Just received my calipers from Zip, which came in a box from VBP. Question, none of the four came with the pad retainer pins, are they suppose to?

 

VBP has the patent on the O-ring calipers. So whoever sells them gets them from VBP unless they are using VBP rebuild kits. Calipers usually come bare unless you get them from someone who offers more, like me. Our calipers come w/pads, o-rong or lip seal

 

Van Steel, you sure of that VBP rights to the design??? I hear there is another company...Zero Tolerance?? making O ring pistons for vettes....
and of course so is VBP....SOME guys think the ZT pistons are better, but I have VBP in my car about 3 years now...with DOT5 and am happy as a clam, finally....no springs either....

jGENE

 

Does Zero Tolerance have a website. Done a search and can't find them.

 

Van Steel, Your answer above makes it sound like VBP is the ONLY seller of o-ring pistons. Which is untrue. ...redvetracr

 

I purchased the Zero Tolerance pistons and O rings a few years back and did the install myself. I've had no air pumping and GREAT brakes........

 

The other O-ring pistons are of a different design than the VBP design. I think VBP did the closest to OEM design but modified the seal area to accomodate the O-ring.

ZT piston has a completely different design. Some forum members have said that the ZT design is tighter and therefore does not allow for piston wobble, which may occur with OEM or VBP design, which reduces the possibiliy of damage to your caliper SS sleeve.

Sounds like the new calipers do not come with retainer pins from Zip.

EDIT: I have the VBP O-ringers and absolutely have no problems with them. I highly recommend them over EOM seals, which I think should not be offered any longer for safety sake. O-rings = brake problem gone in my book.

Brent...


[Modified by MN-Brent, 8:41 PM 10/14/2003]

 

http://www.zerotoleranceind.com/

 

On the subject of o-ring pistons, can anybod comment on the Precision Engineering set? They seem to be a compromise between the ZT and VBP ones: http://members.tripod.com/grandmaduc...eccaliper.html

 

If "Precision" is the company run by frank Ferrando (sp) I saw his stuff at Bloomington this year, it is first class and the price for his o-ring calipers is quite competitive. ...redvetracr

 

just looking at those pistons makes me wonder, looks like they will transfer a LOT more heat into the fluid than the stock ones.

Also, I've been wondering, why is every conversion based on the sealing wall type, not the sealing piston. The latter type has a groove in the caliper bore that retains a square section o ring and the piston itself has a micropolished surface giving a perfect seal. No worries about pitting the caliper bore, it'll seal just fine.

Here's what I mean:



[Modified by Twin_Turbo, 8:49 AM 10/15/2003]

 

I believe Zero Tolerance was the original designer of the o-ring for the C3 vettes. I bought a complete set from Zero Tolerance piston kit in the early '90s. Back then you had to modify the caliper cylinders and install the pistons into the calipers. They worked great!
Skyhigh-The old pad retainers should work just fine.
Dan

 

I can kind of comment on the Precision Engineering kit. I have SS sleeved calipers but wanted to convert to O-ring and purchased their "do it yourself kit" it came with all new o-ring pistons which looked very nice, and all new bolts and hardware. Nice complete kit. I just completed all of the calipers however I am a not at the point to where I can test them. So I can attest to the form and fit, but not yet their function. The kit was 149.00, and free shipping as a NCRS member.

http://members.tripod.com/~GrandmaDu...eccaliper.html

redvetracr,
you are correct Precision Engineering is owned and operated by Frank Ferrano




[Modified by Robd, 11:14 AM 10/15/2003]

 

The "billet" style o-ring pistons require some grinding at the bottom of the caliper bores because the SS sleeves are RARELY installed in the exact center of the original piston bore. The nice thing about Precision is he (Frank) sells you a SS sleeved caliper with the pistons already installed (NO screwing around!!). I had a set of ZTI pistons in my race car for about 90 minutes in July at Road America, if your racing (real racing) DO NOT BOTHER they did not work, first there is soooo much heat transfer it cooked my brake fluid, turned it BLACK (and I run Castrol SRF the BEST THERE IS) second the o-ring itself does not hold enough pressure and it took two pumps of the pedal at EVERY corner (NOT a good thing). Corvette calipers cause brake pads to wear funny in a full race situation, they wear at a taper, you need the pistons to be able to "fowl" slightly to compensate for this wear, the ZTI pistons did not fowl and the fluid in my master had aluminum specks floating around in it (aluminum off the pistons). I expressed my concernes about heat transfer to Mike at ZTI long before I installed them and suggested to him that I wanted to shorten the pistons and install my J-56 insulators, Mike said NO NO NO don`t worry they will work GREAT well he was WRONG. This experiment/ disaster cost me $160 for test day at the track, $120 for two litres of fluid, $75 for a new master cylinder and the $150 I lost when I sold the "like new" pistons at a substantial loss. If you have a street car, go for it!! I also sent an e-mail to Mike at ZTI AFTER the race advising him of my experience and have heard NOTHING (and that was back in July). At that race I reinstalled my trusty J-56 calipers WITH the "lip seals" put on a 'clean" master cylinder and finished third out of the 50 cars that qualified and just last month I won at Road America out of 30 cars. Say what you want about GM and their poorly designed brake pistons BUT the J-56 piston WITH a lip seal is all I will use. ...redvetracr

 

Redvetracr, thanks for that story, just as It hough, a solid aluminium piston with a huge contact area to the pad... what better way to transfer heat.

As for the idea I posted, it will allow youn to run almost hollow pistons since they won't have to be grooved to hold a seal:

something like this here:

 

Yep, got them on 4 years now with dot 3 fluid. No problems at all. Came with everything needed. 40,000 miles later, the pads are not 1/2 worn. No squeak, squeal or rattles.