Brake Pad Replacement
About two years ago I discovered one of the brake linings arrived from the factory damaged (see this post). At some point I ordered a set of replacement pads plus a tool to install it, but just never got around to doing the repair. Before hanging the heavy engine on the front, I figured now would be a good time to fix the brake. With the right tools, this task was pretty easy, and only took about 30 minutes.
Both the brake pad kit (BRL-1) and the Rapco RA825 tool are available from Aircraft Spruce. I didn’t have a way to lift the plane off the wheel, and the official maintenance manual simply says to “Hoist the aircraft onto supports” without saying how to do that. I’m reminded of one of my favorite scenes from the show “Schitt’s Creek”.
The bottom of the main gear leg doesn’t have a lot of space for a typical floor jack – the brake caliper and the fairing bracket obstruct the bottom of the leg, and the brake disc is just millimeters away from the leg. I found a narrow scissor lift on Amazon that had a slotted disc on the top that looked like it would fit, and it does. Here’s a link to that lift: LEAD BRAND Scissor Jack.
Using the Rapco tool was pretty straightforward. It comes with two dies and a screw press, although they forgot to include the instructions (here’s a link). One of the dies is for removing the old rivets, and the other die is for installing new rivets.
