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First, you knock out the two pins (top and bottom) using a punch and a hammer. The spring on the top holding the pads in place simply falls out.
Then, you just slide the pads out of the top! A standard brake piston compressor can be slid into the empty caliper to push the pistons back in. The new pads slide in from the top.
The new Hawk HPS 5.0 pads are ready to go in. Those holes on the top of the pads are what the pins slide through. The slots in the pad surface help relieve stress in the pads and remove debris from the faces. The sides are chamfered to improve initial contact with the rotor and reduce noise.
All buttoned back up. Note how shiny the new spring and pins are and how filthy the caliper is from those dusty no-name track pads I had previously.
Front brakes are complete. The rear pads and rotors are installed in a similar manner to just about every car out there, so I’ll spare you the details.
