Rebuilt Calipers

[Mike R.]

I have a 1982 and the calipers need rebuilding. I need the name of reliable place to get it done.

Thanks

[Joe L.]

Re: Rebuilt Calipers

I have a 1982 and the calipers need rebuilding. I need the name of reliable place to get it done.

Thanks

Mike------

Lots of them. The ones often mentioned and recommended are Lonestar Caliper in Texas and Corvette Stainless Steel Brakes in Florida. Either will rebuild your calipers or sell you rebuilt calipers on an exchange or outright basis. If yours have been previously sleeved you could just buy kits and rebuild them yourself. Given that your calipers would be 40 years old, it's hard to believe that they could still be absolutely un-sleeved originals.

[Joe R.]

Re: Rebuilt Calipers

Joe,

Looking carefully will reveal that Lone Star Caliper rebuilds for themselves and SSB in Florida.

JR

[Owen L.]

IMG_0279.jpglink to another forum where I laid this out.

2022_06_05_17_10_03_12_fe9f24e8d5c06698d6b46760e3d74d554fc55f50.jpg2022_06_05_17_09_482_b11b3f86993434719ee11d4aa54abb0df603989d.jpg2022_06_05_17_10_39_12_cfc318***684aef0778c41e8a76c2f120cfa1513.jpg

My point in replying with this experience is that if I were to get rebuilt calipers again I would absolutely stipulate newly sleeved bores in all. It is my conjecture that commercial rebuilds on previously sleeved calipers are not done to the same finish standard as new sleeves and that may be an issue with longevity. My '67 has had one set of sleeved calipers since the mid-'80s with zero issues and no rebuilds; I would lay money down that those sleeves were newly installed and the attention to quality was higher then.

[Mike R.]

Re: Rebuilt Calipers

Owen

Thanks. Very interesting. At this point, if it wasn't a National Top Flight car, I'd put Willwoods on it and be done with it. The technology has advance in the intervening 40 years but "correctness" can be a pain at times.

[Joe L.]

Re: Rebuilt Calipers

[ATTACH=CONFIG]112141[/ATTACH]link to another forum where I laid this out.

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My point in replying with this experience is that if I were to get rebuilt calipers again I would absolutely stipulate newly sleeved bores in all. It is my conjecture that commercial rebuilds on previously sleeved calipers are not done to the same finish standard as new sleeves and that may be an issue with longevity. My '67 has had one set of sleeved calipers since the mid-'80s with zero issues and no rebuilds; I would lay money down that those sleeves were newly installed and the attention to quality was higher then.

Owen------


I don't think that calipers that have been once-sleeved can be re-sleeved. I think that if a caliper needs to be re-sleeved, then it's basically a throw away. A very good friend of mine was one of the pioneers of the stainless steel sleeved caliper rebuilding here on the west coast and was once a supplier to many of the Corvette shops out here. He told me that his product liability insurance would not allow him to re-sleeve previously sleeved calipers. Beyond that, I don't know how stainless steel sleeves could be removed once installed, at least not without damaging the caliper bore beyond use.

[Owen L.]

Re: Rebuilt Calipers

As an armchair machinist trained at the YouTube School , I'd think a caliper bore could be centered on a milling machine so the old sleeve's wall thickness was cut down to a thinness that would allow it to be easily removed by just deforming it. I've seen it done for combustion cylinder sleeves... I think.

[Joe L.]

Re: Rebuilt Calipers

As an armchair machinist trained at the YouTube School , I'd think a caliper bore could be centered on a milling machine so the old sleeve's wall thickness was cut down to a thinness that would allow it to be easily removed by just deforming it. I've seen it done for combustion cylinder sleeves... I think.

Owen------


Well, maybe it's possible but I do not think that any rebuilder does this for the reason I mentioned above or other reasons. As a matter of fact, as far as I know rebuilders will not even accept previously sleeved calipers for core deposit credit.

There are low quality rebuilders of these calipers out there. These can be found at auto parts stores at prices usually below that customarily charged for quality rebuilds in the Corvette marketplace. My friend that was once in the rebuilding business told me that some of these use DECORATIVE stainless sleeve material and not 304 or 316 stainless used by quality rebuilders.

[Owen L.]

Re: Rebuilt Calipers

Well, maybe it's possible but I do not think that any rebuilder does this for the reason I mentioned above or other reasons. As a matter of fact, as far as I know rebuilders will not even accept previously sleeved calipers for core deposit credit.

Hi Joe,
I would argue that it appears Lone Star is rebuilding priorly sleeved calipers from what I received. As well, I sent in 2 sleeved calipers along with 2 non-sleeved as cores and received full credit. (I elected to do that since the sleeved needed pistons, springs, and seals; it was less expensive to get a 4-caliper package.) In hindsight I wish I had kept those 2 because the sleeves looked great in comparison.

This is all just based on my own experiences 2 years ago, so maybe it doesn't reflect typical situations.

[Joe L.]

Re: Rebuilt Calipers

Hi Joe,
I would argue that it appears Lone Star is rebuilding priorly sleeved calipers from what I received. As well, I sent in 2 sleeved calipers along with 2 non-sleeved as cores and received full credit. (I elected to do that since the sleeved needed pistons, springs, and seals; it was less expensive to get a 4-caliper package.) In hindsight I wish I had kept those 2 because the sleeves looked great in comparison.

This is all just based on my own experiences 2 years ago, so maybe it doesn't reflect typical situations.

Owen-------


I have no doubt that rebuilders will rebuild previously sleeved calipers; I just don't think that they will re-sleeve a previously sleeved caliper.

However, I am surprised that Lonestar would rebuild a previously sleeved caliper that had damaged or inferior sleeves.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Rebuilt Calipers

link to another forum where I laid this out.



My point in replying with this experience is that if I were to get rebuilt calipers again I would absolutely stipulate newly sleeved bores in all. It is my conjecture that commercial rebuilds on previously sleeved calipers are not done to the same finish standard as new sleeves and that may be an issue with longevity. My '67 has had one set of sleeved calipers since the mid-'80s with zero issues and no rebuilds; I would lay money down that those sleeves were newly installed and the attention to quality was higher then.

I tried a similar DOT5 experiment and also found zero change in the seals after a long period of time.
In the end, the caliper leaked because of another reason - crossover tube was dented and leaked.

[Owen L.]

Re: Rebuilt Calipers

Owen-------


I have no doubt that rebuilders will rebuild previously sleeved calipers; I just don't think that they will re-sleeve a previously sleeved caliper.

Got'cha. I misread your comment and applied it to rebuilding not resleeving.

I am considering sending a message to LS about resleeving and the ability to request newly sleeved calipers but don't know that I have the focus at the moment to take this further. If anyone else is curious and wants to take the baton...

I tried a similar DOT5 experiment and also found zero change in the seals after a long period of time.
In the end, the caliper leaked because of another reason - crossover tube was dented and leaked.

Patrick,
I think there are a number of us out here using DOT 5 that have seen no ill effects. Don't know what it means in the big picture and where the "scare" came from. CSSB still has a web page touting silicone fluid but that's for yet another thread.