Diary

• September 1, 2010
  
  • I installed the anti-squeal shims on all of my Q-compound pads. Cleaned the back of the pads with acetone, peeled the adhesive covering off of the shims, stuck them on the back of the pads, bent the tabs aroud the pad backing by tapping with a hammer.

    If I get the time I'm going to do the CAD for my own shims that have better coverage of the back of the pads and don't need adhesive. I'd rather have them hang on the pad retaining bolt, be made of stainless steel (lowest thermal conduction I can find in thin sheets), and hence be reusable without buying new ones for each set of pads. I suspect a high-temperature mold release spray will work fine to insulate them from the pads. Say Sprayon S00311.

• August 29, 2010
  
  • I haven't had any problems with uneven rotor wear in a while. However, I continue to have squeal, and I believe it's from the rear only. Last night I applied CRC brake quiet compound to my Q-compound pads, but it's still very sticky this morning. I suspect it never completely dries. So today I ordered Wilwood anti-squeal brake pad shims from Summit (Wilwood part number 300-8460). I ordered sets for both axles, since I suspect that both are squealing at times. I removed the CRC brake quiet compound.

• July 7, 2008
  
  • I continue to have squealing issues from the front right rotor. Months ago I moved the caliper inboard a har with shim washers. I think that solved the problem with uneven rotor wear, but the rotor was already unevenly worn on the outer face. Today I swapped the inner and outer pads, I'll see what happens.

• May 3, 2008
  
  • I installed the brake lines from Classic Tube using the Russell 660932 45-degree fittings to keep them away from the struts. Next set of brake lines should probably be shorter by an inch or two (13" or 12").

• April 28, 2008
  
  • I'm finally going to install the brake lines from Classic Tube. The car is off the ground for other work anyway (rear trailing arm bushings). It would be nice to eliminate the potential of the lines rubbing on the struts, perhaps by using different Russell adapters. I can use the Russell 660932 45-degree fitting or the Russell 660792 90-degree fitting. They're about $20 each from cpperformance.com.

• September 10, 2006
  
  • I've put about 120 miles on the Q compound pads. I like them a lot for the street. They seem to have equivalent initial bite to the BMW OEM pads, but the quantity of brake dust is about the same as Axxis Deluxe Plus. Modulation is better than OEM brakes, obviously. Win/win.

• September 8, 2006
  
  • Brake lines arrived from Classic Tube. Very nice pieces. The frame-end fittings arrived too, but they're too large in diameter. Randy said he would be willing to turn the OD down a bit for me.

• September 7, 2006
  
  • The Wilwood Q compound brake pads arrived. I installed them and took a short drive with them. They're fine for the street, we'll see how much dust they produce.

• September 5, 2006
  
  • I ordered Wilwood 15Q-6828K brake pads for the front, and Wilwood 15Q-6829K brake pads for the rear from from Summit. These will be my street pads, they're low dust pads.

• August 14, 2006
  
  • I ordered new front lug bolts from Rogue, they should be here this week.

• August 13, 2006
  
  • I ordered parts from Classic Tube to spiff up the final brake installation:

    Part Number	Description	Price	Quantity	Total
    SBH4520	20" -3AN straight to 45 stainless braided DOT brake line with vinly covering	$21.50	2	$43.00
    SBH8003	frame end fitting, -3AN male to 10mmx1 concave bubble flare, stainless steel	$4.99	4	$19.96
    SBH8043	-3AN male to 1/8 NPT striaght adapter, stainless steel	$1.89	2	$3.78
    SBH1314	14" -3AN straight braided DOT brake line with vinyl covering	$14.82	2	$29.64
    Shipping				$11.57
    Total				$107.95

    Unrelated work: I removed my hood blanket in preparation to have a sign made for underneath. I also painted some wire-tie bases in body color, to hold things up without the hood blanket.

• August 12, 2006
  
  • I buttoned the car up and drove it. Brakes aren't bedded in yet, but all is working. I will check for brake line leaks in the morning. I still have body panel tweaking to do.

