Caliper Seal Rebuild Kits - NCRS Discussion Boards

Caliper Seal Rebuild Kits

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  • Bill B.
    Very Frequent User
    • June 30, 1999
    • 182

    Caliper Seal Rebuild Kits

    I need to rebuild my calipers on a 65 coupe as 2 of the calipers are leaking from the seal. I saw a ad in the Driveline from Precision Engineering. They sell a seal rebuild kit for a very resonable price. I am wondering if any members have dealt with this company and if their parts are good quality and what experiences members have had with them. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

    Bill Bonnichsen
  • Ed Weingartner

    #2
    Re: Caliper Seal Rebuild Kits

    My father recently purchased cailper seal kits from GM for his 71. We intially rebuilt the calipers with kits from a catalog company, but the seals blew out when we went to bleed the brakes (all four calipers). The GM kits are expensive when compared to the kits available through Catalog suppliers, but I would recommend kits by GM or Raybestos. These kits appeared to be of better quality and we have had no other problems. If you order through GM I believe that two kits are required per caliper.

    Comment

    • Joe L.
      Beyond Control Poster
      • February 1, 1988
      • 43203

      #3
      Re: Caliper Seal Rebuild Kits

      Bill-----

      I THINK that Precision Engineering is a company that manufactures and/or sells the retro-fit o-ring pistons and seals. If I'm correct, their pistons and seals need to be used as a unit. I've not used these pistons/seals myself, but I have sort of "followed them" since they were first introduced by a company called Zero Tolerance about 10 years ago. I was very skeptical of these things for a long while. However, everything that I've heard from a lot of folks that have used them is positive. I've never heard a single negative, at least so far. At this point, the design has survived the "test of time" as far as I'm concerned.

      However, you MAY have a problem using these. Here's why: if your calipers are original to your car, they will be the 1st design type calipers. These calipers use a special "guided" piston and there are guides cast into the rear of the caliper bores to work with the guided piston. When calipers are rebuilt and sleeved, most rebuilders will machine out the guides and convert the calipers to the 2nd design, which had no piston guides. So, if yours have been previously sleeved/rebuilt, they will likely already have been converted. In this case, the o-ring design pistons will be a direct retro-fit to your calipers with, likely, no further machiing required. However, if your calipers have not been converted, you will not be able to use the o-ring type pistons without first doing so.

      You can tell if they've been converted quite easily. Just look at the face of the existing pistons in the calipers (the part where the piston contacts the pad). 1st design caliper pistons will have a brown "cap" attached to the face of the piston. This cap is actually a Pyroceram insulator which was used on all 1st design pistons. If you just see an gold-anodized piston that extends all the way to the rear of the pad backing plate, then your calipers have been converted to 2nd design (or exchanged, at some point, for 2nd design calipers).

      First design pistons are available only from Vette Brakes of Florida, who, I understand, manufacture them. They are expensive at about $30/each (16 required per car). The Pyroceram insulators are NOT available and have to be transferred from the old pistons, assuming that the insualators are serviceable.
      In Appreciation of John Hinckley

      Comment

      • Joe L.
        Beyond Control Poster
        • February 1, 1988
        • 43203

        #4
        Re: Caliper Seal Rebuild Kits

        Ed-----

        The GM seal kits SERVICE 1 piston per kit. So, 4 are required per caliper and 16 are required per car. They are as follows:

        front-------GM #5467286----GM list= $13.30/kit

        rear--------GM #5467288----GM list= $18.95/each

        Pistons, which are almost always required when replacing seals, are also available from GM as follows:

        front-------GM #5471370-----GM list= $23.50/each

        rear--------GM #5471371-----GM list= $23.50/each

        At GM LIST prices, it would cost $634 to purchase the seal kits and pistons to rebuild all 4 calipers on the car.
        In Appreciation of John Hinckley

        Comment

        • Patrick H.
          Beyond Control Poster
          • December 1, 1989
          • 11637

          #5
          Re: Caliper Seal Rebuild Kits

          Joe,

          Based on some research that I did for our 66, I THINK that Vette Brakes' new pistions may come with insulators. At least, they showed me a bunch of new pistons with new-appearing insulators.

          Due to cost factors, we now have second design O-ring pistons in first design calipers. A great compromise, if you ask me.

          On Corvette Forum, I believe that several people have had problems with Precision Engineering, but I would refer you to the archives there for further info. Personally, I'd send them to Vette Brakes and get my originals returned in black. In fact, I have.

          Patrick
          Vice-Chairman (West), Michigan Chapter NCRS
          71 "deer modified" coupe
          72 5-Star Bowtie / Duntov coupe. https://www.flickr.com/photos/124695...57649252735124
          2008 coupe
          Available stickers: Engine suffix code, exhaust tips & mufflers, shocks, AIR diverter valve broadcast code.

          Comment

          • Joe L.
            Beyond Control Poster
            • February 1, 1988
            • 43203

            #6
            Re: Caliper Seal Rebuild Kits

            Patrick-----

            That's interesting. Once-upon-a-time I thought that the Vette Brakes 1st design pistons were, indeed, supplied with the insulators. Then, someone tried to purchase some and told me that they didn't come with the insulators. I suppose the best thing for me to do is to call them or e-mail them and ask. Settle it once and for all.
            In Appreciation of John Hinckley

            Comment

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