Correct Installation of Brake Pads? (Orientation)?

I hope someone can help confirm my brake pad installation. '96 Aurora. (Would this be the same for all GM 4 wheel disc brake vehicles?)

I'm currently working on my rear brakes. Front Brakes are next weekend.

When installing the new pads - how do I orientate the pad with the "wear indicator" chirp arm? In as much as both pads are identical in size and thickness, the only difference is the chrip arm...That means that there are 4 possible ways to install:

1) Toward the front of the vehicle or toward the rear of the vehicle?
2) On the inside of the rotor or on the outside of the rotor?

The local parts store said it was important to install in the proper configuration - but didn't know what it was.

(Or does it not really matter?)

Appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.

Outside of the rotor towards the front. Compare with the front pads too. Make note of orientation of front pads before removal. (I guess that's obvious now)
RG

Huh, since I just did the rears on my 95 Friday this is fresh in my head. My pads sit more or less vertically at the 9 o'clock position on the rotor. Did the caliper get rotated around the rim in 96 (and up perhaps)?

Come to think of it, the wear indicator faces up on mine. How does that compare to what you are speaking of- there was plenty of time for someone to accidentally reverse the pad before I bought mine used.

I have a hard time believing this is critical anyway. It's a bent piece of steel for goodness sake- barring any clearance issues that might pop up trying to fit it on the wrong way, it'll squeal on a cast iron rotor no matter which way it's spinning.

MrRoscoePC -
Thanks for the confirmation.

That matched the way I remembered taking them off (based upon wear pattern) - and opposite of what the parts store guy "thought" (before he backed off and decided not to offer an opinion).

I only work on one side at a time, so based upon the pads I took off, there were only 2 combinations available, not 4.

Dsatt12 - on my '96, the rear pads are in the 1-3 o'clock position on the passenger side and 7-9 o'clock position on the drivers side...[both on the "front" side of the rotors]. I agree with your comments on the clip - I have never gotten one to tell me its time for a pad change in time to prevent rotor damage. On the wheel I just completed, the inside pad (w/o the clip) was down to nearly metal on metal, while the outside pad (w/ the clip) hardly showed any wear...

I suppose my 'clock' *would* depend on which side of the car I was on...

My pads wore (more) unlevenly when the caliper was sticking. If you didn't already, next time make sure you clean off/out the slide pins and the rubber sleeves and lube it up good with some sythetic caliper grease. Hopefully that'll take care of 90% of the pads wearing unevenly as it did for me.

The first brake job I did on my car was due to the rears completely wearing away to the metal plate w/o a single squeal first. I could barely move the caliper back on the slide pin it pivots on. I was really confused as to getting things apart until I got that pounded loose a bit. Now it moves fairly easily.

Stopped into NAPA today - they phoned the tech center for an "official" determination.

For the rear brakes on a '96 Aurora - the pad with the wear indicator tab goes on the inside of the rotor. They said it didn't matter if it was on the leading or trailing edge. I elected to install it on the trailing edge because that was the portion that showed the most wear....