• August 10, 2006
  
  • I installed the rear brake lines from Summit, using the M10x1 to -3AN adapter fittings from Pegasus and the Russell stainless steel -3AN to 1/8 NPT fittings from Summit. I'm not thrilled with the lines, but I don't have time to wait for UUC. I put some PET braided sleeve around the stainless steel braid, just to make it really easy for me to spot any problems with touching things (it'll wear easily and fray; easy to spot). I think I'll be just fine, and it's nice to have generic -3AN swivel fittings on each end; brake line replacement is now trivial, without mucking with the connection to the hard line on the car.

    I ordered some silicone grommets from McMaster-Carr so I can use a similar brake line setup in the front: adapters on the hard lines, and -3AN lines.

• August 9, 2006
  
  • Parts arrived from Pegasus and Summit. I'll be using Russell 660412 adapters for the rear calipers. If I don't see new brake lines from UUC tomorrow, I'll use the ones from Summit. The correct M10x1 to -3AN adapter for the hard line side is 3265-18 from Pegasus.

    I ordered a second E46 M3 backing plate from the local dealer. P/N 34.21.2.227.130 (right side rear).

• August 8, 2006
  
  • I ordered 45-degree and straight -3AN to 1/8 NPT adapters from Summit. The straight ones are stainless steel (Russell 660412), and the 45-degree are nickel plated steel (Russell 642931). I need the straight ones for the rear, and I think the 45-degree ones will work better in the front than the 90-degree ones.

• August 7, 2006
  
  • Of the various caps I bought to cover the brake bleeder valves, only McMaster-Carr P/N 6448K49 fits.

    I called Rob to ask him to ship 14" brake lines to me.

    I bled the brakes and installed the bleeder value caps.

    Unrelated work... I determined that the left side front bumper shock absorber is damaged; the adjuster will not budge, even after a good dose of penetrating lubricant. I need a new one.

• August 6, 2006
  
  • I removed the left rear caliper and rotor, and cut the lip off the backing plate. I installed the 750iL rotor and the Wilwood caliper. Bolts got red Loctite, brake lines are installed.

    I placed an order from Pegasus:

    Part Number	Description	Price	Quantity	Total
    3-14-S-S	14 inch Size 3 TFE Hose: Straight Swivels, Both Ends	$14.49	2	$28.98
    3265-18	Female 10 x 1.0mm Metric Concave Seat to 3AN, Steel	$11.99	2	$23.98
    3265-30	Female 10 x 1.0mm Metric Convex Seat to 3AN, Steel	$4.99	2	$9.98
    3266-CAP	Bleeder Screw Protective Cap	$1.49	8	$11.92
    3327-LITER	ATE (Amber) Type 200 DOT 4 Racing Brake Fluid, 1 Liter Can	$10.99	2	$21.98

    Unrelated work... I finished modifying the Toshiba 9011 and 9012 bulbs and installed them in the headlights. Ron confirmed that I can use my 14mm allen socket to adjust the front bumper height. I am replacing the wheel well liners with the new ones.

• August 5, 2006
  
  • I checked the runout in the front with a dial indicator that Randy loaned to me.

    Front passenger	less than .0015"
    Front driver	.001"

• August 4, 2006
  
  • The 750iL rotors arrived today. They're perfect. And I suspect the E36 M3 backing plate (which also arrived from UUC) is also perfect. I didn't realize it will accomodate the 328mm rotor diameter.

    Rob also sent longer brake lines, but they're 6.5" too long (they're front lines). I suspect I'll give up on getting the right lines from Rob, and order from Pegasus. The rear lines should be 14" long.

• August 3, 2006
  
  • I placed an order from McMaster-Carr for a few things.

