My Turn for the Akebono BBK

Man I love those stock 20" rims..I'd love to have a set of those but very few sell them around Toronto...

But you're right 25mm does stick out quite a bit, wow I never thought 25mm would do that. So 20mm it is if I only have 5mm of space.

---------- Post added at 11:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:54 PM ----------

Here's some photos of the test fit...I'm not using a spacer at all on stock 18" rims...

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Here's something interesting, the part on either caliper where the stock bolts go into are the same yet the bolts are different sizes between stock and FX50...

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Phantom,
I just did a quick measurement this morning and I think you are right and I was wrong. The gap with 20mm spacer is roughly 24mm and it is possible that no spacer is required. That is a great finding since the spacers would introduce vibration at high speed if not being used properly (luckily, my H and R spacers bought from sir21 are great and showed no sign of vibration so far). :good:
 
BBK cuts pretty close with those 18's. Have to be super careful each time removing/install them. 20+'s are move forgiving. Looks good.

So, just to be clear. There are 2 different styles of the oem 18"s.
2003-05 , clears front / rear BBK without spacers?
2006-08 , clears front / rear BBK without spacers?
 
I finally got my 20mm DRS spacers this past friday and did the install on saturday including the front Akebonos. I also took photos as I was doing the install. Removing the wheel studs was a breeze with the tool I used. Some people like using a hammer to pop them out, I just think that's a bit too aggressive on the bearings. Tires at least absorb any pot holes, etc.

Since friday I have been driving on this setup and I can say braking is much improved. Not only that but the ride feels much smoother and I'm guessing my old rotors may have been slightly warped or simply because the Akebono's are a better design altogether. Besides that I'm sure the spacers have mellowed the suspension a bit, making it a little more soft but not by much.

I want to post pics of my install, but wondering if I should do it in this thread or start a new one. I don't want to hijack this post. But then again, everyone's already posting in here, we could make a collection of installations and knowledge base.

---------- Post added at 06:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:36 PM ----------
soonster said:
B
So, just to be clear. There are 2 different styles of the oem 18"s.
2003-05 , clears front / rear BBK without spacers?
2006-08 , clears front / rear BBK without spacers?
Click to expand...

Mine's an 05 and I have those style 18's. I think there was maybe one of two other style 18's but i can't say if those are going to clear. My "spokes" have an "arc" which gives it that clearance. Looking at the newer style rims, they have a bigger arc to accommodate the Akebono's.

As far as it goes for my style 18's, it clears both fronts and rears without spacers but at least a 5mm spacer would be the least i'd go with. The calipers are more wider than higher. They won't touch the rim even with the stick on weights.
 
JimmyWang said:
If you get the stoptech SS line, it automatically comes with the right banjo bolts.
Click to expand...

I just tried to put the StopTech SS Brake lines on Akebono caliper and the banjo bolt that was inside the package won't fit. How many washers did you use? Guess I need to order 772.21707S instead of 20mm one that came with brake lines.
 
Here is how the 20mm banjo bolt will sit on the Akebono caliper:

1 washer, no comments
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2 washers, still sits bad
///8961[/ATTACH]
3 washers, sits perfect
///8962[/ATTACH]
 
I'm not tech but I would question the safety of stacking multiple spaces. I had my stoptech lines installed with 2 spacers (1 being on each side).

turbocad had done a diy: drill pressed the center and bore out the bolt open end.
 
Yeah, no one recommends stacking them like that on other Z/G forums too...

apparently you won't need any shorter banjo bolts with those, I will try to order them in a couple days:
1. 46246-JK60B left front caliper hard line
1. 46245-JK60B right front caliper hard line
1. 46315-JL00A right rear caliper hard line
1. 46316-JL00A left rear caliper hard line
 
I wouldn't stack the washers, you're adding another point of failure as well changing the engineering.

Not to bore anyone with some science but here's the reason you couldn't do the double washer at one end setup... the bolt itself is made of mild steel which allows stretching to a certain degree when the caliper heats up. Copper is a perfect seal because it compresses easily but as well expands much more than most metals. Having two washers introduces more stretch to the bolt that can stress it. The bolt itself doesn't need a lot of torque to begin with.

