Rebuilding and painting my calipers

Post by **FireFox31** » 09 Sep 2021, 23:27

My rear calipers look terribly rusty but they operate almost perfectly. I would like to rebuild them to ensure functionality and repaint their exterior to prevent future rust.

Has anyone repainted their old rusty brake calipers and want to share some tips? I'm currently mining the web for info. I'll post whatever I find here if/when I make a plan.

I would love green calipers to match my green car! G2 epoxy paint comes in a nice dark green!

Post by **FireFox31** » 17 Sep 2021, 07:15

I removed the rounded off hard brake line fittings. However, new fittings won't thread into the caliper. When I tried forcing them, the fitting threads were worn down by the caliper. This matches the worn down threads on the old fitting (which threads into the caliper nicely).

I wonder if the caliper rust extended to the fitting threads, expanding them, pressing on the fitting. I may run a tap chaser into it to reestablish the M10 x 1 threads. Does this sound reasonable?

I'm stuck at the garage with no caliper until I figure this out. Maybe it's better to replace calipers than trying to rebuild them.

Post by **volvolugnut** » 17 Sep 2021, 17:32

Chasing the caliper threads is a good plan. If you can not locate the proper tap, use an old fitting and cutting a couple notches with a hacksaw the length of the thread. This will work OK to clean up dirty, rusty threads. Do not make the cut deeper than the thread depth as this will let the fitting deform.

volvolugnut

Post by **abscate** » 19 Sep 2021, 04:24

I’ve never thought to make my own chaser that way. Very clever. Dremel with a guide would work great too,

Post by **FireFox31** » 19 Sep 2021, 20:04

Since I was stuck at a Makerspace, a member kindly used a giant Bridgeport milling machine to rehabilitate my old fitting by shaving the ruined 11mm hex head down to 10mm. With its worn down threads, it easily threaded back into the rusty bolt hole and held the brake line.

I spoke to a company about powder coating my calipers for rust protection. They were wary to do it if there was "missing metal". I just rebuilt my right rear caliper and it's internally perfect, but the outside is gross with large sections flaking off. Is there a good way to remove these flakes to a stable core so it can be coated?

Post by **abscate** » 20 Sep 2021, 06:53

You bash them with a small ball peen hammer

Post by **Sveedy** » 20 Sep 2021, 08:21

^ Then throw them back in the lake where they apparently came from.
Seriously, I just can't believe the amount of rusted parts that I have seen posted here. I wish there was a way for a NE group buy of some sort to get replacement parts from this part of the country over to you guys in the rust zone. Not to make you cry, but for instance a clean brake caliper with no rust can be had for $18 + $2 core. Even with $15 in shipping I think it would be better than dealing with all of that crap, imho.

Post by **FireFox31** » 20 Sep 2021, 09:02

Sveedy wrote: ↑20 Sep 2021, 08:21 Not to make you cry, but for instance a clean brake caliper with no rust can be had for $18 + $2 core. Even with $15 in shipping I think it would be better than dealing with all of that crap, imho.

Where can I get a caliper for this price, and is it new or used?

FCP and Tasca sell Volvo remanufactured rear calipers for $150-$200 with $50-$100 core. After having five reman calipers fail, I trust any others I buy would also fail due to sloppy rebuilding, pitted pistons, etc. I'm planning to visit two junkyards today to see what calipers I can find. They list on car-part.com for $30-$55, and they could be rebuilt junk or internally failed and I wouldn't know.

I've been fighting with failing brakes for six years. I want to make them perfect and keep them that way.

Post by **Sveedy** » 20 Sep 2021, 09:50

Sorry I should have specified. That is a caliper from the local boneyard. My bad.
But probably was functioning when the car was taken to the yard.

If I wasn't so busy this week I'd go out there and take a look for you. Might be able to do it Friday or Saturday.
I could post a pic or just grab a pair for you if they are the right ones. No skin off my knuckles, I hope

Post by **FireFox31** » 20 Sep 2021, 11:40

Thanks, but I've realized that I should not waste any more time (especially someone else's) on these calipers. It's time to quit when the fitting bolt hole threads have contracted from rust, and the bleed screw has become frozen in place over the last nine months and snapped off. I blame the parking brakes for dragging, generating heat, promoting rust, so rebuilding those is where I'll put my efforts.

I just ordered rear left and right remanufactured calipers, new springs and pins, and the three rear brake hoses and clips. My safety is worth the $500.

For reference, do the inside of these rusty calipers look good? The piston had a few slight nicks and the photo seems to show pitting, but I didn't see it in person.

It's odd that the piston faces are flat and don't have the 40% cut out section like the new ones. Are these original calipers, or maybe cheap rebuilds?