Hi,

I'm looking to get my calipers powdercoated locally, but I'm not sure what the best way to do it is, as I would rather not bleed the entire brake system. I have done some searching, but can't find much help. I also need to remove the pistons from the calipers. Can someone please point me to a write-up for this? Thanks in advance!

 

wow - a lot going on here...

first powdercoating...no way to do this without removing the calipers from the car...

bleeding the system...not a hard thing to do...and quite necessary if you remove the calipers; probably should be done anyway if it has not been done before...the fluid gets contaminated with moisture after awhile and needs to be flushed

removing the pistons...why do you need to do this? not a normal thing to do unless there is a problem. you might need to do this for powdercoating due to the need to put the calipers in an oven, but not sure on that one...

 

Thanks for the info,

I know they need to be removed, but I don't want to completely bleed the system. I've flushed the fluid several times, but I've never emptied the system. My question was more about weather there is a way to remove the calipers without draining the fluid completely

As for the pistons, yes, they need to be removed for the powdercoating. I've got stainless steel pistons installed, and I don't wan to swap with a core that has the factory pistons

 

Yep - you can remove the calipers w/o draining the whole system. You will something to plug/cap off the flexible lines so gravity doesn't drain them for you (I use golf tees for rubber hoses, doubt they would work well on a s/s hose). Tie the open end of hose as high as possible which will also help reduce - won't eliminate - the tendency for gravity to drain it.

 

Powdercoating is a major PIA. PAINT them instead: high temp epoxy in many many colors, works great and lasts as long as powdercoating if you take your time. No need to remove anything except the pads, no bleeding etc.

Many references on the forum to this stuff.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250789524858

 

I used Foliatec, an epoxy paint caliper painting kit, when I first bought the car in '01 and it matches the TR nicely. I pulled the calipers to paint them and plugged the lines to keep the fluid from draining. You will need to bleed the system after pulling calipers off pretty much anytime. I now have my own Tech 2 that I will be bleeding the entire system with, including excersing the ABS unit and purging the old fluid from it.

 

I used these videos from Doug Rippie Motorsports when I purchased my DRM Short Stop Kit and subsequent caliper rebuilds.

Piston Removal: Install:
I've also seen a tool that grips the boot slots to remove the pistons. Can't remember where I saw it though.... The compressed air method is super simple.

 

awesome, thanks

 

you don't want the system to bleed out while you have your calipers off. To stop the bleeding, get four 10mm bolts and nuts and 8 O rings that are about 10mm ID put an O ring on a bolt, slip it into the banjo fitting after you remove the banjo bolt from the caliper. The another O ring and the nut. Finger tight should seal it to a drop a day. Let it hang while the calipers are off for powder coating.

YOu can seal the caliper with the same idea, I think the threads of the banjo bolts are 10mm x 1mm (thread pitch) Run the nut up the bolt, put on an O ring and then screw the bolt into the banjo bolt threads on the caliper. finger tight the nut and you should have it leak-free to ship.

The piston seals don't show, so most powder coaters can live with the pistons remaining.

 

That is incredibly helpful, thank you

 

You are welcome. A friend of mine used a powder coater in Atlanta and his calipers looked Aweome. His car stayed in my shop for 2 weeks and we got maybe 10 drops of fluid out of the fittings.

Another option is a BQ-164 cap which caps off the brake line at the flex hose connection. The brake line nuts are metric on late model Corvettes, and I think that thread may be 10mm also. I have a set of BQ-164, just Google that number and you will find a source (forgot where I got mine, but they are made by BRAKEQUIP)

 

I use ear plugs

 

I did something similar. I used two small blocks with a piece of rubber and clamped it on each banjo fitting to seal off the fluid on both sides. Just make sure to clamp each one off using any of the methods described in this thread and check them periodically for leaks while the calipers are off the car. Correct any that are leaking and keep the system full. If the system bleeds down and air gets in, you will need a Tech 2 to correctly bleed the ABS system. Not something you want to do.

One other trick I never knew but found in my Jeep manual that you can use during removal of the calipers. Push the pedal to the floor and use a piece of wood or something between the pedal and the drivers seat to keep the pedal against the floor. This keeps the fluid from draining while removing the caliper and installing your banjo fitting plugs. A lot less messy. However, you can't use this for the amount of time the calipers will be off for powder coating, you must use one of the methods described to fully seal any leaks from the brake system.

The method shown above in the video is what I used for piston removal. When you do this, make each piece of wood progressively thinner. If you go too thin at once and only one piston moves you may have trouble with the other one if the first piston comes out all the way. And keep fingers well away, when they come out that slam the wood hard.

Get the new rebuild kits from GM. They come with all the parts and a special grease for piston lubrication. The fit is perfect.

This is why I went with powder coating, and I did the brackets as well.

 

Your calipers look great!!!!!! mine are all discolored and corroded, but I don't show my C5, just flog the stuffin's out of at the track. The brake dust is very corrosive to aluminum when it gets wet. I think the iron oxide sets up a corrosion cell with water, and rain water is the worst because of the oxygen content.

I rebuild my calipers about once a year because the heat burns up the dust boots. Many run without them, but it makes a bigger mess without them. I use Wilwood brake assembly lube. It is compatible with all the Dot 3 and 4 brake fluids. It took me a while to figure out how to get that friggin' dust seal in the groove, but now I know just how far to have it on the piston and it goes right in.