How to Install AC Delco Front Brakes

AC Delco is the original equipment manufacturer for all the brake pads installed on General Motors vehicles at the factory. The company, a subsidiary of GM, also offers several lines of aftermarket brake pads for GM vehicles and many other vehicle makes. You can purchase AC Delco pads through your local GM dealership or through many auto parts retailers. Installing front AC Delco brakes is a fairly straightforward job that's easily accomplished by anyone with basic auto repair skills and a few hours of spare time.

Instructions

    1

    Shove wheel chocks against the front and rear tread of the rear-left tire. Turn each of the front wheel's lug nuts counterclockwise with the lug wrench until they're loose enough for hand removal.

    2

    Lift the vehicle's front end off the ground with the floor jack. Place a jack stand under the front frame on both sides and lower the vehicle onto the stands with the jack. Consult your owner's manual for specific jacking locations.

    3

    Remove all the front lug nuts by hand. Take the front wheels off by hand to expose the front brakes.

    4

    Push the drain pan under the front-right brake assembly. Rinse away the brake dust on the brake rotor and caliper using brake cleaner.

    5

    Take the two caliper bolts out of the vehicle's front-right caliper using your socket set. Pick the caliper up and out of the mounting bracket by hand.

    6

    Pull the bad brake pads out of the vehicle's caliper by hand and throw them away. Clean the inside of the caliper completely with brake cleaner. Lube up the caliper slide pins with white lithium grease.

    7

    Retract the caliper pistons with the caliper piston tool before setting the AC Delco brake pads into the caliper by hand. Position the caliper into the mounting bracket manually. Thread both caliper bolts in by hand and then tighten them using the socket set.

    8

    Move over to the driver's side of the vehicle and repeat steps 4 through 7 to install the left side AC Delco brakes.

    9

    Put both front wheels back on your vehicle by hand. Reinstall the vehicle's lug nuts by hand. Lower the vehicle off the jack stands using the floor jack.

    10

    Tighten all the lug nuts to the proper torque specifications using a torque wrench. If you don't know the proper torque specs for your lug nuts, contact your local dealer or tire shop.