I wanted to get an opinion of the members here, I have a friend that is a good mechanic, he has been in business for many years...Im not sure if I should bring this to him..Does or do you need to have any special tooling???are there any tricks or tips that I can tell him??

Thanks.

 

The front brakes are pretty easy; the only tools that are especially helpful to have (will make the job MUCH easier) are a long T-handle 9/16" ratcheting wrench (available through Snap-On, or you can buy it from Dave Breggin at BlueHummer.Com) and a basic caliper tool for compressing the piston; it is a standard tool that anyone who works on disk brakes should already have, or available at any auto parts store. That long handled 9/16" ratchet will be a real plus for getting the upper caliper bolt loose, since it is jammed up there in a tight spot. You can do it with regular hand tools, but if you plan to do the job yourself in the future, it is worth it to buy the tool -- comes in handy on some other jobs as well.

For the REAR brakes, the bigger caliper compression tool pictured is a good tool to have, because the piston has to be turned and compressed at the same time - not an issue for the fronts, though.

Picture of Brake Tools
[picture courtesy of http://www.bluehummer.comBlueHummer.com]

 

Im also going to need calipers, the parts shop I use said that they would have to send mine out to get rebuilt...the reason being is because these are not off the shelf items.

 

Depends on what shelf you are looking on... the front brake calipers are off-the-shelf parts from a 1987 AMC Eagle -- and they are cheap.

Napa # SDC2421008 for the right front (87 AMC Eagle)
Napa # SDC2421009 for the left front (87 AMC Eagle)

They should only run you around $19-$35 each.

The rears are proprietary and expensive, available only from the Hummer dealership; they have the e-brake mechanism built in.

 

Manny, thanks bro for those part #s, that was a big help...I will call Napa now there down the block from me...have a great Holiday..

 

I called the local supplier, he said he has the calipers loaded for 85.00..should I get them preloaded or get my own pads??

 

Get Hawk pads from the dealership - preloaded with original AMC Eagle pads will not do the job, they are not up to task for your truck.

 

You have two bolts to remove the brake calipers (it will still be attached to the flex hose). then use a C clamp to compress the caliper piston (one side on outside brake pad the other end on the back of the caliper). Inspect other components, replace pads and reinstall. You could also ask for the help of your mechanic friend.