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Please take a few minutes and read through these instructions in their entirety BEFORE you start to modify your Saturn. Remember: careful planning and preparation will make your install experience educational and painless.
Rear Disc Brake Conversion Kit Preparation 1. Make sure that you have all the parts listed below before you attempt this installation!
SPS PART # PART DESCRIPTION QTY
101L Rear Caliper Mounting Bracket left 1
101R Rear Caliper Mounting Bracket right 1
102 Boot Kit for Caliper Mounting Pin 2
103 Spring Kit- rear brake pad retainer 2
105 Rotor 2
107 Caliper Mounting Pin Kit 2
110L Rear Brake Caliper Assembly 1
110R Rear Brake Caliper Assembly 1
112 Bolt/Screw- RR Caliper MTG 4
211 Rear Parking Brake Cable Assembly 2
222 Strap- Park BRK CBL 2
223 Nut- Park BRK RR CBL 1
308 Washer – FRT BRK Hose FTG 4
309 Bolt/Screw- RR BRK Hose 2
313 Hose ASM- RR BRK 2
2. In addition to the parts listed above you will need 1 axle set of rear disc brake pads which are NOT INCLUDED IN THIS KIT. Brake pads may be purchased separately from SPS.
Vehicle Preparation and Support
1. Raise the back end of the vehicle and place on jackstands. Be sure that the car is firmly supported before going ANY further with this installation! Note that the car should be in gear and the front wheels should be blocked to keep the car from moving while being supported.
2. Be sure to fully release the vehicle hand brake lever.
3. Remove any rear hubcaps, wheel covers, and both rear road wheels using a 19mm socket.
Rear Brake Drum Removal (Left and Right)
1. Remove the cast iron rear brake drum by pulling it toward you. Note: you may need to use side cutters to snip and remove the small metal barbed retaining ring which holds the drum in position during assembly (only certain models).
2. Leave the parking brake cable connected to the parking brake shoe (drum brake end) at this time. In fact, you will NOT need to disassemble any of the internal drum brake components – leave the brake assembly intact. This will make any future re-assembly much easier!
3. If you car is equipped with ABS, disconnect the ABS wheel speed sensor connector found on the back side of the wheel bearing (found directly beneath the wheel cylinder-to-flexible brake hose joint). Carefully move the sensor connector and wire ‘out of the way’ until they are reconnected later in this procedure. Be sure NOT to drip brake fluid into the connector opening!
Rear Flexible Brake Hose Removal (Left and Right)
1. Disconnect the flexible brake hose from the drum brake wheel cylinder by loosening the yellowish banjo bolt found on the back side of the drum brake wheel cylinder using an 11mm socket. Remove the banjo bolt and two copper washers from each hose end. Note: your kit comes with new banjo bolts and washers, so saving these parts is not necessary for re-assembly.
2. Carefully loosen the tube nut connecting the flexible brake line to the rigid rear brake pipe. It is highly recommended that you use a 10mm tube nut (5-sided) wrench when disconnecting this joint.
3. Remove the flexible brake hose c-clip from the flexible rear brake hose fitting at the rear suspension crossmember using a small screwdriver-ish type implement. Prior to removal, make note of the c-clip installation orientation, as this clip is required for re-assembly and orientation is critical!
4. Remove the flexible brake hose from the vehicle. You may want to place a drip pan beneath the rigid rear brake pipe tube nut, as brake fluid will most likely be dripping from this line until re-assembly. Do NOT attempt to plug the tube nut opening, as you may introduce contamination into the brake pipe which could be trapped upon re-assembly. Reminder: be careful of the ABS connector!
Rear Drum Brake Assembly Removal (Left and Right)
1. Loosen and remove the four fasteners which hold the wheel bearing and backing plate to the suspension knuckle with a 10mm socket and long extension. You will need to spin the bearing flange occasionally to line up the access holes in the bearing flange with the heads of the fasteners.
2. Remove the bearing assembly by pulling it toward you. In some cases, the bearing may be ‘stuck’ in place. Resist the temptation of beating it free, since the bearing MUST be re-used during re-assembly. Careful use of penetrating oils and mild prying will save you from the expense of buying a new wheel bearing!
3. After successfully removing the rear wheel bearing, separate the drum brake backing plate from the knuckle. Once the backing plate is completely separated from the knuckle, loosely re-attach the backing plate to the knuckle by finger-starting a few of the bearing-to-knuckle fasteners you just removed.
