I’m about to replace the front calipers on a ‘78 C3
for exampl Ecklers and zip almost $100 price difference. Both are new and I can’t see a difference. What could I be missing?
thoughts for a rookie?

 

You probably want LoneStar Calipers as they are probably the only one still doing them in the USA. Many of the Corvette Vendors are using them to rebuild them. So if both of these vendors are using Lonestar buy from the best price. But I'd be willing to bet they are not using the same source. Muskegon Brake for sure sells LoneStar.

 

Thank you

 

I would think the real difference here between Zip and Ecklers would be.
If Zip says they have them in stock. They do.
If Ecklers says they have them in stock, it's truly a crap shoot.
Once upon a time I purchased a fair amount from Ecklers. But in the last 15 years or so they have really slipped.
They are certainly not my go to anymore.
And I will add, with certainty. When I Email Zip with a question of, "where do you source this part" they get back to me promptly and actually answer honestly.

 

Do you have Delco Moraine castings? Have they ever been re-sleeved in stainless steel? If yes to both questions, consider rebuilding them yourself with O-ring kits. They come with new O-rings, pistons and seals. Two wheels will cost less than $100 to rebuild. The process is not difficult and straight forward. Jerry

 

Eklers will say they're in stock,take your money then inform you they're on back order.

 

A little more information here might be helpful.

When you say "New" I assume you're talking about the new castings reproduction calipers, and not rebuilt original calipers? The new castings are available in a number of variations, including no name and Delco branded castings, stainless sleeved and unsleeved, and lip seal and o-ring seal pistons. All of these variations effect the cost so make sure you're comparing a new Delco branded stainless sleeved o-ring seal caliper to another Delco sleeved o-ring one, and not a no name lip seal caliper, or a rebuilt original caliper.

Post links to the calipers you're trying to compare and I'm sure if there's a difference someone here will be able to point it out to you.

 

I've bought Lonestar O-ring rebuilds from Zip, and they've been great.
I've bought (high-heat) O-ring rebuild kits from CSSB Inc. to DIY rebuild my stainless sleeved calipers. They've also been great.

Not much of an answer, but I can vouch for and recommend either of the first two options.

EDIT: Zip is having a 10% off deal this weekend, though free shipping is often worth more. Shipping on the cores (if you go that route) can really add up, too. I can drive to Zip if I need to save on shipping, though.

 

I too bought the parts and rebuilt my own calipers. I removed the calipers and cleaned them really well before splitting the halves and soaking the halves in a good hot de-greaser. I used a small hone and cleaned up the bores to ensure a good seal when they were rebuilt. I have a parts washer that circulates 125* de-greaser and with the liquid hot it makes the junk just melt away. I also cleaned the threads and then re-assembled them. They have worked great ever since. I too am using the newer O-ring seals having bought the rebuild kits from a dealer at Corvettes@Carlisle.

A lot of the companies who rebuild the brake calipers will want your old castings as "cores". I rebuilt my calipers because I did not want to get a new set of calipers which had been rebuilt. If there was a crack or anything actually broken then I would get another casting.

 

Consider any differences in shipping costs. Many Corvette parts are identical from vendor to vendor, but shipping costs can vary widely. Did you look at Corvette Central?

 

Thanks to everyone. You folks are really forthcoming and offer options. Great info. Thank you for the help and thoughts.

 

HI,
Good morning. Just another day in Paradise.. Go to your local NAPA store. I just replaced all four on my '72. They were $101/ea, painted black. They charge a $44 core charge but it is refunded when you return your old ones.
They look and work great.
Have a great day,
Fred

 

The last order I made with ecklers was cancelled by me after 7 months of waiting.

That said the prices are dramatically different for the same stuff at times. I was just looking at offset trailing arms and Zip has them for $679 a pair... like 100 cheaper than ecklers.

I have replaced 2 of my calipers in the last 12 years. both from the local autostore and neither has had any issues. I was able to rebuild my original calipers when I bought the car in 2012 which was actually cheap and easy (theres a youtube video on it) but one caliper was damaged to the point I needed to replace and a couple years ago another started leaking again. That one I replaced has held up so well and was even still shiny, with stainless pistons and some type of coating on the body to prevent corrosion. So I decided I will replace them all with replacements from advance auto as they fail... like $60-70 each after core charge.

lets face it the delco stock calipers were not all that great, They used aluminum alloy pitons that tend to react and pit as well as the unsleeved piston walls. And the lip seals tend to leak more than any design ive ever used on any of my cars. Personally, I did not care if my replacements where new or old failed and refurbished originals.

 

First….. yep you are correct, new, not rebuilt
and good to know about NAPA etc…

thanks!

 

Only the front calipers get a "crush washer" for the hose connection. Open the box at the store to verify its in there.
Don't let them give you any ol' copper washer.

 

https://www.cssbinc.com/corvette-brake-calipers.aspx

I would buy from these guys instead of a big supply house...Most large suppliers sell the cheapest **** product they can get their hands on usually...

 

I would not waste my time on anything other than SS sleeves. Rebuilt calipers from the parts stores are mostly junk in my experience.

 

I rebuilt mine because in the frozen hell hole of Hoth known as Canada, I damn near had a heart attack at the cost of replacements. It was fairly straight forward.

 

I'm on my second set of NAPA brakes and they leak like a sob if I let the car set for a week or so.....just saying. I'm getting ready to go another route.

 

Just replaced mine on a 78, went to autozone. They have a warranty.