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My newly acquired 1975 corvette has started pouring brake fluid out of the drivers side rear caliper. My question is how can I tell if it is the steel sleeved. I'd like to do the oring rebuild.
You have to take it off the car and split two halves. Then you use a screwdriver and thru the rubber lift up the outer seal. It is rubber with a 1/8 in steel ring. It pops out easily but you may damage the rubber. You push the piston down while removing ring and rubber seal.
Then you can pull piston up and take a look. If you have a sleeve it is obvious as you can see the top edge.
I just took mine apart and found since there had been water my sleeve is corrode. Don't think I can sand out with 600 grit emery as suggested. I wanted to retain my Delco so am looking around if anyone can replace sleeves.
Good luck
Hi Gary,
Several of the companies that offer stainless sleeved calipers will re-sleeve and return your existing calipers.
Are you sure what you have are original to the car? If they're not there's not too much reason to hang on to them.
Regards,
Alan
5473806 and 5473807 are the rear castings used from 73-82. So they could be the original calipers.
If they have been sleeved, then it's quite likely that they are not the original calipers, as very few people go to the trouble and added expense to send out their own calipers, to be stainless steel sleeved. Most people just exchange their calipers for ones that have been sleeved and rebuilt.
If they haven't been sleeved, then they could be the original calipers, but chances are pretty slim. Very few Corvettes still have their original calipers after 40+ years. The seals just don't last that long, even on a car that has never been driven.
Originally Posted by John Jordan
Originally Posted by henrikse
Alan:
Think they are. I'll attach a picture if you recognize?
Hi Gary,
Several of the companies that offer stainless sleeved calipers will re-sleeve and return your existing calipers.
Are you sure what you have are original to the car? If they're not there's not too much reason to hang on to them.
Regards,
Alan
Especially since they look like they spent the last 10 years at the bottom of a lake.
My newly acquired 1975 corvette has started pouring brake fluid out of the drivers side rear caliper. My question is how can I tell if it is the steel sleeved. I'd like to do the oring rebuild.
I still have the original calipers on my 70. I did rebuild back in the 90's with ZTI o-ring/alum pistons. No piston springs needed. No sleeving since the bores were decent. Just honed. Still operational. Your bores don't look bad to me. The leak appears to be on the outboard half of the caliper. The pistons seem rather corroded and that can become a cause of leaking from the seal around the piston. The bore seal can also be a leak area, but that seal is more prone to air pumping which is why the o-ring was developed in the first place.
ZTI was the original designer of the o-ring setup and I believe that company was bought out. Nowadays its easier to swap them out, or keep your originals and buy new ones outright. Just not much sense doing that, and the parts are more than likely more than what I paid..
Caliper identification
