one bleeder screw was the most-recent one I've worked on.

Bleeding the ABS will require a scan tool. Consider clamping the rubber brake hoses, so you don't lose fluid out of the ABS module when/if you disconnect the brake calipers.
 

454cid

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If this were me, (it isn't) and if I had four weeks vacation to do this in (I'm retired, so every day is a vacation) and I lived in Sweden where parts + shipping + duty is really expensive (I don't) I sure as hell would not buy rotors until I'd had a chance to inspect the originals.

Yes, and I believe they slide off, so easy to change later, unlike mine.

OTOH, after spraying WD-40 all over creation, there's a fair chance the rubber seals and mounts of the calipers will be ruined. You'll need rebuild kits, or--more likely--replacement calipers already rebuilt. You could inspect and see what (if any) damage the WD-40 did, but considering how horrible the inside of my calipers looked, and how stiff the pistons were because of the crud build-up inside, I'd be more inclined to order replacement calipers.

I don't think the CRC/WD-40 will be that big a deal here. I do think it's a good idea to take the calipers apart for cleaning, and replacement of the rubber pin bushings and boots. Use silicone grease on the pins/bushings.

Verify that the rubber hoses leading to the calipers are in good condition. If the rubber outer jacket is cracked, you need new hoses, too.

I'd replace the hoses. They could be damaged on the inside and behave like a check valve, whether the outside is cracked or not.

When it's me, I use the longest-handled ratchet I have, and a six-point socket on the bleeder screws. The long handle is for control, not leverage. Turn SLOW and STEADY, SUPPORT THE RATCHET HEAD with your other hand, and maybe the screws won't break off. I've popped one bleeder screw in about a dozen years, so this technique is working for me. OTOH, that one bleeder screw was the most-recent one I've worked on.

I will have to remember this.

Bleeding the ABS will require a scan tool. Consider clamping the rubber brake hoses, so you don't lose fluid out of the ABS module when/if you disconnect the brake calipers.

I beleive the fluid in the ABS system is isolated from the rest of the brakes system, unless activated, and that's why the scan tool is needed to bleed the ABS. When I did my brakes last, I was changing calipers and rotors and left the hoses open for a few days while I worked..... takes longer when the rotors are on the back of the hubs, and a replacement hub arrives in damaged.
 

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Yes, and I believe they slide off, so easy to change later, unlike mine.
Yes. Rotors practically fall off once the caliper is removed.

I'd replace the hoses. They could be damaged on the inside and behave like a check valve, whether the outside is cracked or not.
This is entirely possible.

However, I've heard about the possibility a hundred times, I've actually seen it...never...in 40-something years of dicking with cars.

OTOH, I've owned at least two cars where the brake hoses plugged internally. The rubber swelled-up and closed off the fluid passage tighter than a bull's a_ss in fly season. Both feet on the brake pedal couldn't push one drop of brake fluid through the hose. Both front hoses on my Toronado, and the rear hose on my El Camino plugged like this.

What caused MY butt to pucker was a hose that exploded on the test-drive, when the customer wouldn't pay to replace obviously-damaged (torn outer jacket) hoses during the "brake job". After the first one caught me unaware, part of my Standard Operating Procedure was to nail the brakes as hard as I could while in the driveway or parking-lot before the test-drive--making sure the hoses, plumbing, and rubber seals could accept all the pressure I could muster. (I did this OUTSIDE, away from other vehicles, because if the hose popped, it'll spray brake fluid all over, and I didn't want to damage co-workers or other nearby vehicles with the sprayed fluid.)
 

Pinger

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Bleeding the ABS will require a scan tool. Consider clamping the rubber brake hoses, so you don't lose fluid out of the ABS module when/if you disconnect the brake calipers.
I'm surprised to see you advocating the clamping of hoses.
To my mind, that risks the start of internal collapse so I wont clamp. No proof, just a hunch. But hoses do fail internally.
 

Frank Enstein

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shes in Sweden! something tells me these are not in the local parts stores. but I think shes guna need this stupid hex socket to get the job done. I was suprised that I did not already have the correct hex wrench the first time I worked on the brakes of my old 94 burb.... I was pissed and checked a few stores for a what a 9.5mm hex wrench? couldnt find one in any set of hex allen keys. I was pissed then I went to a parts store and found "gm brake tool" hanging on the wall. stupid MOFOS! they patented a hex size!

so a 3/8" hex might work but I'm sure it's a 9.5mm hex.

Al
9.5mm is .374" 3/8 is .375" Use a 3/8 and it will be fine.
 
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