Front and Rear Brake Pads - Different?

[NorthernOtter]

Hey all,

Are the front and rear brake pads different in the 1973 Fiat 124 Spider? Was going to order some off RockAuto, and while the shims seem to be the same, they list some of their pads as different and some as universal.

Thanks!

[rridge]

In most sets the front pads are thicker. They do most of the braking and see more wear. I suppose you could fit rear pads to the front but fronts will usually not go on the rear.

While 124 brakes are not particularly difficult to service they have a number of unique details, particularly at the rear. Here's an FAQ on how to retract the pistons, which are a unique design. https://www.mirafiori.com/faq/content/r ... lipers.htm

There are advantages to buying brakes parts from a Fiat specialist who carries not just the pads but the anti-rattle clips, the wedges, the rear compensator, new bleeder nipples, brake hoses, parking brake cable and rebuilt rear calipers with properly functioning parking brake.

[DieselSpider]

While the rotors are the same all around the rear pads are smaller and have a dowel pin in them to force you to align the slot in the brake pistons correctly to engage them. You need a good sized file or piece of flat stock to engage the slot to screw the pistons in to accommodate the parking brake self adjusted built into the center of the pistons. You screw them all the way in with new pads after loosening the adjuster on the parking brake cable. Then after you have pressed the brake pedal a few times seating the pads, readjust the parking brake cable.

[NorthernOtter]

Great, thanks for the good info! I'll be tackling those this spring before taking it on some windy roads.