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Acura RL BBK Upgrade

24K views 52 replies 18 participants last post by  AccordWhite00 
#1 · (Edited)
So after seeing several CLs, 2G TLs, 3G TLs, and a couple 7G Accords do this swap, I've finally decided to do it. has anyone done it on a 6gen? I'll document my progress as best as i can.

one thing to note: Im doing this whole project along side my friend with a 3rd gen TL so you may see double the amount of parts in some of the pics. we're doing the swap with the exact same parts for both cars and the install will be at the same time too. only difference is he is not going to use SS brake lines, i am.

Parts i'm using:
  • 12.8" 2005 350Z (Brembo version) Rotors... (i'm using PowerSlot Rotors)
  • 2006 Acura RL 4 Piston Calipers
  • Caliper rebuild kits (im powdercoating the calipers so the seals and everything have to come out, so its best to replace them with new parts)
  • EBC Red Stuff Brake Pads for 2006 Acura RL Calipers
  • ATE Super Blue DOT4 Brake Fluid
  • Fastline Stainless Steel Brakes lines from a 99-03 TL (i won these in a raffle at AcuraFest, winning these things is what jump started this project, only cost me $5 in tickets :D )
  • Custom made bracket to fit the RL Caliper on the Accord made by NVA-AV6

Calipers taken apart, pistons and seals removed, ready for parts washer (these are my friends calipers, mine were already clean)...


After coming out of the parts washer, as clean as they're going to get before media blasting at the powder coaters...


My friends caliper bolts before...


His bolts after i attacked them with a wire wheel to remove corrosion and rust, media blasting should take care of the rest.


*I will not be using the same bolts because the previous owner of mine had the calipers rebuilt and his mechanic stripped the head on one of the bolts, so after going through hell removing it, i looked for a replacement and NOBODY ANYWHERE sells a replacement like it so i had to replace them all with Class 12.9 Hex head bolts and some Stainless Steel washers.

These are the pins that hold the shield in place at the top of the caliper after inserting brade pads, not sure what the technical name of the shield is but whatever, before and after the wire wheel...


Now onto MY Calipers...
Being as im putting these on my HONDA, i didnt want the ACURA logo so i decided to grind it off but before i did, i needed to find a suitable replacement font to get a decal made. I really dont like the OG Honda font with all those wierd block as the ends of the letters so i threw that font out the door right away. I do however like the font used on the ACURA logo but i searched and searched and searched online and couldnt find the damn thing, all i found was the NSX logo which is slightly different and too short and too wide. being the perfectionist that i am, that wasnt going to cut it for me.

so being how i am, in my head the decision was already made and set in stone, somehow get the ACURA font and write out HONDA. and since i came up empty handed i got reaalllllly creative. i busted out my OG photoshop skills and manually turned ACURA into HONDA like so....

H= take the upright column of the R, duplicate it and space them apart, and add a cross beam to make the H.
O= take the C (or U), duplicate it, flip the copy horizontally and attached the two Cs together to make the O
N= take the upright column of the R, duplicate it and space them apart, then take a 3rd column, extend it and connect the opposing corners to make my N.
D= take the C and the upright of the R, put them together and flip it horizontally to make the D.
A= i used the same A.

BINGO!!!!!

then i made the font a little bolder till i was happy with it...


with the logo taken care of, i moved onto the physical work of removing the ACURA logo...

It's as smooth as its gonna get, the powdercoat will hide any minor flaws.

Here are both his and my pistons, pins, and shield after being cleaned...


thats its for now.

everything has been ordered for both cars so im just waiting on delivery. then i'll have to get them powdercoated. I'm thinking of color matching them to my Hyper Silver wheels and using gloss black on the bolt heads and HONDA decal.




oh and to answer the question im sure many of you will have... Why not just buy an aftermarket kit?
1. not looking to spend a grand or more for a legit bbk.
2. the entry level 4 piston wilwood kit makes all sorts of squeals and whatnot according to several people i've spoken with.
3. replacement rotors and pads are STUPID expensive on the wilwood kit. im using almost all OEM parts so replacements are "cheap."
4. OEM Calipers > Low-end Aftermarket.
 
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#35 ·
I'm with Brad here...I have personally never been a huge fan of polished calipers. Any color besides red or black...maybe yellow, just looks weird. The other thing is that those calipers are going to be a royal pain in the ash to clean dude. They are always going to be dirty. Black on the other hand you can just spray down with soapy water and probably get away with it. If this is a daily, you may want to rethink it.

Also, remember that polished parts are always in need of repolishing.

My .02
 
#50 ·
well i can tell you how i did it. i just winged it.

i assume you know how to remove the funky wire thing on the back side of the caliper that holds the brake pad pins and shield in place?

well you undo the 4 torx bolts on the front of the caliper and the two halves will fall apart.

there will be two small rubber washers wedged between the two pieces so be careful not to lose them, they provide a tight seal between the two halves where the brake fluid can travel between the halves.

on each piston of the caliper there is a rubber boot around it. find an edge and peal it off.

under the rubber boot you will see a silver (or brown if discolored) ring. that ring holds the piston inside the caliper. use 2 wide flat edge screwdrivers or something to pry them up. keep these as most aftermarket rebuild kits i've seen do not provide new ones.

now comes the tricky part. its best to have an extra set of hands and an air compressor.

use a rag and cover both pistons and hold your hand firm. do not restrict the piston though. using an air nozzle attached to your compressor... carefully blow air into the brake fluid channel (where the small little washer was). keep in mind that you will feel the pistons moving a little, dont fight it. also keep in mind that you are applying extreme air pressure behind the piston so when it does come out, it will POP real loud, almost like a mini explosion.

repeat for all pistons. note... when you apply air into the brake fluid line, you will be shooting brake fluid everywhere when that piston finally pops out so wearing protective eye wear. also once you remove one of the pistons on the one of the sides, you will have an air leak when you try to remove the other piston so you will need to stick you finger into the area where the first piston came out and find the little hole at the bottom and plug it with your finger, then apply air again and the other piston should pop out.

after the pistons are out, there is a rubber ring inside the wall, use a pick and get it out and replace with ones supplied in your rebuild kit.

when reassembling everything, always always always make sure everything is free of dust and dirt because the slightest spec of crap inside the caliper will cause a piston to sieze because the tolerances are very tight, much like a piston inside an engine block. so make sure everything is clean and use PLENTY of brake fluid on everything when reassembling to make sure things go in smoothly.

you will have to make sure you push the pistons back in perfectly straight, if you go in at an angle you risk siezing the piston. dont ever use anything but brake fluid when reassembling. dont use grease or anti sieze because you dont want any of that stuff in your brake system.
 
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