Brake Caliper Question
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,345
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From: I got you a puppy!
Brake Caliper Question
My left front brake caliper is leaking like a sieve. I recently purchased the car, and the previous owner replaced all four about 1500 miles ago with SS ones (I don't know the brand). Is it O.K. to rebuild just the leaking unit? I would rather just replace it, but can I mismatch it with a different brand of caliper. Autozone has a lifetime warranty on thiers for cheap. Anyone used them? Are they available for a '70? Thanks!
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,711
Likes: 43
From: San Antonio TX
Re: Brake Caliper Question (zzyzx)
All C2 and C3 calipers (there's a first and second design and HD design, but that's not at issue here) are interchangeable. Yes, you can change just the one but you need to determine why that one is leaking. The previous owner may have upgraded to SS calipers on paper only (it has been my experience that people do lie and you only know what you can prove) so you need to do an autopsy to see if it stainless sleeved and why it failed. If the caliper isn't sleeved or is only partially sleeved (one of the less reputable caliper companies was selling very inferior calipers as top quality sleeved when in fact they had only a partial sleeve or weren't sleeved at all), then you really need to replace all of them.
If the caliper failed due to a worn seal, it is easy enough to just replace the seals in that one caliper but if it failed due to wear, you should do all the calipers since they won't be far behind. An easy, popular, and relatively cheap upgrade is to replace the seals and pistons with O-ringed sets.
If the caliper failed due to a worn seal, it is easy enough to just replace the seals in that one caliper but if it failed due to wear, you should do all the calipers since they won't be far behind. An easy, popular, and relatively cheap upgrade is to replace the seals and pistons with O-ringed sets.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,711
Likes: 43
From: San Antonio TX
Re: Brake Caliper Question (zzyzx)
If it isn't sleeved, the bore will be natural iron and may be rusted and pitted. A stainless sleeve will have a color much lighter than the iron and will not have any pits or rust and it will have a chamfered edge at the bore opening You might also be able to see a very slight step between the sleeve and the original bore floor to see that they are not monolithic.
