ST205 - Replacing all 4 rotors & front caliper rebuild, DIY - I did it. Options

[Jeebus]

Hey folks,

So when I last took my GT-Four to get my new wheels (to a performance garage), the mechanic told me one of my front calipers was seized, and my rotors were not in the best condition (pads looked new though).

I've gone ahead and bought replacement rotors and received my caliper rebuild set in the mail today, but I'm not quite sure whether this is a task I should do on my own with my limited mechanical experience, especially working on something critical like the brakes.

I've phoned the garage, and they've quoted me 4~5hrs of labour.

I've also looked around the web to see some FAQs and have found these two DIYs:
GT4dc.co.uk
GT4OC.net

Now the question comes to this, should I save myself $350 in cash and attempt this on my own, or get it professionally done?

The part I'm most unsure about (since I've never done it before) is working with the brake-line (bleeding and such).
What will be the most difficult & critical part if I decide to do this task myself in my own garage?

This post has been edited by Jeebus: Feb 13, 2014 - 2:31 PM

[Jeebus]

Here it is, pics from the front right caliper rebuild.

I took lots of pics just for personal reference when I was putting it back together, but here is a step by step for GT-Four front caliper rebuilding.

Prep work:




Reference pic for when I put it back together, noting the clips on the brake pads.


Pull the pins out, sand them a bit with whatever you have on hand to clean em up.


I used a 2x4 as a piston stopper while I used an air compressor to push em out.


Sometimes, the piston that you want to stay in keeps on popping out, so I held one side of pistons in with a brake pad and a c-clamp in order to get the other 2 pistons to pop out.


Once they're uniformly popped out, you should be able to wiggle them all out by hand.


Use a tool to pick out the o-ring seals. I did not end up using a toothpick as it was too fragile. I instead used a pocked flat head screwdriver, being careful not to scratch the inside of the caliper.


No pics of putting the new seals back in. Pretty self explanatory, just make sure they're square inside their fittings for a flush fit.v

Prep-work for the new pistons. I greased up the rubber dust-covers, then put em on.


I pulled apart the metal o-rings like so.


Lube up your new pistons either with brake fluid or the supplied grease, and push them all the way into the caliper. Then, fully seal them by pushing the dust cover down against the caliper. With the bottom of the caliper facing up, I slid the metal O-rings on from the bottom, ensuring that the open end was facing up, and slid my two fingers from the bottom up, expanding the ring and letting it slide on over the rubber boot by the time my fingers ran along the ring to the top towards myself.


I test the pistons with the air compressor and 2x4 again to ensure they will not seize up

(pic is in wrong order, as you can tell the pistons are extended out without the rubber dust covers), but you get the idea.


Put your caliper back together, ensuring the holes in the pins are facing vertically so that the clip can get back in. I dabbed some anti-seize on some areas here, which were probably unnecessary. And you're done. Slide the calipers back on and bleed your brakes!