I know C3 calipers are prone to leaks. Is it a bad idea to rebuild these with new seals, orings, etc or is it likely that they need to be resleeved. I have a leaky RF caliper and a somewhat squishy pedal feel. I am planning on replacing the rotors/pads and wonder if I should just get all new calipers or try to salvage what I have. Any good sources for calipers that don't cost an arm and a leg? Thanks!

 

I got mine from Precision Brake rebuilders in Fla. I would just replace them all. They are very reasonably priced. I would get all new rubber hoses for each caliper as well. Get rid of all the old brake fluid, bleed and you will be glad you did it.

 

A rebuild cant Hurt....this information is from Fastcorvette.com:

The C2-C3 brake system was designed with a feature known as a ‘constant contact shoe’. The brake pad floats on the surface of the rotor (at a friction loss of approximately .8 HP at 100 MPH) in order to reduce response time and increase pedal pressure reserve. This float is a delicate balance between the lip seal and the spring behind the piston.

“...it has been found to be necessary that the piston be free to follow the disc. This is accomplished with the spring urging the piston toward the disc. This spring force must be light enough to avoid a dragging situation. In turn, the seal friction must be less than the spring force. A lip style seal satisfies this requirement and provides complete freedom from the piston knock-back problem.”

The reduced piston to wall clearance inherent with the O-ring design (when installed in a floating piston caliper), eliminates what Duntov said was necessary. Obviously, the O-ring piston is not free to follow the disc (rotor). The designed-in balance between the lip seal and the piston spring is completely ignored with the aftermarket O-ring pistons. When cornering forces cause spindle deflection, the brake system is put in a bind. As Duntov said, lip seal pistons have the clearances necessary to eliminate this bind and piston knock-back. O-ring sealed pistons do not, and are subject to sticking in the bores unless the caliper in which they are installed is a floating caliper design.

The floating shoe feature is a safety, as well as performance advantage. Only 5 thousandths of an inch retraction (of the pad from the surface of the disk) equals an inch of pedal travel and 410 PSI of pedal pressure reserve. The C2-C3 brake system was designed to rely on that 410 PSI pedal reserve, which is not available unless the pad is floating on the surface of the disk.

Bottom Line: If your Corvette is a static display show car, O-ring calipers are a good option. If you drive your Corvette, stick with Duntov’s design. If you drive your car only once a month, just depress the brake pedal every couple of weeks, and your lip seals should be leak free for at least a decade.
Rebuild it back to stock and then drive !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I got the SS brakes and then later had to O-ring them. not a big job and now I dont worry about it.

 

you should check the calipers first to see if they are rebuildable

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1378158

 

A. You can rebuild your existing calipers if the corrosion is not too bad. You will need a hone to clean up the bores and a caliper seal kit for each caliper. You will get 3-4 years' service out of them but the problem will recur.

B. You can use your existing calipers as cores and order stainless steel sleeved calipers as replacements. Probably no future corrosion in the bores.

 

Rebuilt calipers at Auto Zone have the SSTL sleeves and are reasonable with exchange. Local store has had everything I have needed in stock.

 

I agree with Higs. After a HUGE problem with mail order O-ring calipers from a "scam artist" I went with Auto Zone stainless sleeved lip seal units. They were in stock, no shipping cost, lifetime warranty and they were cheaper than the mail order calipers. Plus if they start to leak or otherwise fail in the future I won't have to take them off, pay shipping to mail um back, then sit around and wait with my car on jack stands till they send me repacements. I'll go to any Auto Zone in the country plunk them on the counter and walk out with new ones. No fuss no muss. Hope my bad experence can help you save some time and trouble. BTW this is my first post guys.

 

Welcome to our nightmare!

I got mine at Advance Auto with the lifetime warranty. So far, I'm having to replace them every 2-3 years because of leakage around piston seals. Pulled the wheels off last night because I have a spongy pedal, figuring to bleed the system. Well, both fronts were damp with fluid and upon removal, it looks as if the piston seals on both fronts are starting to fail. I yanked em off and called Advance this morning. They have both fronts in stock so I'll get them exchanged and be back on the road tomorrow night at no charge to me, except for some labor that is.

Brett

 

Not sure about calipers but with other items Advance sells they offer a "limited" lifetime warranty. This means they will replace it once during its lifetime. It sounds like they offer a better warranty on the calipers though. I would check into it before making that decision.

 

just out of curiosity, what kind of brake fluid are you using? about nine years ago, i purchased all four reman calipers from muskegan and used silcone fluid. just recently, one of the front seals failed. i am wondering why you have to replace them every 2-3 years. what a pain that must be.

 

It does seem like a high failure rate. But I like to drain&change the brake fluid once a year so it's no big deal to replace an axle's-worth of calipers at the same time. Those ***** didn't realize what they were getting into when they sold ME a lifetime warranty!!

Brett

 

If cost is an issue, rebuilding your calipers is a cost effective way to fix your calipers. I could not afford new calipers, so I have rebuilt mine using a seal kit. Its not to bad of a job. Mine have lasted so far 3 years since the rebuild.
Hef

 

a lot of people here will tell you to just go out and buy a whole new caliper. why not... not their money.

rebuild kits are $11. why not start there and then get a new caliper if it leaks. you may save $80. i rebuilt 3 of mine had have no leaks.

i say rebuild first. that is why they sell kits.

have fun.