Hi All,
I'm going to be starting a project soon and I have a question. The first of many to be sure!
The car is a 1 owner '69 vert that's been sitting in a garage since the late 70's. The first thing I want to start on once I get it will be the brakes.
I assume the brake calipers are not SS sleeved since they are original. Is this a correct assumption? And if so, do the calipers have any kind of date stamp or code on them? Do I need to get my current calipers sleeved to maintain the originality of the car, or can I replace them without worrying about ruining the "numbers matching" aspect of the car? I was planning on just rebuilding the existing master cylinder. It's a manual brake car so no worries about a power booster. And what about brake lines. I haven't had an opportunity to crawl under the car and look at the existing lines, but was planning on replacing them with SS brake lines and braided flexible hoses. Any problem there? I'm not planning on trying to achieve any NCRS certification or anything, but I would like to keep the car as original as possible. Also, anything else I need to worry about as far as the brake system goes? Anything I need to keep with the parking brake? Any insight anyone can provide is greatly appreciated.

 

I'm not sure calipers are dated, but if originality is important to you, you can have your calipers sleeved.

Original calipers were not stainless steel sleeved.

Stainless steel brake lines and braided hoses are not original and neither is necessary.

Pricey, but nice to have:

 

Not dated but the casting numbers are there.

CSS will sell you the correct casting already rebuilt.
http://www.cssbinc.com/1965-1982stai...frontleft.aspx

 

The original calipers do contain a small date code which is not judged at an NCRS event. They should be painted low gloss black, excluding the machined surfaces. The bleeder screws are zinc plated and not stainless steel. The M/C also has a date code stamped on the front line fitting. You can always send the calipers and the M/C out for rebuilding or do them yourself. I believe that the armored steel lines may receive a deduction if you replace the originals with armored. The rubber brake hoses are a safety item and replacements are OK and no deductions is given. Again this is NCRS stuff. Just enjoy the car for now.

 

From your avatar, it looks like a good project!


Brake calipers are not being looked at all the closely... YET. My take is that since you have your originals, why not have the original calipers re-sleeved, rebuilt, and sent back to you? Doesn't cost anything extra to do it plus you still have your original calipers. Might want to give Bair's a call... They do great work and have helped me out with calipers in the past. Pretty sure that they are doing their own re-sleeving now too.

Good idea... Easy to do if all you have to replace are the seals. If the bore is pitted, there are folks who can re-sleeve master cylinders just like brake calipers

Why? The originals lasted forty plus years (in a "daily driver" environment no less). If you have an eye on trying to keep things original, I'd use the steel lines (they tend to seal better than the stainless steel) and rubber hoses. You'll keep things more along the lines of the original parts and you'll save some money too.

That's fine... The decision on what to do with your car is ultimately yours, but that doesn't mean that you have to go out and buy things that you really don't need. Choose your parts wisely and you'll find out that you have more in your budget for other parts that your going to need.

Good luck with your '69!

Regards,

Stan Falenski

 

If you have a car that is actually mostly original, my opinion is to change as little as possible. They are only original once. There are some of us who appreciate untouched. Resleeve the original calipers and if the brake lines aren't rusted or leaking don't mess with them.

 

Not entirely true. We haven't been able to figure out what many of the codes are yet so it is difficult to say whether they are dated or not.

Fact is, he HAS his originals. Why not send them out and get the same ones back?

Agreed.

One of the best books you could own as a '69 owner. I only wish that the photos were a bit larger, in color, and more detailed. They originally sold for around $70, but well worth the money in my opinion.

Regards,

Stan

 

Agreed, the Bizzoco book is worth every dime.

Re: "matching numbers"... there is a difference between numbers that "match" (i.e. the engine pad VIN matching the body VIN) as opposed to numbers that are "correct" (part numbers or date codes that are appropriate for a car, but have no specific VIN that matches anything, and therefore are easily obtained).

 

Hi SJ,
Even though you're not thinking NCRS at this time, I'd suggest the NCRS Technical Information Manual & Judging Guide might be of interest and use to you as you proceed with your project.
It's available on the NCRS web site in the "Store'.
You can never tell… you might just catch the bug!
Regards,
Alan

 

Thanks for the info and advice folks.
I did contact Bair's and they will sleeve rebuild my existing calipers for less than most of the replacement calipers. 3 to 4 weeks later I get MY calipers back all sleeved, rebuilt and pretty! :-) I just have to look in to shipping now, but it'll cost a pretty penny to ship something that heavy...

 

Why r u worrying about brake calipers. U should be worrying about casting #s on the block, suffix #s, casting dates, carburetor part #s, intake and exhaust manifolds #s.altenator #s, trim tag #s.id#s in correlation with all #s listed previous. If u haven't done this1st..u r possibly in trouble.