Someone give me the low-down on rebuilding calipers....

Yellowb1rd · 12-29-2007, 01:39 PM

Hi all,

I have a 1979 SC, and the front left, and right rear calipers are sticking. My mechanic recommends just replacing all of them,. I thought that was a good idea, until I started pricing them. At ~$290 apeice, I'd really like to know if there is a more feasible alternative. And while I'm at it, should probably replace the rotors I've talked to some of the folks at Pelican, and one of them recommended against rebuilding calipers by the weekend warrior. Anyone had any luck with rebuilding their calipers, and do they hold up? Any advice is much appreciated.

KCinBR · KCinBR's Garage

Caliper rebuilding is not rocket science. Inside there is a rubber seal and a piston and the dust cover on the outside. So long as the calipers are not rusted or corroded inside they can be rebuilt. Do not seperate the two halves of the calipers.
I did mine about 2 years ago and have had no problems.
You should be able to look at your rotors and determine if they need to be replaced or resurfaced.

There are many posts about rebuilding calipers and brake repair in general on this board just do a serach................

RWebb · RWebb's Garage

include the term mustard jar in your searches

and be sure to get the Porsche rebuild paste - much better than the cheaper generic versions - I assume your life is worth a few more $$...

911s55 · 12-29-2007, 02:16 PM

Here's the low down and more!
http://www.early911sregistry.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16254

David E. Clark · 12-29-2007, 03:14 PM

Here's another one from PMB Performance: Brake Rebuild How-To.

partrin · partrin's Garage

I just rebuilt my fronts for the second time....get 'em a bit hot on the track, it seems. Rebuild kits are inexpensive, and you can DIY following the posts listed in a couple hours. Blowing the pistons out is the only dicey bit, since the 'free' one will pop out first, leaving the 'stuck' one in place. Mind your fingers!

If you're tracking the car you might want to consider putting in SS pistons (save you cleaning up the old ones too). They conduct less heat to the brake fluid, I've learned in my research, and might help some with keeping your brake fluid cooler.

01sport · 12-30-2007, 11:37 AM

I'm a newb and I did it.

An air compressor is a must. A saw to cut various wood blocks. I used a pvc 2"coupler cut in half to seat the rubber boots. Might be a good time to replace the hoses and brake fluid as well. Power bleeder worked great for me. Get new speed bleeders. I wasted a lot of time and energy trying to bleed the brakes with the old bleeders.

Rebuilding my calipers including replacing hoses, pads, rotors and fluid was the third project I successfully completed on my car. Right after fixing bad solder joints in my DME and doing major service including valve adjust (twice).

Jeff

LakeCleElum · 12-30-2007, 12:02 PM

Doing the caliper in my '69 right now. Most of the pistons were stuck due to rust. A lot of patience and PB Blaster was required. Over a period of a few weeks, I got 7 of the 8 pistons out with an air compressor. The last one just wasn't gonna happen.

I used the "search" button here and saw someone recommended using the hydrolic pressure of a grease gun to remove difficult pistons. The last one came right out. I would have saved a lot of time had I used this method on some of the others, but I figured a lot of grease inside that caliper would be a big mess.....Not so, medium mess...G'luck...

RWebb · RWebb's Garage

"An air compressor is a must."

Nah - I do it w/o air... it helps if you already have one. But not needed.

either grease gun as per above or use the hydraulic system itself to push them out - hang the caliper & put block of wood in between pistons

Crachian · 12-30-2007, 01:52 PM

I'm in the midst of this now and finally got the pistons out with some air, heat, and lots of liquid wrench and wd40. How do you clean the calipers without an air compressor?

Any rec on the best paint to do the calipers before I reassemble? The original cad finish is mostly gone and I spent lots of time cleaning them up, but they still look so-so. need painting.

Someone mentioned using a power bleeder and speedbleeders. I don't get why you need both, but I like the speedbleeders too.

01sport · 12-30-2007, 02:11 PM

I used speed bleeders mostly because they were a fraction of the cost of new OEM bleeders.

Mo_Gearhead · 12-30-2007, 02:19 PM

I know of a source that will sell you rebuilt calipers for less than $100 ea.
(You do have to send in your old ones for 'cores'.)

Used them on all four corners during my restoration.

PM me if needed.