PMB Performance Turnaround Time Question
 

I’m hoping to get some feedback from others that have sent out calipers to PMB Performance for rebuild. How long did it take to rebuild/restore the calipers and what work did you have done?

For reference I sent out my front calipers which arrived on June 14. I requested a complete restoration and rebuild as needed. Upon receipt they said the internal pucks were perfect so only seals were needed and they would perform the cosmetic restoration which required anodizing and clear coat. It’s been just shy of 8 weeks and I don’t have them back yet. Seems kinda long to me but I know labor shortages are slowing everyone down.

Curious what others have experienced. I was hoping to have the car on the road for mid August to take it to a local show but that’s not looking promising.

Shot of the calipers that were sent for reference:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659556037.jpg

It's been three or four years since mine were restored. I think it was around 3 months. Definitely not 2.

I would call them up. I believe they just moved into a new shop so there was probably a delay in all orders due to the move.

Mine took a little over 6 weeks, back in 2019.

PMB's new facility is a huge step up. Give them a call, they are responsive.

Give them a call. Just sent some goodies to him yesterday for the the red rocks classic and talked yesterday. They are busy no doubt but call.

Ok so the timing seems to be inline with what others have experienced, that is what I was primarily trying to establish.

Ironically I just got an update today shortly after this post, anodizing didn’t meet their expectations and needs to be redone. I agreed after seeing the pictures so they’re going to have them redone before rebuilding.

I guess I’m just having a hard time managing my air cooled withdrawals. I’ll have to bring my Spyder to the show later this month, I don’t want to rush this.

Thanks for the input everyone.

Can you post the pics?

It looks like the plater didn’t do a great job with the prep, you can see the areas where the aluminum is showing through. Also looks a bit flakey which doesn’t inspire confidence.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659580110.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659580110.jpg

Thanks. Where you see silver, that's original anodizing. The calipers weren't fully stripped of anodizing before being done again.

Thanks for that feedback, Shaun.

Calipers: such incredibly easy components to overhaul for functionality. Granted, it’s the cosmetics, ie tumbling and plating you’re really paying for - and that does require specialist gear - but having your car down for 2-3 months?

John

Eric is a perfectionist. I am not the least surprised they caught the anodizing problem and sent them back to have them re-done. They have done a couple of sets of calipers for me and they typically are a 3-month turnaround. Worth the wait as the finished product looks perfect.

Please post some pics when these are done. If the bores are perfect, there's no need to strip and re-anodize. Every time you do, the aluminum surface can be compromised. So if the bores are fine, I expect PMB will just paint them.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659618249.jpg

I’m pretty sure they’re going to get sent out to be redone with black anodize as my goal is to get them back to factory finish. I should know more in the next few days once the plating shop gets them back. Hopefully it doesn’t take as long.

Shaun those calipers look stunning, do you offer caliper restoration services? I didn’t see anything noted on your website when I had checked.

Thank, yes I do restore calipers. Yours were originally painted when new. They are anodized for the bores. Only S, early Turbo and 78+ Turbo were factory anodized. The S and early Turbo were anodized and then received a dichromate seal.

You can see the factory paint chipped away here and there on your original pic. I use Cerakote vs. high temp paint.

Few pics

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659661759.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659661759.jpg



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659661927.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659661927.jpg



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659661759.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659661759.jpg


In black with stickers applied

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659661759.jpg


First coat of clear

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659661759.jpg



I only use cadmium for plating steel calipers. It has much better corrosion and heat resistance than original zinc.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659662425.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659662425.jpg

Well I wish I knew, those are some stunning restorations.

My understanding is that the calipers on the very early 964’s were anodized and then clear coated. The chips on my calipers in my first pic is the clear coat failing. But again I’m no expert and I’m only regurgitating what I was told. Apparently they started painting them mid year 1990 and applying a white stencil for the lettering. The rear calipers also changed mid year.

Have you considered a local Porsche specialist? Turnaround time is not what I would be worried about, quality is what I would be concerned with....

Cheers

That is an interesting little nugget of Porsche information. There's no reason your calipers shouldn't be as black as the Turbo calipers above.

Very nice work Shaun.

Long story short: be it PMB, Tru6, other business entities or individuals such as Jamie, Fred and others, we are lucky to have passionate folks providing advice, expertise, services and products for our cars.

I agree. No vendor is perfect all the time and all have outside influences that challenge timing and quality.

Agreed, that is one of the secondary benefits of owning a Porsche. There’s no shortage of expertise and as an owner we are all very fortunate to have this available to us. Granted we are the customer and we are spending good money to get this work done so the businesses follow the money.

As far as my calipers, I’m fairly confident with PMB’s workmanship as I have never heard anything negative and I’ve seen some of their work. My calipers weren’t dinged/dented so the final results should be excellent and with proper care in my hands they should stay nice indefinitely. Here’s a shot of my Spyder Calipers after 11 years and 22k miles:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659718235.jpg

Amen. My anodizer was acquired last summer which meant 4 months of no anodizing until they were set up in the new shop and then 3+ months of testing, then new guys don't want to do the work so now I am using their facilities at 5AM. I used to wake up at 5 for rowing but that was over 35 years ago. Waking up at 4 now and starting the day brings so much joy. Silver lining, I'm bringing anodizing in-house.

Fun with sulphuric acid

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659721654.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659721654.jpg



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659721654.jpg



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659721654.jpg

Seems the anodizing is a massive bottleneck as I’m still waiting on my calipers. I have a local shop that gets it done in 5 - 7 business days and they do good work too.