Brake Calipers. Rebuild or replace?

[delgato]

So here is a picture of what I have.

Thank you to DMCH for making a great video on brake rebuilding. (keep them coming guys)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTXzns7O2EA

The video is well done explaining the process and seems like a straight forward job.

The question I have is, at what point are calipers not worth rebuilding and need to be replaced?

What should I be looking for when I do open them up?

All the parts off this car are in such rough condition.

I don't mind putting work into them however, brakes are very important and not an area I want to say

"Well.....it should work"

[Delorean Industries]

Plating is key and is a must on any rebuild. You will not know exactly what you have until a complete tear down is done. Just from the looks plating the halves and seals will be required. Avoid not doing this as the bore needs to be protected from corrosion. This is what separates a good rebuild from one that will last a much shorter time. As a rule of thumb we never reuse pistons and always replace with our stainless components. Depending on if yours are pitted or not they may be usable still. Outside appearance isn't going to give you a good sense of this. The calipers can be perfect on the outside and destroyed inside and vice versa.

[Elvis]

sand blast them and have them zink coated - and they look like new.

new seals, new bleeding screws and perhaps new pistons.

I am no expert and I did it, too. 15 years ago...

[Delorean Industries]

Also rough condition is easy to fix. There is a wide array of over the counter chemicals to dip and clean these components to like new prior to finding a plating service. Its always important to clean and check your own parts prior to this as to find any hidden issues or pitting etc.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

So here is a picture of what I have.

Thank you to DMCH for making a great video on brake rebuilding. (keep them coming guys)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTXzns7O2EA

The video is well done explaining the process and seems like a straight forward job.

The question I have is, at what point are calipers not worth rebuilding and need to be replaced?

What should I be looking for when I do open them up?

All the parts off this car are in such rough condition.

I don't mind putting work into them however, brakes are very important and not an area I want to say

"Well.....it should work"
They can usually be resurrected but you won't know on these ones until you try as they may not come apart easily. I'd suggest you pick a vendor of your choice and send them off to them as these should definitely be stripped and re-plated before reassembly which is not cost effective unless you're getting a lot of parts plated. We carry rebuilt calipers that come cadmium plated and have stainless pistons and fluid pipes included. Your parking brake assemblies probably need rebuilding and we can offer those on exchange basis as well.
Rob

[sdg3205]

If you're resurrecting a whole car, bead blast all your brackets, nuts and bolts and do a "load" of zinc plating. It's usually $200 minimum for up to X pieces, then another $25 to the next threshold, etc.

Just food for thought.

[DMC-81]

Hi there,

I recently rebuilt my calipers. If it helps, here is a pic of mine opened up:
39668

In my case, other than half of the pistons being stuck, which took more effort to remove, the calipers were good. The pistons were pitted, but I replaced them with SS versions. Rebuilding the calipers was straightforward, and they work great. Take good pictures of the rear caliper parts as you disassemble them, especially the parking brake portion.

Here is a pic of the plated / new parts before assembly.

39669

39670

I found that this was one of the more satisfying tasks on the restoration.

Good luck!

[DMCVegas]

Probably a dumb question, but I'm gonna ask it anyway.

I thought that you couldn't get yellow zinc coating on calipers any longer because of environmental regulations?

[DMCMW Dave]

Probably a dumb question, but I'm gonna ask it anyway.

I thought that you couldn't get yellow zinc coating on calipers any longer because of environmental regulations?

Yellow Zinc is fine (it's just a colorant, zinc is really silver). The hard one is cadmium which is what the yellow stuff used to be. Environmental hazard and all that.

[DrJeff]

Anyone know where I can get the o rings for between the front calipers without have to buy a whole kit (as I've got old kits from before the o rings were included).

[David T]

Anyone know where I can get the o rings for between the front calipers without have to buy a whole kit (as I've got old kits from before the o rings were included).

The original seals were square shaped "O" rings and most of the time they can be reused. No one sources the square ones anymore so if you have to replace them, any "O" ring that fits into the groove and will seal is good. Call the vendors and maybe one of them will "break" a kit and sell you just the "O" rings. Or you can go to someplace that has a big assortment and you can pick 2 out. Many large automotive stores will have a kit of assorted sizes to pick from.

As for those rotten looking things that once were calipers, after you get them disassembled they may not look so bad inside where it matters. You may have a LOT of trouble getting the old pistons out! The calipers don't have to be plated. Eastwood sells paints for them so if you can find a place that can sandblast them they may turn out looking good. When taking them apart try to save the small piece of brake tubing, soak it with PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench before trying to undo the nuts, same for the bleeder screws, you really don't want to break them off if you can help it. Rebuild or replace the master cylinder and flush out the lines. You should probably be replacing the hoses too. Is the frame as bad as the calipers?

[Rich_NYS]

Is the frame as bad as the calipers?

I was wondering the same thing.







Anyone know where I can get the o rings for between the front calipers without have to buy a whole kit.

I have a rebuild kit with the O-Rings and can take measurements & pics if that helps. Also, RockAuto often has the kits with O-rings for a few bucks each ('77 Mercury Capri.)

[Elvis]

Do they reall sell kits with the O-rings ?

The calipers were not meant to to be taken apart, therefore they used strange sized bolts and threads
and the O-Rings could not be bought...until someone came up with regular fat round O-rings.

The kits I bought back then only came with new seals for the pistons.

[Rich_NYS]

Do they reall sell kits with the O-rings ?

Yes, I have a few for my rebuild.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

The original seals were square shaped "O" rings and most of the time they can be reused. No one sources the square ones anymore so if you have to replace them, any "O" ring that fits into the groove and will seal is good. Call the vendors and maybe one of them will "break" a kit and sell you just the "O" rings. Or you can go to someplace that has a big assortment and you can pick 2 out. Many large automotive stores will have a kit of assorted sizes to pick from.

As for those rotten looking things that once were calipers, after you get them disassembled they may not look so bad inside where it matters. You may have a LOT of trouble getting the old pistons out! The calipers don't have to be plated. Eastwood sells paints for them so if you can find a place that can sandblast them they may turn out looking good. When taking them apart try to save the small piece of brake tubing, soak it with PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench before trying to undo the nuts, same for the bleeder screws, you really don't want to break them off if you can help it. Rebuild or replace the master cylinder and flush out the lines. You should probably be replacing the hoses too. Is the frame as bad as the calipers?

I have to disagree on reusing the square seals as they are available and should not be reused IMHO.
Rob

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Do they reall sell kits with the O-rings ?

The calipers were not meant to to be taken apart, therefore they used strange sized bolts and threads
and the O-Rings could not be bought...until someone came up with regular fat round O-rings.

The kits I bought back then only came with new seals for the pistons.

Although you're correct that most kits don't contain the front caliper housing o-rings until recently they were still available as a separate OEM supplier part and have been reproduced. The bolts are standard SAE 7/16" & 3/8" threads and can be plated or easily sourced. I have seen round o-rings leak and never use them in calipers.
Rob

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Anyone know where I can get the o rings for between the front calipers without have to buy a whole kit (as I've got old kits from before the o rings were included).

We can supply those separately.
Rob