Detailing & restoring front calipers?

[tom h]

My 87's front calipers are off ... they are low mileage (5800) but look like crap, all rusty.

It's tempting to disassemble, sandblast, repaint, etc, but it does seems like a PITA, what with masking to prevent damage to cyl bore etc

Have any of you attempted a caliper restoration? Any advice?

 

[WakkoSS]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Clean them up with good degreaser WITHOUT taking them off the car and then spray them with a dark colored high temp paint. If you take them off the car or take them apart, you create oodles of work for yourself. Keep in mind what can be seen through the rims, so just spray the face.

 

[GN ERGY]

I sprayed mine with brake and parts cleaner and painted them with POR-15 and they look great!!!
Tarey D.

 

[Pronto]

I think Eastwood has a special paint for calipers but it's expensive.

 

[wagon]

If they are bad enough to need to be sanded, then I would just replace them with a rebuilt set. They are real cheap, and then they come all sandblasted. Then just clean them up with brake cleaner, let dry and give them a good paint job. I've used engine enamel, Hammerite paint, and POR-15(different cars). They look nice, and stay looking nice for a while. And if you are going to do this, check out the hoses. If they look old, replace them too.

Brian

 

[tom h]

after cleaning the gunk & brake dust off the calipers, the rust is only surface, not as bad as I thought ... no bead blasting required.

After soaking them in "carburetor cleaner" for a few days (rubber seals & piston removed), I think I'll paint over the calipers with POR15 grey & then try out their "cast metal" topcoat -- the "bare metal/ alloy" look on the calipers might look good.

 

[tom h]

Originally posted by tom h
... rust is only surface, not as bad as I thought ... no bead blasting required.
... paint over the calipers with POR15 grey & then try out their "cast metal" topcoat -- the "bare metal/ alloy" look on the calipers might look good.

Well, decided to sandblast the iron calipers Anyway, after carefully masking off the bore. Right after blasting, the iron had a beautiful (really!) silvery-grey color -- I've never seen cast iron like this!

Washed the calipers in hot soapy water, did final rinse in alcohol to dry off all the water -- amazingly the cast iron started turning the "usual" reddish-brown color in just a few minutes, but only AFTER the final alcohol rinse.

oh well, POR says their primers stick better on slightly rusty surfaces, will see.

 

[tom h]

At first I was planning to just buy some Wilwood aluminum OEM-style calipers, until I read this: http://www.boardreader.com/scripts/...uery=wilwood caliper buick&postid=3e984aa6110

POS71RS
Veteran Member posted October 03, 2002 11:46 AM

I dont have info on the SSBrakes calipers, but the wilwood caliper you have pictured is more or less a replacement caliper . It is still a single piston caliper , but way lighter. Although it has been revised, I remember when I used to work for wilwood , the calipers were sent back often for breaking in half. But this was on power brake setups where people were standing on them. Like I said, the new ones are stronger. Make sure that the ones you get are Gen3 or better. Gen1s were the most often broken.

Any caliper that would break in 1/2, makes me a bit "concerned". Even if the newer ones are 'stronger', it still worries me that they didn't anticipate the forces generated.

But this was on power brake setups where people were standing on them.
Well, yeah, that's the idea, isn't it?