While doing maintenance on a 1990 LS I found a rear brake pad scraping on the rotor at low speed, a rear caliper with a handbrake lever that would not release completely, and very uneven pad wear. Caliper bolts were all but rusted in place.
The handbrake lever was freed up with the help of some PB-Blaster on the moving parts. Unfortunately, the caliper bolts would not break free that easily.
I was eventually able to get the upper bolts out, but the lower bolts had to be cut off at the head using a hacksaw. A power cutoff tool would have made the job easier, but I did not have one small enough for the job.
Since the caliper bolt screws into the slide pin, the head can be cut off behind the caliper with no damage to other parts. The shaft can then be pressed or driven into the mounting hole using a punch, and the caliper can be pried off the bracket. The slide pin with the bolt shaft is removed, and the shaft unscrews fairly easily w. a pair of pliers.
First pic below shows the caliper suspended behind the wheel so the brake line can stay connected while replacing the pads.
Second pic shows a closeup of the lower slide pin with the cut caliper bolt still inside the pin.
Third pic shows the upper (black) and lower (silver) slide pins and caliper bolts. Note that upper and lower slide pins are different, w. different part numbers.
The rear brakes will probably require another round of maintenance, new seals or possibly new calipers before they are 100%. For now they were reassembled with a set of cheap organic pads and new caliper bolts. The slide pins were reused. The bolts are M8x100 (8-mm, fine pitch thread) flange bolts, which are hard to find at a hardware store. In a pinch, an M8x100 bolt with a simple hex head and a washer would also work.
Slide pins, piston seals, back of pads and handbrake parts were coated with AGS Sil-Glyde. Caliper bolts were reassembled with Permatex anti-seize.
Organic pads, $18, Advance Auto Parts
Caliper bolts, $6 ea./$24 set of four, dealer
Sil-Glyde, ~$5 for 4 oz, Napa
1 - Caliper suspended behind the wheel on a piece of coat hanger wire.
2 - Uneven pad wear. Lower caliper bolt cut off.
3 - Upper and lower caliper bolts and slide pins.