First time for me as well !
Caliper bolts
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2016
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From: The Steel City, Colorful Colorado
Winner 2020 C7 of the Year - Modified
Caliper bolts
Anybody know where to get new caliper bolts at a reasonable price? Most of the info I have read states that the bolts should be replaced each time they are removed. The only ones I have found so far are pretty pricey, between $8 - $12 each and it takes 8 bolts.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 34,873
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From: Lacey WA RVN 68-69
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Are you talking about the large bolts that hold the caliper bracket to the spindle? Or the small bolts that hold the caliper pins to the bracket?
For the big bolts, they can be re-used over and over. All you need to do is to remove the threadlocker material from the bolt threads and the female threads in the bracket. Then apply some Loctite Blue to the threads and tighten to spec. If you buy the large bolts at a dealership parts counter, they just have a threadlocker pre-applied. Do not use the RED Loctite!
That stuff requires heat to release bolts.
Make sure to get the correct torque values for these bolts. It had been reported that some years of the FSM for C4's had the wrong torque value for the rear bolts. The C5 caliper bracket bolts for both the front and rear are tightened to 125 ft-lbs. The guide pin bolts are tightened to 23 ft-lbs.
For the small bolts, just do the same thing. The small bolts can be found at places like Lowes or Home Depot. Just make sure to clean out the threadlocker from the female threads in the pins.
For the big bolts, they can be re-used over and over. All you need to do is to remove the threadlocker material from the bolt threads and the female threads in the bracket. Then apply some Loctite Blue to the threads and tighten to spec. If you buy the large bolts at a dealership parts counter, they just have a threadlocker pre-applied. Do not use the RED Loctite!
That stuff requires heat to release bolts.Make sure to get the correct torque values for these bolts. It had been reported that some years of the FSM for C4's had the wrong torque value for the rear bolts. The C5 caliper bracket bolts for both the front and rear are tightened to 125 ft-lbs. The guide pin bolts are tightened to 23 ft-lbs.
For the small bolts, just do the same thing. The small bolts can be found at places like Lowes or Home Depot. Just make sure to clean out the threadlocker from the female threads in the pins.
Last edited by c4cruiser; Mar 13, 2017 at 06:52 PM.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 317
Likes: 42
Are you talking about the large bolts that hold the caliper bracket to the spindle? Or the small bolts that hold the caliper pins to the bracket?
For the big bolts, they can be re-used over and over. All you need to do is to remove the threadlocker material from the bolt threads and the female threads in the bracket. Then apply some Loctite Blue to the threads and tighten to spec. If you buy the large bolts at a dealership parts counter, they just have a threadlocker pre-applied. Do not use the RED Loctite! That stuff requires heat to release bolts.
Make sure to get the correct torque values for these bolts. It had been reported that some years of the FSM for C4's had the wrong torque value for the rear bolts. The C5 caliper bracket bolts for both the front and rear are tightened to 125 ft-lbs. The guide pin bolts are tightened to 23 ft-lbs.
For the small bolts, just do the same thing. The small bolts can be found at places like Lowes or Home Depot. Just make sure to clean out the threadlocker from the female threads in the pins.
For the big bolts, they can be re-used over and over. All you need to do is to remove the threadlocker material from the bolt threads and the female threads in the bracket. Then apply some Loctite Blue to the threads and tighten to spec. If you buy the large bolts at a dealership parts counter, they just have a threadlocker pre-applied. Do not use the RED Loctite!
That stuff requires heat to release bolts.Make sure to get the correct torque values for these bolts. It had been reported that some years of the FSM for C4's had the wrong torque value for the rear bolts. The C5 caliper bracket bolts for both the front and rear are tightened to 125 ft-lbs. The guide pin bolts are tightened to 23 ft-lbs.
For the small bolts, just do the same thing. The small bolts can be found at places like Lowes or Home Depot. Just make sure to clean out the threadlocker from the female threads in the pins.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 9,488
Likes: 1,743
From: Knoxville Tn
The factory does recommend replacing them once removed. Yes, I have seen calipers break loose, (it actually happened to me once) In fact I see no reason to replace them as long as lock time and proper torque are applied. (I didn't use the lock tite once)
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,366
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From: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Several years ago I asked a friend of mine who was a GM master tech about changing the bolts. He told me the reason GM says that is becuase the factory bolts have threadlocker applied to them and this way they make sure that people use some type of threadlocker when doing brake jobs on their own. If you use blue loctite on the original bolts you will be fine. Just make sure that you do!
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When I have had my calipers loose, I have not replaced the bolts. I just cleaned them up and used the blue Loctite.
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Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 99
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From: Kirkland WA
A few months before I bought my car, the previous owner told me he had painted the calipers, and replaced the rotors / pads. Aside from installing directional rotors backwards, he must have over tightened the large caliper bolts, as the threads on all the bolts were stretched to some degree, so I opted for replacement.