Park Brake Cable Removal (Left and Right)
1. Moving inside the vehicle, remove the plastic center console which covers the park brake assembly. Since there are several different console designs, we will not go into detail here, but if in doubt as to how to remove the console, consult you factory service manuals or contact your friendly Saturn retailer.
2. Locate and completely loosen the park brake adjuster nut found (usually) on the park brake handle. Again, there are several different designs in use, so consult your manuals for specifics.
3. Once the adjuster nut is loosened, the cables should readily pop out of the equalizer assembly (the metal thingy that has one cable on the input side and ‘splits’ the force between the two discreet park brake cables on the output side). Note the orientation of the equalizer assembly (top and bottom) before disassembly because you will be re-using the same equalizer with your new disc brake park brake cables.
4. Remove the cables from the cable support bracket by gently working the cable end (and in some applications, retaining clips) through the opening in the bracket.
5. Remove the rear seat cushion and pull the rear carpet forward to expose the park brake pass-through grommets (the rubber seals where the park brake cables pass through the body to the outside of the vehicle). Using a dull object (screwdrivers are NOT recommended), dislodge the grommet from the inside of the vehicle until the cable can be pushed ‘out ‘ of the vehicle from the inside. Do NOT fully remove the cable from the interior at this time.
6. Returning to the underside of the car, remove the final park brake cable retainer from the rear suspension trailing arm forward isolator using an 18mm socket. Some models may require the removal of a plastic zip-tie cable retaining strap as well. Remove this strap by cutting it with side cutters – two new straps are included with your kit for re-assembly.
7. Remove the finger-started fasteners holding the backing plate to the knuckle and pull the backing plate-park brake cable assembly off the vehicle. Note: it may be helpful to have a buddy inside the car to pass the cables through the openings in the floorboard.
You have now completely removed the old drum brake system from the car. Grab a drink and come back ready to install your new rear disc brakes.
Rear Disc Brake Rotor Installation (Left and Right)
1. Install the original rear wheel bearing to the knuckle re-using the original four 10mm fasteners. Torque the four fasteners in a crisscross sequence to 85 Nm (63 ft-lb). It is recommended that a small amount of Loctite be applied to each of the fasteners prior to re-assembly.
2. If applicable, reconnect the ABS wheel speed sensor to the bearing side connector. Do NOT force this connector if it is difficult to install.
3. Clean the face of the bearing flange with a Scotchbrite pad to remove any corrosion or crud which may be present. This step will help to ensure that the rotor is seated on a clean, flat surface.
4. Slide the new rotor (part number 105) over the wheel studs and onto the bearing, seating it against the flange. The raised section of the rotor (the ‘hat’ section) should be close to you with the friction surface farther away (inboard). Using a road wheel lug nut, finger-tighten the rotor against the flange to keep it in place for the duration of the re-assembly.
Rear Disc Brake Caliper Installation (Left and Right)
1. Locate the two caliper mounting tabs on the back side of the knuckle (they will be hidden behind the rotor). Position and secure the caliper support bracket (part number 101L, 101R) using two new 10mm fasteners (part number 112) torqued to 85 Nm (63 ft-lb), making sure that the rotor spins freely between the inboard and outboard sides of the bracket. Again, it recommended that a small amount of Loctite be applied to the threads before assembly.
2. Press the new caliper pin boots (part number 102) into the caliper support bracket after first coating the boots with silicone grease. Helpful hint: use the new caliper pins (part number 107) to install the boots into the brackets. Important: The ‘long’ boot should pass completely through the caliper support bracket!
3. Install the new caliper pad springs (part number 103) into the caliper support bracket by pressing firmly.
4. Install the new rear disc brake pads (not included with the kit!) into the caliper pad springs.
5. Place the new caliper assembly (part number 110L, 110R) over the brake pads and caliper support bracket assembly. Note that before installation, be sure to check that the orientation of the recessed ‘V’ grooves in the face of the caliper piston line up with the anti-rotation pins sticking out of the back side of the brake pad backing plates.
6. Lightly coat the sliding (flat) surfaces (not the threads!) of the new caliper mounting pins (part number 107) with silicone grease and install through the caliper body ears and into the caliper support bracket pin boots. Note: the larger diameter pin goes on the ‘bottom’, the smaller pin on the ‘top’. Torque the pins to 36 Nm (27 ft-lb) using a 14mm socket. Do NOT use Loctite on these fasteners!
