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View Full Version : Twin Piston Calipers into 5th Gen Prelude


Jdmtech
04-08-2006, 04:00 AM
Hey guys! I finished my brake install in about 3 hours with a friend. Pretty good time, it was the first time I've done the full install. We did one side at a time, if you are competent, you may do one and have your friend do the other.

Here's a DIY, I suggest you verify EVERYTHING in my list BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANYTHING!!! I take no responsibility for you hurting or killing yourself or anyone else. As always, if you do this mod, you are responsible for the results. Please be safe!

Parts installed:
1995 Legend GS Sedan front calipers (including pad spring)
1995 Legend GS Sedan front caliper brackets (including pad retainers)
1995 Legend GS Sedan Brembo Blank rotors (28mm)
Goodridge Stainless steel braided front brake lines
Tools used:
10mm wrench
12mm socket
14mm socket
17mm socket
19mm socket
1/4 and 3/4 ratchet
rubber mallet
impact driver
2 pairs of plyers (for those hard to access places)
various extenders and adapters
6000 lbs jack
jack stands
heavy duty ZIP ties
clippers (for zip ties)
a couple of flat head screwdrivers
a few small blocks of wood (for clamping to the calipers during bleeding)
Plastic jar or pitcher (to catch brake fluid)
bag of rags (to keep it clean)
Install time:
3 hours, with friend.

Preparations!

01) obtain all parts first!

02) make sure you have at least 2-3 hours of free time and a friend to help!

03) get a copy or printout of the appropriate pages of the Helms manual

04) gather all of the tools

05) Print out this DIY!!! =D

Break down!

06) loosen all 10 lugs on the front wheels

07) make sure parking break is up, car can be in or out of gear

08) jack up car (from the front) so the wheels are about 2-3 inches off of the ground

09) place jack stands behind front wheels, to support the jack and protect your life

10) double check all jacks and supports to make sure that everything is safe.

11) remove 10 lugs from front wheels, remove wheels (don't scratch your wheels!) You will now see the rotor, single piston caliper, bracket, and behind these the dust shield, rubber brake line, and suspension.

12) loosen and remove caliper bolts (2 behind the rotor)

13) zip tie caliper up to one of the supports for the suspension (not the spring) - Make sure you get it out of the way of the rest of your work, you will get back to this later.

14) remove, and place in a safe location, your brake pads.

15) loosen and remove the bracket bolts (2 more behind the rotor)

16) remove the caliper bracket and put it in a box

17) Using the impact driver, carefully pound and remove the 2 screws holding the brake rotor onto the hub.

18) remove the old brake rotor

19) unbolt brakeline from brake caliper, taking care to use a rag to avoid spillage

19b) cut ziptie holding old brake caliper, be careful the fluid does not spill! (plug the hole)

20) place end of brake line into the jar you brought to catch the brake fluid - let this drip here for a while, maybe 10 minutes.

Installation!

21) Install new Legend rotor taking care to align the screw holes. Don't use the impact driver to tighten the screws! wipe down rotor with a clean cloth.

22) Install legend caliper bracket

23) replace your brake pads in the bracket

24) mount the Legend caliper on the upper bolt only!

25) swing caliper upwards (to point the bleed bolt and nipple up

26) zip tie the caliper so it does not fall back down.

27) optional step Remove the rubber brake lines (2 bolts) and replace them with the Goodgridge (or other brand) Stainless steel lines,

28) Attach your brake lines to the Legend caliper, using the 2 washers from the old caliper.

At this point you should double check all of your work, make sure everything is snug, not tight, (though the brake line fittings should be tight). If you are doing one side at a time, now is the appropriate time to do the other side. You are now ready to bleed the brakes! congrats!

Bleeding!

For bleeding, make sure you bleed the ENTIRE system, front and back. I'm including two links to bleeding articles, so you have some background. Remember that you'll need to angle the calipers up.

29) Take those small blocks of wood and carefully wedge them into the calipers. you may need more than one block. I used 3, and zip tied them in place. Try to fill nearly the entire volume of the caliper. You don't want those pistons popping out!

