So here you can see the tools of the trade for removing those pesky caliper torx bolts.
Or not..
And the broken wheel stud that I inherited; probably screwed up the original wheel hub in the process of replacing the stud. It didn't spin the same as before the hammering & torquing. FML will see what happens.
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Didn't want to chance a bunch of labor getting the rotors in for a resurface only to be told they are short on material so I went all-in as to be finished with it in 1-go.
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And then the wheel lugs were so tight that I snapped my 3/8 to 1/2 adapter. How many times has this happened? Impact-grade junk, another minor setback. As you can see from my wheel design, not a whole lot of options for getting to the lugs. Just using what I've got..
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I will have to jump in it, burnish the pads and see if the braking vibes issue is resolved.
Update: the braking is smooth & no longer experiencing any shudder or "pulsating"
Braking vibration is 1 thing I cannot tolerate as you can tell by the 1/2" thick brake pads I just tossed into the garbage. It was all due to neglecting the resurface or outright replacement of the rotors when the pads were replaced.