Rear Flexible Brake Hose Installation (Left and Right)
1. Slide the new flexible brake hose (part number 313) fitting into the keyed opening in the rear suspension crossmember.
2. Finger-start the tube nut from the rigid rear brake pipe in the flexible brake hose fitting.
3. Install the original c-clip from the original flexible rear brake hose by pressing firmly to secure the new flexible brake hose in the crossmember.
4. Place one new copper washer (part number 308) over the end of the new banjo bolt (part number 309). Slide the assembly through the fitting block end of the new flexible brake hose and place a second new copper washer on the opposite side of the fitting block.
5. Remove the rubber plug from the caliper brake line fitting opening and finger-start the banjo bolt into the caliper body making sure that the fitting block is securely seated against the caliper body. Note: the rubber plug can be used to cover the bleeder screw, if desired.
6. Using an 11mm socket, torque the banjo bolt-to-caliper joint to 49 Nm (36 ft-lb).
7. Using a 10mm crowsfoot wrench, torque the tube nut-to-flexible brake hose joint to 24 Nm (18 ft-lb).
8. While still on jackstands, bleed both rear brake circuits using a 10mm wrench to remove any air trapped in the system. Note: it’s not a bad idea to bleed the front brakes as well once the full installation is complete.
9. After bleeding be sure to inspect all flexible brake hose and rigid pipe joints for signs of leakage. Correct as necessary.
Park Brake Cable Installation (Left and Right)
1. Install the new park brake cable (part number 211) through the large yellow caliper-mounted cable support arm. Be sure that the ‘fingers’ on the end of the cable lock in position once the cable is seated in the arm.
2. Secure the ‘T’ end of the cable through the caliper park brake actuation lever by feeding the head of the ‘T’ through the lever.
3. Secure the large metal park brake cable retainer to the rear suspension trailing arm forward isolator using an 18mm socket. Torque this fastener to 120 Nm (89 ft-lb).
4. Secure the small metal park brake cable retainer to the small body weld stud using the new park brake cable nut (part number 223) using a 10mm socket. Do NOT overtighten this fastener – just ‘snug’ will do.
5. Feed the park brake cable into the interior through the holes in the vehicle floorpan. Seat the body grommet located on the cable in the hole in the body. Check inside the vehicle for full seating.
6. Secure the cable to the floorpan using the new plastic zip-tie cable retaining strap (part number 222). Reference the original mounting hole to determine the correct attachment point.
7. Remove the finger-started lug nuts holding the rear rotors and re-install the rear road wheels. Torque the lug nuts to 140 Nm (103 ft-lb) using a 19mm socket. Note: you will need a buddy to hold the brake pedal down as you torque the lug nuts! Re-install any rear hubcaps or wheel covers also using a 19mm socket.
8. Moving inside the vehicle (but keeping the vehicle on jackstands), feed the cable under the carpet and into the cable retaining bracket hole.
9. Install the cable ends into the hand lever equalizer, remembering to correctly set the equalizer up/down orientation.
10. Once both cables are routed beneath the carpet and into the cable retaining bracket and equalizer, re-install the vehicle carpet and rear seat assembly.
11. Tighten the park brake adjuster nut until all slack is removed from the system. Adjust the park brake adjuster nut as follows:
0 clicks on park brake handle zero drag on road wheel when turned by hand
1 click on park brake handle zero drag on road wheel when turned by hand
2-3 clicks on park brake handle minimal drag on road wheel when turned by hand
4 clicks on park brake handle wheel should not be able to be rotated by hand
12. Fully and apply and release the park brake lever several times and confirm the adjustment of the park brake. Readjust the park brake adjuster nut if necessary after application.
13. Once the park brake is adjusted, secure the center console and park brake cover.
Vehicle Wrap-Up and Road Test
1. Raise the back end of the vehicle and remove jackstands. Unblock front wheels.
2. With the vehicle on level ground and with the car NOT running, apply and release the brake pedal several times until all clearances are taken up in the system.
3. Road test the vehicle to confirm proper function of both the road brakes and the park brake system. USE CAUTION THE FIRST TIME YOU DRIVE YOUR CAR AFTER MODIFICATION TO ENSURE THE PROPER FUNCTION OF ALL VEHICLE SYSTEMS!
4. Enjoy your modified Saturn!
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