Homemade lisle brake pad spreader in 10 minutes!

scott37300 · Dec 1, 2010

I was looking threw tooltopia today and noticed the lisle brake pad spreader that I have read really good reviews on, http://www.tooltopia.com/lisle-24300.aspx.

And I got to thinking how similar it looks to a caulk gun, which I have about 10 of! So I went out to the garage and grabbed a gun and sure enough that's all the lisle spreader is, a modified caulk gun. So I took the gun apart to see what all it would take to convert one of mine-not much at all.

scott37300 · Dec 1, 2010

So all I really needed was a plate to hold the gun in place against the caliper while the gun pushes the piston back in. It's pretty cold outside with no heat in the garage so I didn't feel like cutting a peice of metal and rounding the edges to fit a caliper. But then I remembered I had bought a cheap spreader from harbor freight last year sometime so I went and grabbed that.

Took it apart and drilled a 7/8" hole in it to fit the caulk gun.

Screwed everything together and look what we have, a spreader just like the lisle which from the looks of it uses the exact same caulk gun!

Thought I would share in case anyone else is cheap like me!

yogitech · Dec 1, 2010

That looks really good. Nice job!

scott37300 · Dec 1, 2010

Gmonkee said:
I like that line of thinking. There is so much satisfaction in creating a tool that works as well or better than a commercial unit.
With a quick shot of paint nobody would know the difference on your creation.

Nice job!

Thanks guys! I really like reading your posts about homemade tools Gmonkee. It was satisfying and only took about 10 minutes and made from stuff I had laying around. Wasn't something I "needed", usually just use a c-clamp but I've read good things about them so decided I should make one and try it out sometime.

ImportTuner · Dec 1, 2010

Nice job .. I have the Lisle unit ..

Sh1thead · Dec 1, 2010

looks like i have my weekend project ... i own the dual piston version already but this will be a nice addition and a nifty small project

thanks for posting

scott37300 · Dec 1, 2010

Sh1thead said:
looks like i have my weekend project ... i own the dual piston version already but this will be a nice addition and a nifty small project

thanks for posting

I was looking at the dual piston one. I will make one of those sometime, looks to be easy to fab up some metal for that one. Just a little cold right now and playing with metal in an unheated garage isn't fun.

bchee · Dec 1, 2010

dude that is pretty cool

wornoutoldman · Dec 1, 2010

That totally rocks! I'm gonna have to make myself one. Thanks for the inspiration.

mcdtommy23 · Dec 1, 2010

I will be stealing this idea. Great job!

srmofo · Dec 1, 2010

I use this style vice grip
http://www.google.com/images?q=vice...de_link&ct=mode&ved=0CCMQ_AU&biw=1680&bih=830
It works on every make/model, and its not a single use tool. If its dual piston then just throw the old pad up in there and press them both back. I have 2 hanging on my cart.

Bolster · Dec 1, 2010

Points for cleverness. I love a good modification.

scott37300 · Dec 1, 2010

srmofo said:
I use this style vice grip
http://www.google.com/images?q=vice...de_link&ct=mode&ved=0CCMQ_AU&biw=1680&bih=830
It works on every make/model, and its not a single use tool. If its dual piston then just throw the old pad up in there and press them both back. I have 2 hanging on my cart.

I have a bunch of those and have used them also. I didn't really need this, I just saw the lisle one and after seeing it was just a caulk gun and gets good reviews from what I have read I decided to make one.

You could do dual pistons with this one also using the old pad. Sometime when it's warmer I will make the parts to convert this one to look like the lisle dual caliper one, shouldn't be to hard at all.

Anyone who makes one please post some pics! And I would use the "heavy duty" caulk guns and not the cheap 3 dollar ones.

fordcragar · Dec 1, 2010

Very nice, thanks for sharing.

mikevango · Dec 1, 2010

when i saw that at tooltopia all i could think of is a finger pincher. yours is cool. watch your fingers

e-tek · Dec 1, 2010

thanks - I'll be making one now too!

scott37300 · Dec 2, 2010

Thanks for all the compliments guys.

Would have been nice to have come up with the idea before someone else submitted it to lisle!

scott37300 · Dec 3, 2010

Sh1thead said:
looks like i have my weekend project ... i own the dual piston version already but this will be a nice addition and a nifty small project

thanks for posting

Anybody that has the lisle dual piston model, would you be willing to post some measurements? Need the measurement of the black peice that holds the gun in place against the edge of the caliper. Also need the measurement of the silver peice that pushes against the pistons, how long are the two rods that go from plate to plate and also what is the distance between the two rods? I would like to make another gun for dual pistons but need those measurements.

Not sure if I will make a whole new gun or just the peices and switch back and forth between the single and dual since I don't need these that often.

Thanks for any help with measurements, I"m sure everyone that is making a single would like a double also!

