I had a couple of hot rods in my time. Swapping trannys, fixing clutches, new exhaust, pull motors, install heads to short block ect but when it came to my brakes, I always let a pro do it. If my tranny goes.... so what, if my brakes go on downhill mountain rd.... well, not my idea of fun.

 

Not sure it's the same but on my Sporty pad replacement is simple. I can do both front & rear in about 20 minutes.

Clean & loosen the top of the fluid reservoir.
Push in on the side of the brake caliper to compress the piston.
Remove the pin pad plug.
Loosen & withdraw the pin pad only enough to remove the inner brake pad.
Install new pad so that it fits into the mounting slot.
Completely withdraw the pad pin & replace the other pad.
Clean & check the pin.
Make sure the pad spring is in proper position & install the pin. Tighten per spec.
install plug
Pump pedal or lever to reposition pads against the disc.
Refill reservior.
Take it easy for the 1st 100 milesto avoid glazing the pads.

 

Don't feel too bad......I once paid a "friend" (a 30-year HD factory employee) who failed to mic the new pistons after having my cylinders bored .010" over. After a few miles, and feeling that it wasn't quite right, guess who had to re-do the top end all over again? Me.

Someone who should know better......go figure.

 

Where's the big puddle of gasoline running out the door? Or does your tank not have a crossover line? :-)

 

Brakes are not that hard to do if you're talking discs. (Drums are a pain...) I've done my own brakes on all my vehicles for a long time and have never had a failure.

Of course, the one thing my father taught me was to ALWAYS read the instructions and understand them FULLY before starting any job. Even so, people make mistakes. Thing is this goes for the "professionals" too. If something goes wrong, I have an easier time dealing with MY mistake than someone elses.

 

Note the red gas can sitting outside the door...

 

I have a big scar across the back of my left hand from a brake spring that flew at me while changing the brakes on a car years ago. It is there to remind myself to be careful and patient when doing new things.

 

At the end of the day....300 bucks for a new bracket, labor, and pads. The dealer laughed, felt sorry for me, and hooked me up a little.

The lesson I learned was to have adult supervision for all tasks for which I'm not well practiced. I'll try again, but will probably do the "pizza and beer" wage for a more experienced friend.

 

I wouldn't feel too bad. I am a so called "professional," I work on cars though. We usually have to learn the hard way by making mistakes on other peoples cars, at least all that was hurt was your pride.

I've learned over the years that paying attention while you're taking it apart can be just as important, if not more than looking at the manual. If it's something new to me, I graze the manual making mental notes of the more complex steps and revisit the book when I get to said steps.

Get someone you trust to look over your work a few times, that's how we learn in the field, by shadowing a journeyman tech. You'll build more confidence over time. A lot of people think this stuff is easy, we all know it's not, it takes time and many "learning experiences."

 

If you're unsure in your ability to do the brakes yourself, just don't do the front and back at the same time. If you screw it up, you've still got some brakes.

That's MY plan anyway. I'm thinking I'll start with the back. lol