Alright... generally I followed the RacingBrake instructions (
https://racingbrake.com/caliper-rebuild-instructions/), but here's the story anyway.
Here's where we started:
IMG_20200721_205034 by
Jesse Naughton, on Flickr
This was my first attempt at putting some padding in the middle of the caliper for when you "eject" the pistons via compressed air. I'll say it was the first attempt... it was mostly the only attempt on the first caliper. If you've never done it before, the trick is that you want to loosen all the pistons simultaneously, because as soon as 1 is out, the pressure no longer helps. I didn't realize this at first, and the foam kneeling pad wasn't thick enough, so the first time I hit it with compressed air, one of the pistons popped out immediately, so I ended up having to get out the other 3 by hand.
IMG_20200721_205132 by
Jesse Naughton, on Flickr
Oops...
IMG_20200721_211029 by
Jesse Naughton, on Flickr
So... prying them out by hand... no fun, but doable.
IMG_20200721_220825 by
Jesse Naughton, on Flickr
Here's the effects of 3 "short" track events on the dust boots. I say short, because these are SCCA Track Night in America events, so (3) 20 min sessions each... so total of ~3 hours of track time, 2 hours at Atlanta Motorsports Park, and 1 hour at Road Atlanta.
IMG_20200721_211041 by
Jesse Naughton, on Flickr
So on the 2nd caliper, I went and found a couple of old strap pieces of 2x4. These were pretty well sized to block the pistons from coming all the way out with some use of several layers of cardboard. That worked much better. Of note, you will get brake fluid EVERYWHERE. It's a mess. Some of the dust boots got damaged more while I was removing them... the above picture is more representative of typical damage done via heat. The seals all seemed fine, fwiw. Everything pulled out:
IMG_20200721_220756 by
Jesse Naughton, on Flickr
The RacingBrake dust boots say all over their website, and their installation website that the boots
CANNOT touch any brake fluid, or the seals will self destruct, so I did a thorough cleaning of the calipers, pistons, and my work surface as they are damn expensive for some little pieces of silicone. Cleaned and wiped everything down with BrakeKleen, and then left everything to dry overnight just to make sure. I reinstalled my LCA's (just added the SuperPro caster bushings, and Proflex adjustable camber front bushings), and then called it a night. Next night, got back out after dinner and added the new caliper seals. After that, added a layer of Permatex Ultimate Brake Caliper grease behind the seals, per RacingBrake's instructions. RacingBrake also makes clear to not get any grease on the dust boots (fragile things, eh?), so changed gloves to avoid any issue, and started adding the boots to the pistons. No issues here, just took my time, and they slipped on with some mild encouragement.
IMG_20200722_201337 by
Jesse Naughton, on Flickr
They actually all slid in with minimal effort. I was pleasantly surprised, but nothing binded and the boots fit great.
IMG_20200722_201746 by
Jesse Naughton, on Flickr
Last thing.... earlier in the thread, I and at least one other person mentioned getting what appears to be 'leakage' at the bleeder valves. After reinstalling and bleeding everything with the help of my son on the brake pedal, I went back through and blotted the interior of the bleeder valves, and you actually get a surprising amount of fluid, so I believe this was the main cause of the "leaking".
IMG_20200722_220956 by
Jesse Naughton, on Flickr
Anyway, went out and drove around to test both the brakes and the aforementioned suspension upgrades and make sure everything worked. No issues so far, but between wet roads and crazy alignment post tear down, I didn't do anything remotely silly. I was hoping to get lucky with an alignment today, but the shop I use was booked up until Tuesday, so I'm missing Road Atlanta tomorrow (Friday).