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Been reworking the brake rubber hoses and steel brake lines after I had the front passenger hose blow out on me. I got everything put back together and as I was trying to bleed the rear driver side the front passenger was leaking fluid out of the caliper seals.
It's a Delco 5473795 and according to my dad's service records these calipers were put on back in 1995. New rear calipers were installed back in 2014. I've been getting some conflicting information in searches on whether I should rebuild this or just get two new front calipers. Overall, the calipers look to be in decent shape.
Either way, need help on the exact rebuild kit I'd need or what calipers I should order if going new.
The determining factor is what the piston bores look like. If already stainless lined, just rebuild with a kit from Muskegon Brakes. If not lined, you need to be extremely picky on wall condition before deciding to rebuild rather than trading in for stainless lined calipers. The walls must be smooth and free of pitting and scoring. Stainless linings can stain but they shouldn't be pitted or scored due to the material qualities itself. If the pistons are corroded, flaking or eaten away, it's probably more cost effective to get already rebuilt calipers.
Carefully remove the seals on all four pistons.
Carefully remove all four pistons.
Wash both halves of the caliper bodies...especially the bores.
Use a flash camera or phone-flash to take close up focused pictures of all 4 bores.
Post the pictures in this thread so expert members can tell you if the bores are ruined.
Carefully remove the seals on all four pistons.
Carefully remove all four pistons.
Wash both halves of the caliper bodies...especially the bores.
Use a flash camera or phone-flash to take close up focused pictures of all 4 bores.
Post the pictures in this thread so expert members can tell you if the bores are ruined.
Maybe I'll understand more once I disassemble, but the bore being the part where the seal is over? The OD or is there an ID once the pistons are out? Or I'll just take a ton of pics and post haha.
This morning, I realized that you may not know that all '66-to-'82s used the same calipers and parts, so there really isn't much of a choice in rebuilding kits or rebuilt calipers. The only true decision to make is whether to keep the GM lip style piston seal or change to an o-ring style seal. Many folks on both sides will argue for their preference - a forum search will yield a lot of results.
Once you remove the first piston, you'll see how simple the whole thing is - just 4 parts in there.
To easily remove the outer seal, push the piston back into the housing and use a flat blade screwdriver levered against the piston's top to pop the seal's metal ring out of the caliper. Be ready for a mess when you push the piston into the housing.
If you are leaning toward getting entire calipers, don't pull the parts out, just exchange them as is. You may get hassles if they're disassembled.
If you decide to get into the calipers for a rebuild, don't be afraid to hone the bores. Even scratches or marks you can't feel will make a difference. This helped mine seal better. It's amazing how well they clean up. You can even paint them with metallic colored paint, shiny and new again.
Those are Delco Moraine castings. Rebuild them. As others have mentioned, if they have been sleeved in stainless steel, thoroughly clean them with denatured alcohol. I use pipe cleaners to clean out the passages. I installed O-ring pistons on mu 66 and 68. Use clean brake fluid as a lubricant in assembly. I mount the calipers on the car with one mounting bolt to do the final torqueing of the caliper halfs. If you exchange out your castings at one of the auto stores, you stand a chance of getting offshore manufactured castings. The rebuild process is quite easy. Jerry
Given their age I think I'm just going to replace them for better peace of mind. Muskegon Brake is 4-5 weeks out of having the fronts in stock. I found some rebuilts from Top Flight Automotive with SS sleeves and O-rings for a similar price as Muskegon. Anywhere else I should check? I've been ordering off Corvette Mods but I'm only find new sets there.
I think the important part of the story here is you referenced your dad’s records. All of us who keep written records smiled. I hope my kids appreciate the piles of paper I leave for them. Most likely not
I think the important part of the story here is you referenced your dad’s records. All of us who keep written records smiled. I hope my kids appreciate the piles of paper I leave for them. Most likely not
Ha, yea, it was definitely helpful. He remembered they were changed at some point. Sure enough it was all in the folder. I try to keep all my service records for my other vehicles, but so far no buyers have asked to see them. Still a good habit to keep though.
Take a small screwdriver and/or dull gasket scraper and 'carefully' tap under the piston dust shields and remove them. The outer ring is rubber-coated metal and they should pop right off. You can reuse them in many cases if you take your time. Then pull out the pistons with a non-marring pliers, degrease everything and have a look. Chances are if they've been lined with SS you'll at least have score marks in the honing. But that's ok.
Truth be told you can just make up your own honing tool that will work even better than one you buy. The bought ones are awfully course and aren't that great for a shallow bore. Make a PVC or wood drum on a bolt (that runs 'true'), and get a piece of dense 1/4" foam and wrap around the drum with some sandpaper ....such that the drum fits nice and snug in the bore (not loose and not too tight). Then squirt with WD40 and hone away with like some 400 and then 600 grit sandpaper. Replace the piston seals.