30) Repeat as necessary!

31) remove the wood blocks from the calipers, and gently slide the calipers down over the pads. (This may be a little difficult to do, but if you filled most of the caliper with the wood block, it won't be too bad.)

32) Bolt the lower caliper bolt to the bracket, and tighten all bolts in the brake system that need tightening.

32a) Before mounting wheels, double check ALL of the brake bolts and screws! There are 2 screws in the rotor, 2 bolts on the caliper, 2 bolts on the bracket, and 1 bolt on the brake line.

33) mount your two front wheels

34) test the car in a parking lot. test it a LOT. at slow speeds. Don't exceed 15 miles per hour. Remove the wheels and triple check the brake bolts!

If your car performed well, take it up to traffic speeds of 25-35 miles per hour and try some gradual stops. If you have done everything right, the braking should feel better than it did before you began. Run the car for a day or two, TAKING IT EASY!!!, and then you may want to bleed the brakes again, just to be safe.

You are DONE!! Congradulations and enjoy your new twin piston braking system!!! :D

If you have problems with the brakes, if they feel loose or unresponsive, then you still have air in the system. Go back to step 30, and bleed them again. Remember that while you are bleeding you need to build up brake pressure with the brake bleed bolt TIGHT. Once most of the air is out of the system, it will start to feel quite good!

Good luck guys! Remember to take is slow and cautious, and be safe! Your brakes are your life, be patient with the install and it will work out.

skylight
04-10-2006, 11:42 AM
great post!

edge2lyfe
04-13-2006, 02:00 PM
Let's see a pic!

jesseunvoas
04-13-2006, 10:19 PM
Let's see a pic! http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/wayneshonda/bumperview2.jpg


there are no pics cause he got it from a different site

http://diy.prostreetonline.com/howto...p?articleid=42

eludertypes
06-23-2006, 10:37 AM
Post Jacker!!!!

azprelude
06-24-2006, 08:37 PM
immmmm might consider that, never knew that thanks:partay:

eludertypes
06-25-2006, 06:00 AM
I have already been talking to my wrench about this. We just needed the specifics. Thanks for the info!

Werewolf
06-27-2006, 09:40 PM
could i use my stock pads and rotors and just swap the calipers and mounting brackets?

Werewolf
06-28-2006, 10:37 PM
i checked and the rotors and pads are the same but NEVER ever re-use the copper crush washers on the banjo bolt anytime you have to change a brake line always get you new copper's and they are cheap

Werewolf
06-29-2006, 07:49 AM
did you use the acura lines or the lude lines?

Preludeshalyn
02-16-2007, 03:21 PM
lude lines

InvaderTrax
02-16-2007, 10:01 PM
Couple comments. You don't have to use the Legend rotor, but it helps. It's the same size as the stock VTEC/5th gen rotor, just a little thicker. Next, I believe if the bleeder screw is facing down, the caliper is on upside down. Use whatever brake lines fit your car, because the banjo bolts on each are the same size. Never reuse crush washers, but good luck finding replacements. They're $3.50 each at Honda and you have to special order them. I managed to find exactly enough at AdvanceAuto for $3.50 per 2 pack. Anyway, upgrading an S/SI to VTEC or GS brakes really makes a difference, and doing SS lines while you're in there is worthwhile (in my opinion). Oh, and to catch the fluid spills, you'll need more than a rag. I used the bucket I use to catch oil in. Also, disposable rubber gloves is damn near a must for a job like this. Brake fluid on the skin should be washed off ASAP

Preludeshalyn
02-17-2007, 05:38 PM
ok here's some thoughts. i did some research and found that on legends the caliper is located on the upper rear portion of the rotor. whereas the prelude rotors are located at the upper front (if that makes any sence). so what that means is that the legend calipers would be upside down on the lude (bleeder valve in the wrong place) to resolve this you switch sides. however on the legend brakes one piston is slightly larger than the other, usually this larger piston is on the trailing edge on the rotor. but when converted over to the lude, the larger piston will be on the leading edge, this will cause uneven pad wear and sometime brake chatter.

with all that said. the NSX calipers are also dual piston and they would be positioned properly. what i am wondering is if the NSX calipers can be directly bolted on as easily an GS calipers. because that would kick ass.

slvr92lude
02-28-2007, 01:08 AM
i wanna see some pictures of the install

jh99lude
03-05-2007, 10:01 PM
I am doing the same upgrade. Will the stock prelude caliper brackets work, or will i have to get the legend brackets?

