Removing the pads was only possible by first unbolting the callipers from the support brackets and pulling the callipers complete with pads off the discs, it was easy then to remove the pads.
One by one I gripped them in the vice and applied an abrasive disc to the surface of each pad, which took only a few moments. When I put pads back in the callipers and bolted the callipers back on, the wheels spun freely, job done I thought. A couple of runs around the block and the brakes didn't lock on and the discs were only warm, but job only half done, for when I firmly pressed the brake pedal the back wheel locked up long before I felt the front brakes bite.
Not surprising really as my assault with the angle grinder and abrasive disc was a bit brutal. I put on the thinking cap and pondered how I could get a uniformly flat surface to each pad and eventually I got the answer.
The answer was my electric drill fitted in my cheapo drill stand and with a large router cutter fitted in the drill. I lightly oiled the the base of the drill stand so that the back of each disc would slide easily on it. Next stage was to lower the drill and cutter so that it touched the pad, I then slipped the pad out and lowered the drill and cutter by a tenth of a mil. With the drill revolving at its fastest speed I pushed a pad back under the cutter and it started to skim away the surface, I kept moving the pad around until all of the surface was moving freely under the spinning cutter.
There was an area of the pad that was still lower than the rest of the surface, so I went through the same procedure, lowering the cutter by a tenth of a mil. and after the pad had been under the cutter this time, the whole surface was absolutely flat. The same procedure for the other three pads and then back in the callipers and back on the car and out for a test run. Perfect! I nearly hit the little Brooklands windscreen, full braking power restored and no over heated discs.
The only mistake I made was when I took the photo I had my phone on video, at least I now know how to upload a video clip to the blog site and apologises for the appalling quality. Ohh, by the way, I wore a face mask all the time I was grinding and skimming the pads, I know they don't contain asbestos anymore, but I still didn't want to be breathing in any of that dust.
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