Sh1thead · Dec 3, 2010

scott37300 said:
Need the measurement of the black peice that holds the gun in place against the edge of the caliper.
2" wide

Also need the measurement of the silver peice that pushes against the pistons
10"-12" wide, bout 2" tall

how long are the two rods that go from plate to plate
8"-10"??

what is the distance between the two rods
10"

these are very rough estimates but should give you a somewhat general idea of dimensions ... i will get actual specs tommarow at work

scott37300 · Dec 3, 2010

Thanks for the measurements Sh1thead.

That thing must be pretty big at 10-12" wide.

padronanniversary · Dec 3, 2010

nice, its always great seeing one improvise and make their own tools. I hear the lisle ones are kinda flimsy. How is yours holding up ?

Groovy · Dec 3, 2010

A Smart dude you are.I use a C clamp until Saturday when I take one of the five caulking guns I have lying around and do the build.

scott37300 · Dec 3, 2010

padronanniversary said:
nice, its always great seeing one improvise and make their own tools. I hear the lisle ones are kinda flimsy. How is yours holding up ?

I haven't used it yet, was just one of those things I saw and got an idea and made. But from everything I have read and heard the lisle got good reviews, haven't heard anything bad about them. I don't wrench for a living so it won't get a ton of use.

srmofo · Dec 3, 2010

scott37300 said:
Thanks for the measurements Sh1thead.

That thing must be pretty big at 10-12" wide.

Those are not right. A guy at work has one and Ill try to get some measurements tomorrow for you. Someone needs to buy a new tape measure :beer:

padronanniversary said:
nice, its always great seeing one improvise and make their own tools. I hear the lisle ones are kinda flimsy. How is yours holding up ?

Not at all, they're actually pretty stout, more than any caulk gun Ive used

scott37300 · Dec 3, 2010

srmofo said:
Those are not right. A guy at work has one and Ill try to get some measurements tomorrow for you. Someone needs to buy a new tape measure

I thought they seemed pretty big but I haven't seen a lisle in person. Measurements would be much appreciated! :beer:

srmofo said:
Not at all, they're actually pretty stout, more than any caulk gun Ive used

I've also read nothing but good about the lisle. If you look closely at the lisle "gun" part and the caulk gun I used they are almost the exact same frame.

lilredex · Dec 4, 2010

The easiest way.............

scott37300 · Dec 4, 2010

lilredex said:
The easiest way.............

That is my usual way but from what I have read the lisle is way easier and quicker.

pattenp · Dec 4, 2010

Beat you to it... :bounce:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44945&highlight=pattenp&page=2

yogitech · Dec 4, 2010

scott37300
- the info you were needing

"Need the measurement of the black peice that holds the gun in place against the edge of the caliper."
1.5"W, 4"L

"Also need the measurement of the silver peice that pushes against the pistons?"
5" wide, 1 1/8" tall

"how long are the two rods that go from plate to plate?"
3.25"L

"what is the distance between the two rods?"
3" on center

Overall length form back of plunger to (silver) press plate: 11"

scott37300 · Dec 4, 2010

pattenp said:
Beat you to it...
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44945&highlight=pattenp&page=2

Wish I would have seen that when you posted it! That's pretty neat how you used a pipe to get some clearance. Do you like that clearance over how the lisle has the plate close to the gun? How has yours held up since you made it? Looks nice!

You ever make a dual piston version?

scott37300 · Dec 4, 2010

yogitech said:
scott37300
- the info you were needing

"Need the measurement of the black peice that holds the gun in place against the edge of the caliper."
1.5"W, 4"L

"Also need the measurement of the silver peice that pushes against the pistons?"
5" wide, 1 1/8" tall

"how long are the two rods that go from plate to plate?"
3.25"L

"what is the distance between the two rods?"
3" on center

Overall length form back of plunger to (silver) press plate: 11"

Thank you very much for taking the time to get the measurements! Much appreciated! :beer:

srmofo · Dec 4, 2010

Im glad someone else got them because my coworker took his home last night to do some side work and left them there. I did take a picture of his single piston to show you how beefy these are. Ill upload them later

pattenp · Dec 4, 2010

scott37300 said:
Wish I would have seen that when you posted it! That's pretty neat how you used a pipe to get some clearance. Do you like that clearance over how the lisle has the plate close to the gun? How has yours held up since you made it? Looks nice!

You ever make a dual piston version?

I have never used the Lisle so I can't comment on the clearance with the piece of pipe. I just used the pipe because that's what I had and the way I thought of hooking the plate to the caulk gun. It still works great and so far has held up.

I haven't had a need to make a dual piston one.

scott37300 · Dec 4, 2010

pattenp said:
I have never used the Lisle so I can't comment on the clearance with the piece of pipe. I just used the pipe because that's what I had and the way I thought of hooking the plate to the caulk gun. It still works great and so far has held up.

I haven't had a need to make a dual piston one.

That's cool. Glad to here it is holding up. Does it struggle at all pushing some pistons back in? Great minds think alike! :beer:

Don't you just wish one of us thought of it before whoever did for lisle?

pattenp · Dec 4, 2010

I haven't run into any times its struggled to push in a piston. Every time I see some new gizmo to make life easier I always wonder why didn't I think of it.

Homemade lisle brake pad spreader in 10 minutes!

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