can anyont tell me the difficulty level of this or if there are any "special" tools that are needed. Thanks in advance. Josh

I've changed the rear brake pads and rotors on my 99 Rodeo. It took me about 4 hours. I had to change the rotors because I waited to long before changing the pads and destroyed the rotors. I haven't got around to doing the front yet.

Its not that difficult. You won't need any special tools for the pad replacement. If you haven't got the shop manuals I would recommend you buy a set. For the cost of a brake job you can buy the manual. The manual will have a step by step procedure on how to change out the pads.

To change the front pads only an hour a piece should be plenty. I would apply fresh grease (high temp) to the caliper bolts also.

Good luck.

A large c-clamp comes in handy for pushing the caliper piston back into the bore to accomidate the new thicker pads.

Be sure to clean & lube the caliper pins, replace any worn pin boots. Also clean & lube the caliper slides really good. Use a heavy silicone grease like sylglide (sp?) as a petroleum grease will wash/melt off, and degrade rubber brake parts. I pinch off the rubber brake line & open the bleeder to purge the nasty fluid out of the caliper. If you push that stuff into the ABS module, it's done for.
G/luck
Joel

word of caution or tip..when putting back caliper bolts...dont over torque them...as i have