Now the reason why some of us don't have issues with the banjo bolts from stoptech is...There's two kits for our generation FX. There's one that has the shorter banjo bolt, 18.74mm which is for stoptech calipers, then there's the second kit that comes with the 20mm banjo bolt for stock calipers (1st gen stock, not Akebono). I know this because when I went to order stop tech lines, they asked me which one I needed and this is what they told me. So what you need is the kit for stoptech calipers. Same lines, shorter bolt.

Since you already have the kit, you can shorten the bolt as Soonster/turbocad mentioned. But before you start this, find a nut that will thread onto the banjo bolt. This is because when you shave off the end of the bolt, you will lose the clean threading. That way when you take the nut off, it will re-groove the bolt for you.

Put the bolt in a vice with the bolt facing up. Take a drill bit that's wider than the bolt and drill downwards into the bolt slowly. Make sure you check how much bolt you've shaved off because the material it's made from is soft. Then just take a file and clean the edges. Make sure the nut is still on when you do this. Take the nut off, use compressed air to clean out the crevices of the bolt from any filings and test fit it.


And that's it, its really simple. I initially used stock banjo bolts and drilled them down. Just so everyone's clear, you're not making a bigger hole in the bolt, you're shortening it with a drill bit wider than the bolt itself. And drill straight down. I've ruined a bolt by not paying attention.
 
I cross checked those numbers and those are stock hard lines. I discussed that with turbocad and he said its a no go. You'll have trouble getting the mid section to attach to the strut properly. I haven't played with stock hard lines for the akebono's otherwise I would give you an exact answer.

zebra555 said:
Yeah, no one recommends stacking them like that on other Z/G forums too...

apparently you won't need any shorter banjo bolts with those, I will try to order them in a couple days:
1. 46246-JK60B left front caliper hard line
1. 46245-JK60B right front caliper hard line
1. 46315-JL00A right rear caliper hard line
1. 46316-JL00A left rear caliper hard line
Click to expand...
 
According to Stoptech website FX35, FX45 and FX50 are using the same brake lines(same part numbers,Front 950.42000. Rear 950.42500), so I guess there are no other kits. Even on Z/G forums members have problems with banjo bolts. Not sure if 18.74mm banjo bolt will sit better, since it's only 1.26mm shorter.

I will try to order those hard lines posted above first. Will see...

---------- Post added at 02:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 PM ----------

OK, didn't see you posted above
 
Was I just lucky that my SS line did fit without any problem.....
I got the same line that Zebra got ( part number wise) and it did fit fairly well on the strut. I did follow turbocad's DIY on reaming the banjo bolts down a bit to make sure they would not stress the bottom. Maybe that's the reason I can fit the bolts with two cooper washers.
Zebra, if you need any help, we can have a mini meet with Andy once the weather gets warmer if you can wait..
 
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Just got back from the local CNC shop. They shortened 4 banjo bolts for me. These came out perfect. Total cost was $30 for all 4. The nominal bolt length is now 16mm, instead of 20mm. Wasn't really comfortable drilling the bolts out myself.
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soonster said:
the BBK I got were in good conidtion, but I sand the crap out of to get a color that I wanted :smile (2):, never looked back.


painted / stenciled by turbocad:
3calipers.jpg
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Thats the color I'm looking for.. Or something similar to the GTR calipers which is closer to a burnt gold (I think).
What product did you use to paint these calipers?

Anyone know how to rebuild the Akebono's? I got mine off someone but they look like it could use a rebuild to be safe. I've searched and haven't seen a "how to"

Last, where can I get these I-N-F-I-N-I-T-I stencils? Need some for my new paint job. Will pay anyone who's makes them...
Thsnks everyone.
 

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Color was a blend of 15% black on Burnt Orange, turbocad has the proper mix level. Not sure if he still remembers it well since it was dated back in May 2009.

Stencils were made by my cousin. I'll pm you his sample (4 types) and pricing if you are interested.
 
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