I finally put my car in the air and removed the wheels. Upon inspecting my brakes front and rear, it appears that my rear calipers are leaking from the center o-rings. My front caliper look fine but since I'm replacing the rears, thought I might as well replace the fronts depending on cost. The rotors are right on the cusp of needing replacing (if I measured them correctly) so 4 new rotors it is. I'm thinking of going with OEM replacements as my car will have just a cam change, intake/carb, and headers. With that in mind, does anyone have any experience with Carid and their ACDelco factory remanufactured calipers? Price is reasonable at roughly $80 a piece. One thing on their site that confuses me is when selecting rotors. They have different rotor heights which I just don't know what the difference is. Plan on going with semi metallic pads as suggested on another thread on this site.

I had a previous thread about changing the hubs and it looks like I'll be drilling out the front hubs and reusing them. From what I can tell, the rear hubs are already slide on (haven't disassembled them yet).

I know this is a long thread requesting a lot of information but I have just one more question. When I inspected the brake fluid in the MC, the front side was a dirty brown. The back reservoir had a greenish tint to it when I shined the flashlight on it. Any idea of what may be causing that and is there anything to be concerned with? The MC is fairly new and I expect that a complete fluid change is in order. Anything else I should be aware of?

Thank you for all the helpful advice.
William

 

Without links have no way of knowing why you see different rotor heights other than perhaps front versus rear.

 

If you have original Delco Moraine calipers that have sleeved in stainless steel, consider buying an O-ring caliper kit which will include all seals and pistons to rebuild all four wheels for about $150 or so. It is an easy job. I would also measure any runout you have with a dial indicator. Below .005 is acceptable, below .002 is better. Jerry

 

Here's the website. For the front rotors, there are three options: 78.3mm (3.08"), 78.5mm (3.09"), and 78.74mm (3.1"). On the third size, an additional rotor option shows up 'Professional' vented rotor. So does this mean that I can use any of these sizes? I'd prefer the larger 'Professional' vented rotor as from a cost standpoint, it's only about $5 per rotor. The rear 'Professional' rotor is about $20 more than the standard vented rotor for the ACDelco's.

https://www.carid.com/service-type/b...placement.html

 

Tampa Jerry, how do I tell if I have Delco Moraine calipers?

 

It will say it on the caliper...send pics..

personnally i agree on rebuild of original and sleeved..i doubt very much you are leaking from o rings in middle..
i would not replace what works..and buy usa made parts when i can..brand especially AC means NOTHING anymore..
I recently decided when mine are bad and notsleeved went sponsor and core charge ac delco moraine with o rings..which are typically lone star caliper..tried the one so far so good...

Check runout and rotor thickness..i would not replace rotors unless have to..replacements seem likely Chinesium...unless already aftermarket on it now

 

Interpol, here are pics of my rear calipers. I bleed the brakes some time ago but now I have to pump first before they grab.

 

look on side.. it should have markings..like this.. if not reaplce away..

https://www.zip-corvette.com/65-82-r...-lip-seal.html

yes they look bad as far as leaking..probably from piston seals

take them off... if you want to look inside loosen the bolts that hold them together first (before removal) on car as they are TIGHT..

 

Interpon, they do say Delco Moraine. After seeing the pics, do you recommend replacing or rebuilding?

 

as others say...I personnally would remove and inspect to see what you have..if sleeved in stainless i would put in o ring kit...if not i would exchange for same rebuilt delco ...they will charge you a core charge..make sure it says delcoon both halves

 

As interpon said, if already stainless sleeved, then rebuilding is inexpensive and easy. Take yours apart before anything else to see if you have sleeves - you'll know because the bores will look very shiny like new metal - some staining is common (even though it's called stainless steel), but no scoring or grooves that you can feel with a fingernail. If no sleeves are installed the bores will look like dark cast iron and may be pitted. If you have sleeved calipers inspect the pistons for pitting; there should be none. You may find that you have some sleeved calipers and some not. Sometimes even if you have stainless bores but have to replace the pistons, springs and seals, you may find it less hassle to buy rebuilt.

As far as master cylinder fluid, it should not be discolored or cloudy. Since you're doing caliper work anyway and will have to bleed the system, suction out just about all the old brake fluid in the master with a turkey baster or some such and pour in new. When it comes time to bleed the system, bleed each caliper until the fluid runs clear to light amber.

 

One more thing, if you decide to buy rebuilt and send your old calipers in for the core deposit, you don't have to send anything other than the caliper housings. They don't need the old pistons, springs, or any seals as those will be replaced in the rebuilding process. Weight reduction might save a small bit on shipping costs.

 

Thanks for all of the advice. So here's where I stand. Unless someone comes out and says these parts are a big mistake, it looks like I'll go with these.

Front and rear rotors will be AC Delco and pads will be organic (ceramic/organic mix) AC Delco from Rock Auto (pics below). My car will be mild with manifold, carb, headers and mild cam.

Any suggestions on vendors to purchase the rebuilt rear calipers? I've seen recommendations for Van Steel parts. They have some in stock with the Delco Moraine housing stainless steel o-ring. I also reached out to Lonestar Caliper and they have the same just a little more expensive than Van Steel. Anything good or bad about either of these two vendors? Any other vendors that someone has had good luck with?

 

I used zip and they were lone star
work well
only got one ss oring with exchange

i don’t like any chinesium
rock auto is good but no customer service or questions answered
no clue where those made

 

I have been through this,,, "ring around the rosie". Do you have power or manual brakes? If, manual, make sure you have a 1" bore MC. Another question I have never really had answered. With manual brakes, stock MC, calipers and rotors, not a race car, what brake pads will give the most stopping power for street driving. I'm not interested in super hot performance or even longevity. I just want it to stop well when I go have a beer. I installed standard organic, that work pretty well.

 

Thanks for all of the input. Just purchased these pads and rotors on Amazon. Same total cost as Rock Auto but with Amazon Prime, returns if necessary are much easier.

 

Just wanted to share a positive experience I had with Zip Corvette. I gave them a call regarding buying the rebuilt Delco Moraine calipers. Price was in line with other suppliers and shipping was a little cheaper. Worked with a person named Daniel who helped walk me through the process and answered all of my questions. It turns out that their supplier is Lonestar Calipers. A couple of the parts I ordered were out of stock like the front hard brake line. He followed up and sent me an email later confirming that the part did in fact come in. So far an overall good experience. Hope the completion of the order goes as smooth.

 

that is where i got mine..and did take a few weeks

 

I can wait a bit. I'm going to also do some frame cleanup while I'm here. There's quite a bit of surface rust so I'll degrease the underside of the car and do some painting with Krylon 1613 industrial paint.