Seperate caliper halves..fail
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,062
Likes: 28
From: Burkburnett TX
Seperate caliper halves..fail
So I got a few lip seal kits to rebuild my leaky front calipers. They are SS sleeved. I got them off the car and can not for the life of me separate the halves of one of the calipers. I tried my biggest impact gun, very large breaker bar, torched it red hot, doused it in PB blaster, whacked on the breaker bar with a small sledge. I give up. What should be a simple 30 dollar job will now be a 140 dollar caliper replacement. Anybody found a caliper this hard to break apart?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,062
Likes: 28
From: Burkburnett TX
It sounds so simple right? The darn thing is mated for life. I would just throw the new seals in it and leave it together but Im sure I melted the O ring when I tried the torch.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 6,930
Likes: 845
From: melbourne florida
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
bolt them back on the car , and use a breaker bar to loosen the bolts your talking about. that is the first thing i learned on those calipers in the 70's. i even do it that way if i have an impact gun.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,092
Likes: 5
From: Fayetteville Arkansas
where in Arkansas are you? Soak that thing with PB blaster for the next few days and that will break it loose. If you still can't get it off maybe I can help you if you are near Fayetteville. Along the line of rebuild: instead of buy new calipers with lip seals I would suggest getting a complete o-ring kit from vbandp.com. Seals, pistons, and bolts... everything to rebuild you calipers and will work better than the lip seals.
Sully
Sully
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,062
Likes: 28
From: Burkburnett TX
I'm in Jacksonville. 7t's idea worked great. Got them separated, then the bleeder broke off, then broke off even with caliper, then broke my easy out inside it, then broke 3 bits trying to extract it. I give. I marred it up pretty good anyway and my pistons are crap. I will throw some lip seal remans on it for now. I declare this battle over.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,372
Likes: 4
From: Springfield VA
I learned from others mistakes. Many others had the same issue as you and breaking the bolts free on the car seems the best way.
You can also take to a machine shop to heat up and take apart. Make sure to lossen all the bleader valves before rebuilding. Like a idiot and rebuilt and then had to heat up to get the valves out.
I'm in Jacksonville. 7t's idea worked great. Got them separated, then the bleeder broke off, then broke off even with caliper, then broke my easy out inside it, then broke 3 bits trying to extract it. I give. I marred it up pretty good anyway and my pistons are crap. I will throw some lip seal remans on it for now. I declare this battle over.
Don;t give up. Take them to a machine shop and have them pull the bleeder valves out for you. I had to do that with mine as well. Much cheaper then buying reman's.