All new brake system

[mldmat]

I am in the process of replacing all lines, hoses, discs, calipers and pads on a 1983 spider I've owned since 85. I may have had the wheel assemblies apart and back together more than a dozen times over the years. For some reason, I am struggling with what I should be able to do with my eyes closed by now. In researching older manuals, I am noticing some differences in the schematics from my car's set up. I'm wondering if there are differences that I wasn't aware of:

1. I have two wedge shims on each caliper (top and bottom). I've noticed on some schematics, they only draw one. Is it for clarity and there should there be two?
2. I only a have a one piece dust shield on the rears. Should there be two pieces? A forward and rear?
3. I've always used a cricket spring clip on each brake pad. The manual only shows it on one of the pads per corner.
4. The new calipers are a challenge to get the piston fully retracted to account for full thickness of new pads and discs. Any suggestions? The old ones were easy to get all the way in.

If I didn't see any variations from the schematics to my actual condition I wouldn't have given it a second thought. But it's making me question myself.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Well, I have never owned an '83, but the following would be my answers for an earlier car:

1. There are two wedges, top and bottom.
2. There are two dust shield "halves" on the rear, held together with 4 bolts (2 on top, 2 on bottom). Many people remove the shields as they make working on the brakes more of a pain, and their effectiveness is debatable.
3. Each brake pad has a "cricket spring clip". So, 8 total per car.
4. On the fronts, use a large C-clamp to compress the piston into the cylinder, with the bleed screw open a tad. Be careful as fluid can spray out. On the rears with the parking brake, the piston has to be "screwed" back into the caliper with a large flat bladed screwdriver in the slot in the middle of the piston. Note that there is a mark inscribed somewhere on the face of the rear pistons that should be pointed upwards as the caliper would be when mounted on the car. Sometimes a dot, sometimes a line.

-Bryan

[mldmat]

Thanks Bryan! Much appreciated.

[bobplyler]

I've never opened the bleed screw to get the piston back in.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I've never opened the bleed screw to get the piston back in.

True, you can often move the piston a millimeter or two without opening the bleed screw, but if you can retract the piston more than that, there might be air in the lines, worn brakes hoses, or an internal leak in the master cylinder.

-Bryan