InvaderTrax
03-06-2007, 12:20 PM
I am doing the same upgrade. Will the stock prelude caliper brackets work, or will i have to get the legend brackets?

Did you even read the first post? It tells you all the parts you need, which include Legend brackets

jh99lude
03-15-2007, 11:47 AM
yes i did read the first post, and now im not going to do the upgrade

Fastkill
04-05-2007, 10:16 PM
pics?

LUDENNYC
05-30-2007, 06:32 AM
So basically a VTEC setup with SS lines is just as good as the legend setup correct?

dakilla4ever
05-30-2007, 10:32 AM
So How do you do it on a 4th Gen? I have everything and mine doesn't work. Turns out on the 4th gen you need to add the Legend Brake booster to build enough pressure to press all 4 pistons out instead of the stock 2.

Prelude13
05-30-2007, 03:54 PM
So basically a VTEC setup with SS lines is just as good as the legend setup correct?

Twin piston setup is better. Much stronger clamping force.

...SS lines are an instant upgrade to stock setups. I love my SS brake lines :cool:


So How do you do it on a 4th Gen? I have everything and mine doesn't work. Turns out on the 4th gen you need to add the Legend Brake booster to build enough pressure to press all 4 pistons out instead of the stock 2.


Add the Legend Brake Master cylinder perhaps? :confused:

InvaderTrax
05-30-2007, 04:01 PM
Booster doesn't do anything except help you press the pedal. The master cylinder holds the extra fluid to make up the difference during the depression of the pedal. The S has a slightly smaller piston inside the MC vs the SI and VTEC models, but any of those should be enough to work the still fairly small Legend brake calipers

R8GYY
05-11-2008, 11:24 AM
can nsx pads/ rotors and calipers be used on the 5th gen?

importsnrice
05-11-2008, 01:26 PM
It's been done on a 4th gen so I don't see why not

Brash22
05-11-2008, 05:38 PM
NSX rotors would work better, since they don't need to be re-orientated. The Legend has the calipers on the rear side of the disc, so to put them on the Prelude you need to turn them upside down, which has been known to cause some issues.

But the NSX calipers sit forward side of the disc, solving that issue. So if you can get them, go for it!

Werewolf
05-11-2008, 06:42 PM
I did the swap on my gen 5, ss lines, original master cyl. I didn't switch the sides to put the bleeder in the right position. instead i pulled the lower caliper bolt, swung the caliper up and vacuum bled the system. Using cross-drilled slotted cryo-treated rotors and Kevlar yellow stuff race pads, it stops on a dime. only problems are with cheap rotors its not hard at all to warp the hell outta them, and you gotta watch the outboard pad on both wheels for excessive wear. this setup is great but if you wear that pad to far it will slingshot out. have fun tryin to stop then. -Jay

dakilla4ever
07-24-2008, 03:00 PM
Well figured out that in order to fit this on a 4th gen all you need to do is redrill the rotors to fit 4x114.3. It'll all bolt up just like the 5th gen once you do that. I'll post pics once I'm done.

starbai
09-26-2008, 10:20 AM
I just got done doing the conversion, brand new nice brake pads etc...

I bleed the system, but for some reason I still dont get a nice harsh stop.
I've pretty much gotta push the pedal down to the floor for it to stop completely.

Its not floppy, its pretty resistant, just goes all the way to the floor.

I really dont like that feeling, theres no feeling of confidence in the pedal at all like that.

Is that a symptom of this conversion? Have you noticed that with your setup?

Any advice on how to overcome it? I really dont like driving around like that. The stock brakes felt much better in comparison.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.