Speedbleeders or not. You decide.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 1,381
Likes: 15
From: Lusby MD
Speedbleeders or not. You decide.
OK. After much swearing and throwing things, I finally have 4 new rotors, 4 new calipers, 4 sets of pads, 2 sets of wheel bearings, and a new master cylinder installed on my 68. I bench bled the MC so I should be ready to start bleeding the wheels. I'm working alone so I'm half tempted to try gravity bleeding. Then I took another look at the calipers and noticed that the bleeders look a lot like speedbleeders.
This set of calipers was bought back in '99 and sat in my basement waiting for me to do more work on the '69 L71. I found the invoice and it doesn't say anything about speedbleeders but they're quite a bit larger than stock. The calipers are Caliper2000s from Florida Caliper. I remember some folks having trouble with them but I have 'em so I'm gonna use 'em.
Here's a pic:
Can anyone decipher for me what these things are?
This set of calipers was bought back in '99 and sat in my basement waiting for me to do more work on the '69 L71. I found the invoice and it doesn't say anything about speedbleeders but they're quite a bit larger than stock. The calipers are Caliper2000s from Florida Caliper. I remember some folks having trouble with them but I have 'em so I'm gonna use 'em.
Here's a pic:
Can anyone decipher for me what these things are?
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 1,603
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco, CA
Hard to tell from the photo, but I have speed bleeders and they have a red substance that I take to be some kind of sealer on the threads. Unscrew one of those bleeders and see if you see anything like that.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 2,010
Likes: 3
From: Moon Twp. PA USA
Originally Posted by 69L71
OK. After much swearing and throwing things, I finally have 4 new rotors, 4 new calipers, 4 sets of pads, 2 sets of wheel bearings, and a new master cylinder installed on my 68. I bench bled the MC so I should be ready to start bleeding the wheels. I'm working alone so I'm half tempted to try gravity bleeding. Then I took another look at the calipers and noticed that the bleeders look a lot like speedbleeders.
This set of calipers was bought back in '99 and sat in my basement waiting for me to do more work on the '69 L71. I found the invoice and it doesn't say anything about speedbleeders but they're quite a bit larger than stock. The calipers are Caliper2000s from Florida Caliper. I remember some folks having trouble with them but I have 'em so I'm gonna use 'em.
Here's a pic:
Can anyone decipher for me what these things are?
This set of calipers was bought back in '99 and sat in my basement waiting for me to do more work on the '69 L71. I found the invoice and it doesn't say anything about speedbleeders but they're quite a bit larger than stock. The calipers are Caliper2000s from Florida Caliper. I remember some folks having trouble with them but I have 'em so I'm gonna use 'em.
Here's a pic:
Can anyone decipher for me what these things are?
As mentioned above, check if there is any red gunk on the threads. This is for sealing.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,512
Likes: 49
From: Franklin IN
A question if I may? If the caliper shown in the photo were to be used on the other side of the car, wouldn't the bottom bleeder then be on the top? In which case you wouldn't want a plug in it you would want a bleeder in it. From where I sit I think the rebuilder did exactly what he should have done.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 1,381
Likes: 15
From: Lusby MD
I confirmed that these are NOT speedbleeders. I pulled one out and locked inside. Its just an empty shell. No spring or check ball. Its just a bigger bleeder with a 3/8 hex instead of 5/16.
I'm not worried about the lower bleeder. Its probably just part of mass assembly and they install bleeders instead of figuring out which hole gets a plug. Lazy, yes; but it really doesn't matter to me. I'll just leave it snug. If I get a wild hair one day I'll install a plug.
I'm not worried about the lower bleeder. Its probably just part of mass assembly and they install bleeders instead of figuring out which hole gets a plug. Lazy, yes; but it really doesn't matter to me. I'll just leave it snug. If I get a wild hair one day I'll install a plug.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 3,544
Likes: 448
From: Central Pennsylvania
I tried the speed bleeders and had a hard time getting some (not all) of them to seal properly. Must be a tolerance problem with their threads. Double-checked with the original bleeders and had no problems. I felt if I couldn't use them in all locations I wouldn't use them at all. I put the regular bleeders back in all places.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 1,166
Likes: 0
From: Tulsa Ok
[QUOTE= The calipers are Caliper2000s from Florida Caliper. I remember some folks having trouble with them but I have 'em so I'm gonna use 'em.
[/QUOTE]
Since you're asking for opinions, I'd remove all four calipers, throw them in the trash, and call VBP or Vansteel for a set of SS sleeved o-ringed calipers. Your life may not be that important to you, but you might have a passenger in the car at some point.
[/QUOTE]
Since you're asking for opinions, I'd remove all four calipers, throw them in the trash, and call VBP or Vansteel for a set of SS sleeved o-ringed calipers. Your life may not be that important to you, but you might have a passenger in the car at some point.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,435
Likes: 0
From: largo florida
Originally Posted by 87bob
A question if I may? If the caliper shown in the photo were to be used on the other side of the car, wouldn't the bottom bleeder then be on the top? In which case you wouldn't want a plug in it you would want a bleeder in it. From where I sit I think the rebuilder did exactly what he should have done.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 2,010
Likes: 3
From: Moon Twp. PA USA
Originally Posted by 87bob
A question if I may? If the caliper shown in the photo were to be used on the other side of the car, wouldn't the bottom bleeder then be on the top? In which case you wouldn't want a plug in it you would want a bleeder in it. From where I sit I think the rebuilder did exactly what he should have done.
