REAR DISCS & HUBS REBUILD
Also known as "a pain in the arse", not because its difficult, just because the parts I ordered were pattern parts from hell that were unbranded and didn't bloody fit!
The rear tyres were wet on the inside and had streaks fanning out around them, I suspected the rear seals were leaking a bit so it went on the "TO DO" list. Needless to say, by the time I got around to fix them, they were well buggered. I ordered all parts on-line hoping to cover every eventuality.
As you can see, I even waited until my wife went out so I could show you a photo of them all on the dining room table! As usual, Jack up/remove wheels/axle stands etc..
Remove the hub drive flange and watch all the brown water/grease/swarf drain out into a tub (this won't always happen) As you can see the drive flanges were unexpectedly worn. The splines were worn to a sharp point and not that far from sheering. The other side was even worse (below) as it really was full of swarf!
These were obviously replaced (new one above right). I tend to clean as I disassemble, it just makes assembly seem to go much smoother. Bend back the lock tab (you can see it above) and undo the two 52mm hub nuts. Then pull the disc by hand and it will come off with bearings still attached. (you will have removed the calliper by not obviously).
Undo the 5 bolts from the back of the disc to free it from the hub that houses the bearings and wheel studs (you won't need to do this if your keeping the same discs). Once they are all out find a bloody big hammer ad beat the hub free from this disc. This is the hardest part of the job! You can see the sate of my disc above. Yes, before you ask, the brakes were crap.
Use a punch (as shown above) and hammer to knock the bearings out, its surprisingly easy and as you can see I put the hub up on two pieces of timber to raise it off the floor. Once one is done, flip it over and knock the other side out. Clean up the hub, then knock in the new bearings the same way (possibly with a little more care!) PACK THE BEARINGS FULLY WITH GREASE before you tap the inner hub seal in place. When you have done that, bolt on the new disc and clean of the oil they ship them in before you forget about it. The hub and disc above are ready to reattach to the stub. When you do this try to use new lock washers if you have them (The Britpart ones I had were too tight!, I had to file the hole bigger to get it over the stub.)
Whilst I was doing the hubs the callipers were still "plumbed in" via the hydraulic brake system, this was mainly because the nuts/unions were all rounded off but it is useful for this reason. You can get your mother to pump the brakes as you watch the pistons push out. Make sure they are both moving before you disconnect the hydraulics or you may get one stuck (you can rig up an adapter and push it out with air/foot pump if you get stuck). You can see on the above right picture the seal retainer and seal coming out with the piston. This is what happens when they seize and the pistons rust, hence the leaks.... [in the event your mother is unavailable to pump the brake pedal, then another person you know will suffice]
Remove the pistons and seals, refit the seal kits (NOTE: I foolishly assumed the ones I had purchased would fit. However they were none-branded crap that wouldn't go anywhere near the calliper so it delayed me a week waiting for new ones (from a dealer) to arrive, see the picture of the cleaner cut OE seal retainer compared to the "shitparts" poor quality pressed retainer below.)
Re
assemble the calliper, fit new brake pipes if required and bleed the system. I
have bought a Gunson Eezibleed which is invaluable if you go near brakes on a
frequent basis. It makes bleeding brakes a doddle by yourself. This is the
second one I have had, I think my brother nicked the first on off me several
years back (thieving git!!!!!!!!!!!!!).
Then drive off and marvel at how amazing your brakes are! without the rumble of knackered bearings!............................. Then note the brake fluid leaking from the new seals! AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!
It turned out that the callipers were actually beyond repair. The OE seals & retainers did the job fine with the new pistons, but where the seals touched the callipers they were too pitted to form a seal. So after all that I was forced to buy new complete callipers. Some you win- Some you lose.
PS. If unsure, get a Haynes manual. They tell lies and are full of useless rubbish you could do without, but the pictures are useful if nothing else to give you a clue what's going on if you haven't done this before.