    Qty.	Part Number	Unit Price	Total	Description	Purpose
    1	90965A210	$6.93	$6.93	Metric DIN 125 Type 316 Ss Flat Washer M12 Screw Size, 13mm Id, 24mm Od, 2.30-2.7mm Thick, Packs of 25	replenishing supplies
    1	84735K79	$5.96	$5.96	High Temperature Vinyl Cap 3/4" Inside Height, 3/8" ID, Fits 3/8"-7/16" OD, Packs of 100	trying these for covering entire bleed screw, including the brass insert. Probably too small/hard.
    1	92805K74	$6.61	$6.61	High-Temperature Silicone Rubber Cap Fits .48" Outside Diameter, 1-1/2" Inside Height, Packs of 10	trying these for covering entire bleed screw, including the brass insert
    1	8537A49	$14.07	$14.07	15 Deg Angle Double Flare-Nut Wrench 6-Point, 1/4" X 5/16", 4-13/16" O'all L, Satin Fnsh	1/4" flare wrench for bleed screws
    2	98040A107	$6.45	$12.90	Metric Black-Oxide Stl Extra-Thk Flat Washer M12 Screw Size, 13mm Id, 26mm Od, 4.5mm-5.4 mm Thick, Packs of 5	thick washers to replace 2 washers on M12 mounting bolts
    1	6448K49	$9.57	$9.57	EPDM BlackRubber Cap Fits 7/16" Od, Packs of 25	trying these for covering entire bleed screw, including the brass insert
    2	92805K86	$4.78	$9.56	High-Temperature Silicone Rubber Cap Fits .500" Outside Diameter, 1-1/2" Inside Height, Packs of 5	powdercoating supplies

• August 2, 2006
  
  • The front driver's side is installed, and went very quickly. Literally about 30 minutes since I had already done the passenger side.

• July 30, 2006
  
  • The solution Rob came up with for the rear is to use the 750iL rotors. They have a larger groove for the backing plate ridge. You still have to cut the lip off of the backing plate, of course. However, I'll order some 750iL backing plates to see if they'll work. The parking brake shoes are the same as my car. Hopefully they'll bolt right on, which will let me have a full backing plate, including the lip.

    The front passenger side is installed. There seems to be a bit of runout, but I don't have a dial indicator to check it and don't want to buy one right now. I'll borrow one from Randy soon.

    I placed an order from McMaster-Carr.

            
              1 	91310A626
                    Class 10.9 Black-Oxide Steel Hex Head Cap Screw,
                    M10 Size, 25mm Length, 1.5mm Pitch, Fully Thread 
                    replaces the too-long 30mm cap screws for rear caliper install
            
              1 	91286A268
                    Grade 8 Coated Alloy Steel Hex Head Cap Screw,
                    7/16"-14 Thread, 1-1/2" Length, Fully Threaded
                    supplies
            
              1 	90965A200
                    Metric Din 125 Type 316 Stainless Steel Flat Washer,
                    M10 Screw Size, 10.5mm ID, 20mm OD, 1.80-2.2mm Thick
                    supplies
            
              4 	94768A106
                    Metric 18-8 Stainless Steel Extra-Thick Flat Washer,
                    M10 Screw Size, 10.5mm id, 23mm OD, 4.5mm - 5.4mm thick
                    replace double washer setup with single thicker washer?
            

• July 29, 2006
  
  • Well, the rear rotors don't fit right. The groove in the rotor for the ridge in the backing plate (near the parking brake shoes) is too small. After cutting the lip off the backing plate, I discovered this problem. To make the E46 M3 rear rotors work, basically the whole backing plate has to be cut off down to the edge of the parking brake shoes. What sucks about this idea is that it makes the parking brake more exposed to the elements. I live on a dirt road, it matters.

• July 21, 2006
  
  • I'm working on powdercoating the rear brackets that came with the kit. They arrived with no finish on them. I'll use the high-temp black powder. They're in the cleaning oven right now, baking off any remaining oils. I'll then clean them with acetone and put tape dots on them so the powder doesn't mess with tolerances.

• June 7, 2006
  
  • I ordered the kit from UUC. The 6-piston Superlite billet calipers for the front, 4-piston Superlite forged calipers for the rear, slotted one-piece rotors.

To-do

Order wheel well liner fasteners:

    10  07.11.9.900.409
    20  51.71.8.204.807
    10  07.11.9.916.915
    20  07.12.9.925.734
    20  51.71.1.934.930
    20  07.12.9.925.731

Wish List

• Stainless steel speed bleeders SB1428-SS from speedbleeder.zoovy.com
• brake bleeder bottle from Pegasus

Torques

My Mods

• McMaster-Carr 6448K49 EPDM black rubber caps on bleeder valves, covers the bleed screw and the brass insert
• McMaster-Carr 84735K79 High temperature vinyl cap on 6-piston caliper cap screws

Fastener Information