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Assuming you already have stainless sleeves in good condition (which is a bit of an assumption), rebuild them yourself with a kit from CSSB Inc.! For off-the-shelf calipers, I've had luck with Lonestar Caliper rebuilds, via the biggest Corvette vendor in my state. CSSB also sells complete rebuilt calipers, though I haven't tried them myself, just the kits. It is likely worth specifying "Delco Moraine" castings, whatever route you follow.
Lonestar is the best U.S. reman available. Many others (like Cardone and BBB) are now having their calipers rebuilt in Mexico to save $$$ and having a very high failure rate.
I found Lonestar is in Canton,TX, but they told me they only sell wholesale. Who resells their parts?
Probably most of the vendors. Zip (the largest Corvette retailer in Virginia) certainly does. Call any of them and ask/confirm. They may sell from other retailers, too, so if you want something specific, you may have to call or email.
I bought autozone and they leak because they are lip seal I want to change to o rings seal. Talked to Mike at lonestar today and he doesn't have any with o rings right now because of trumps tariffs he is having a hard time getting parts I guess. Said it would be about 2 weeks so I guess I'ii wait. I wonder if he will pass the cost of tariff on to the buyer.
I have had very good luck with NAPA in the past as well. They use Cardone. But Cardone recently moved the reman center from Philadelphia to Mexico. Now I've returned 3 sets to NAPA in the last 8 months for premature failures.
Lonestar is the best U.S. reman available. Many others (like Cardone and BBB) are now having their calipers rebuilt in Mexico to save $$$ and having a very high failure rate.
Here is my pile of Lonestar O-ring failures.
Total 9 failed calipers. Now replaced with wilwood's. All failed with piston leaks. Failure with-in the 1-3 year time period.
Last edited by cagotzmann; 06-19-2019 at 11:29 PM.
I have had bad luck with autozone calipers especially the drivers front side...went thru about 4 calipers and got a refund and bought a lone star caliper from a local corvette shop..I learned my lesson...
[QUOTE=cagotzmann;1599613917]Here is my pile of Lonestar O-ring failures.
Total 9 failed calipers. Now replaced with wilwood's. All failed with piston leaks. Failure with-in the 1-3 year time period.
Well I have to say I'm very surprised to hear this. I realize no reman center is infallible but have you spoken to Mike at Lonestar about these failures and determined a reason? He is the owner and a very approachable guy.
Total 9 failed calipers. Now replaced with wilwood's. All failed with piston leaks. Failure with-in the 1-3 year time period.
Well I have to say I'm very surprised to hear this. I realize no reman center is infallible but have you spoken to Mike at Lonestar about these failures and determined a reason? He is the owner and a very approachable guy.
Well the problem with all the corvette vendor parts is the poor quality seals. What I mean by poor quality is that they don't hold up to heat. eg all the caliper failures of mine are due to heat. Also all the power steering parts suffer from the same problem heat heat and more heat. And its from doing this.
Wilwood Calipers , Wilwood MC , Flaming River Rack steering.
[QUOTE=cagotzmann;1599620165] And its from doing this./QUOTE]
Fair enough! You clearly demand much more from your car than I do. Under those rigorous circumstances Wilwood and Flaming River are probably excellent choices. Greg
As mentioned earlier, if the calipers have already been sleeved in stainless steel, purchase an O-ring kit for about $150. It will include new pistons, O-rings, dust seals etc. The rebuild is easy with a few hand tools. The secret is to thoroughly clean each caliper half with denatured alcohol and pipe cleaners. Assemble using clean brake fluid. You will have better quality control than a rebuilder in Mexico. Jerry
06-16-2019, 01:48 AM
Fair enough!
