68 Brake Calipers - Decoding

[Jeffrey A.]

Attached is a picture of my brake caliper from my 68 427/390 Coupe. I have glass beading them and I will be having them re-built. My questions is all four are date coded and the code on the Caliper reads DE8. Can someone tell me if this means the following.
D = April
E= ? Shift
8 = 1968

Any help is appreciated
Jeff

[Joe L.]

Re: 68 Brake Calipers - Decoding

Attached is a picture of my brake caliper from my 68 427/390 Coupe. I have glass beading them and I will be having them re-built. My questions is all four are date coded and the code on the Caliper reads DE8. Can someone tell me if this means the following.
D = April
E= ? Shift
8 = 1968

Any help is appreciated
Jeff

Jeff-----


The "DE8" you find stamped on the top surface of the caliper half is NOT a factory-original stamping. This was applied to the caliper by some subsequent rebuilder. Almost certainly, you will find that these calipers have been previously sleeved. The silver paint is another "giveaway" of this.

The caliper half for which you have pictured the casting number is a correct casting half for a 1968. Whether all the other caliper halves are correct, I don't know. If they all have casting number prefix of "545", then they are all correct. If they have any other prefixes, then they're not correct.

If you find that all of the caliper halves have the "545" prefix, it may be an indication that some previous owner had the original calipers re-sleeved rather than exchanging them.

[Kenneth B.]

Re: 68 Brake Calipers - Decoding

Attached is a picture of my brake caliper from my 68 427/390 Coupe. I have glass beading them and I will be having them re-built. My questions is all four are date coded and the code on the Caliper reads DE8. Can someone tell me if this means the following.
D = April
E= ? Shift
8 = 1968

Any help is appreciated
Jeff

JEFF
I think I see 2-6-8 which would be the cast date & impression # 7 on the other side. Cast date would be FEB. 6 1968. The stamp DE8 was added some time after it was machined.
KEN
KEN

[Jeffrey A.]

Re: 68 Brake Calipers - Decoding

Joe and Ken Thanks for the input.

Joe the prefix of the casting on all four is #545. As far as the color goes the caliber I bead blasting, the picture may look like silver paint, but it is not. Thank you the info of the DE8. Jeff

[Joe L.]

Re: 68 Brake Calipers - Decoding

Joe and Ken Thanks for the input.

Joe the prefix of the casting on all four is #545. As far as the color goes the caliber I bead blasting, the picture may look like silver paint, but it is not. Thank you the info of the DE8. Jeff

Jeff-----

What color was the paint on them prior to the bead blasting? Also, have they been previously sleeved?

[Jeffrey A.]

Re: 68 Brake Calipers - Decoding

Joe

To me they did not look they were every sleeved. The car has been sitting since 1974 the and they were on the car. When I took them off the car this past week there was a 1 of grime on them. To me they a a natural cast color to them. I sent them off yesterday to Florida to have them rebuilt. After I bead blasted them they look shine in the picture for some reason but in person they were not. Jeff

[Joe L.]

Re: 68 Brake Calipers - Decoding

Joe

To me they did not look they were every sleeved. The car has been sitting since 1974 the and they were on the car. When I took them off the car this past week there was a 1 of grime on them. To me they a a natural cast color to them. I sent them off yesterday to Florida to have them rebuilt. After I bead blasted them they look shine in the picture for some reason but in person they were not. Jeff

Jeff-----


If they've not been previously sleeved then I don't understand the reason for the stampings. I've NEVER seen an original caliper with these stampings, these stampings don't even appear "GM-ish" in configuration, and the stampings appear in exactly the area that most caliper rebuilders "brand" their work.

However, if the car has actually been sitting since 1974, then the calipers almost certainly have not been sleeved----I don't think the caliper sleeving industry started until about 1975.

Perhaps the calipers were stamped by someone that simply rebuilt them with new seals and pistons.

[Jeffrey A.]

Re: 68 Brake Calipers - Decoding

Joe, you could be right. The prefix on the caliper seem correct through, I still think it make sense to have these rebuilt then getting repops, I sent then to florida to get rebuilt. Thanks for info. Jeff