NOW .... for the area where the calipers join and the o-ring is. You need to machine that area with some sandpaper. Put a wood dowel on a drill that matches the size of the o-ring bore, then put a small dot of some 180 or 220 grit or whatever paper on the tip of that dowel also the same diam as the o-ring bore. And some WD 40. machine the bore with the dowel/sandpaper rig so you have circular machine marks. Do the same on the other caliper half. You don't want pits or anything that would cause a new o-ring to leak. Most of these quickie-rebuild calipers the o-ring area is blasted and the surface is course. That's not ideal and can foster leaks. A well-rebuilt caliper the rebuilder would touch the O-ring bore lightly with a machine tool to create a better surface for a better, longer-lasting o-ring seal. But you can do the same with a small dot of sandpaper glued to a wood or steel dowel.
If the aluminum pistons are real bad or you decide to replace, then you might as well buy replacement calipers at OReilly's. They sell Lone Star rebuilt calipers (quality unit Clark!) ..and you don't have shipping issues to deal with. It's come to light that a number of Corvette parts sellers give people grief on their caliper credit and OReilly's has lifetime warranty and doesn't give any grief at all.
If the aluminum pistons are real bad or you decide to replace, then you might as well buy replacements at OReilly's. They sell LoneStar rebuilt calipers (quality unit Clark!) ..and you don't have shipping issues to deal with. It's come to light that a number of Corvette parts sellers give people grief on their caliper credit and OReilly's has lifetime warranty and doesn't give any grief at all.
It's not. I called up their tech support line about 8 months ago and asked who the supplier was. They looked it up and told me. I assume it's still the same, but you could do the same if you want the latest word.. (give them their replacement brake caliper part number). If you do, let us know if things have changed.
EDIT: After thinking about it a little further, I remembered I sent a message request to them and they replied in writing they are rebuilt by Lone Star.
Try all of these: Willcox, Corvette Central, Zip-Products, Paragon - price shop since they're all using the same remanufacturers, and don't forget about shipping costs. Willcox posts discount codes here just about every week in the for sale sections. If you are an NCRS member, Paragon offers a 10% discount but you need to request it. Check all their home pages for current deals.
Have you looked at Corvette Stainless Steel Brake Co?
You can also order directly from LoneStar by phone, but I found their direct prices are no deal compared to vendors above.
No matter where you decide to order from, make sure they have them in stock and will ship within days.
I would be very cautious ordering anything from Corvette Mods. Check the transaction feedback section, for many negative experiences. They have been banned as a vendor here.
I would personally NOT buy them by mail unless you have to, because if you ever have a leak (and people do), you can literally get a replacement caliper the next day and exchange the old one (if there's an OReilly Auto near you). And OReilly's doesn't ask any questions. Otherwise you might have to wait a week or more to get them from a mail order outfit, pay shipping, send your old calipers in (for core exchange). Then possibly haggle with them after they (possibly) don't want to give full credit or pay for shipping. THEN if one leaks 5 years later, you have to wait on the phone for 30 minutes, talk to someone who probably doesn't know how to do a warranty on them, send in your old calipers ....repeat the process for a simple warranty exchange. And what if they're back-ordered for 3 weeks? Then you'll probably end up forking out money for local calipers because you don't want to deal with the mail order hassle (so you don't end up using the warranty).
I've warrantee'd out many things at OReilly. When I've done it, there was never even a hint of, "oh we can't do that." It's was like, "Sure we'd love to warranty them out and get you some new ones, sir! Let me look them up on the computer and get the new ones coming so you can have them as soon as possible." (with a smile on their face). Like at Napa, they grumble and you'd better have ALL your paperwork or you're screwed. And I have a commercial ACCOUNT with them! ???. That's why I quit buying much from NAPA. A lot of stores are managed different so, you have to know your store. There are a couple OReilly Auto stores in our area that are like deep inner-city and you might get shot going in there. Then there are a couple in local towns which are excellent. We have an Advance Auto where the store manager I swear is a pathological liar. He's told me bold-face lies before and will resiste any warranty exchange like you're stealing from him personally. He's terrible and the workers are hand-tied. I won't step foot in that store, and never will as long as he's there. But then there's another Advance Auto a few miles away which is great, great guys, large inventory, totally different atmosphere.
Read through enough old caliper posts and you'll get a sense of what I'm talking about and why a lot of people say to just get them from OReilly's. But whatever you want to do...
1978 Brake Caliper Rebuild/Replace?
