Now if it were me, I'd have that screwdriver or knife tip stabbing me somewhere in my other hand, before I had even achieved any removal. However, I've done something else successfully, a few times now. Here's my simple technique:
Use the top of a solid table or counter, close to the squared edge (rounded is no good). Place the unit on end, with the open side facing the ceiling, and all metal being clear of the table in a vertical plane. Just push down firm and square on the shoe, and watch the pad pop up (actually, the metal shoe drops). Reverse the operation for reinstallation.
The above is for Record type units. There are lower level Campy brake pad assemblies that are closed on both ends, and I've found it impossible to remove the rubber without ruining both the pad and the shoe. Anyone know how to do those?
Ciao, Mark Agree (thinking like a klutz) Southfield MI ~ ~ ~
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 17:49:00 -0700 (PDT) From: Raymond Dobbins raydobbins2003@yahoo.com
thanks to all who provided advice. i'm happy to report that i succesfully and without incident changed four pads. the technique i used was the first one i received, which came from dennis stover:
take a flat blade screw driver and shove it behind the brake pad, at the open end of the holder. The pads pop right out.
i first put the screwdriver between the pad and the closed end of the shoe to push the pad out a little. that made it easier to work the tip of the screwdriver in between back of the pad and the shoe at the open end. after that i tapped the screwdriver all the way in, with the shoe resting on a piece of soft wood to prevent damage. by the time the screwdriver was all the way in, the pad was half way out. i twisted the screwdriver and out popped the pad - with absolutely no damage, widening or deformation of the shoe.
i did not have a chance to use ted ernst's advice to use alcohol, but i'm sure it would have made removal even easier. insertion of the new brake pads was basically a reversal of the process. i lubricated the back and sides of the pads with saliva (it was handier than the alcohol), slid them into the shoes and finished with a couple of mallet taps. success!
thanks again to all, especially dennis stover
ray dobbins
miami florida