Now granted the brakes are the origionals but I am having a hell of a time snapping the new pads in place on the brackets. The clips look fine, the bracket has a little rust near the clips, but not bad. How snug of a fit should this be? It almost seems like I need to open up the box shaped notch on the pad. Maybe knock off a little of the powdercoat. They are just standard Auto Zone pads.

 

They should be a pretty tight fit. Use a petroleum lubricant (that will wear off the brake quickly and not adhere) to squeeze them in.

 

should i need to file off anythin off of the notches in the pads? it just seem like last time i replaced the pads everything fit much more easily. when i get home i am going to take the clips off and wire brush the bracket to get rid of any rust. if that doesn't work i'll think about working with the notches on the pads. file them open a little. i just dont want them to wiggle in there. again any advice would be appreciated.

thanks,

Brian

www.stfd.net

 

The Solution!
If anyone has this poblem fitting new pads onto the stock brackets of an Impreza (mine is a 98 OBS and I'm not sure if the newer ars are set up the same. Follow these simple steps.

-remove the pads from the caliper bracket
-remove the caliper bracket and get it out of the way
-remove the rotor
-reinstall the caliper bracket
-remove the spring clips from the bracket
-flat file any rust or corrosion off of the machined flat spots under the spring clips.
(there is no need to alter the notches in the pads!) You will notice four flats on the each end of each pad. with the rotor out of the way it is easier to file without damaging the rotor plus you can get both sides of the bracket at once.
-hit it all with brake cleaner, and put the brakes back together.

By taking the extra few minutes everything will go back together like new and your pads and rotors will like you for it. I hope this will help someone.

-Brian