25 replies to this topic

[PACINO]

[quote namdee="NLinPEN" post="3786225" timestamp="1746669670"]
It may be necessary to have it realigned.
[/quote]

This means that one caliper works and the other doesn't. Say for example that the steering wheel pulled to the right, this means that the right caliper works and the left doesn't. If this happens over a long time you can also see it on the rotors: the caliper that works keeps the rotor shiny and clean, the caliper that doesn't work doesn't "clean" the rotor and it becomes rusty/corroded.
If your calipers are aftermarket ones then most likely it is best to replace them. If your calipers are the original ones, then it might be better to use new pistons and seals ...[/quote]

Thank you so much for your fantastic response. When braking, the steering wheel now turns to the left with the new discs and pads.
The calipers are 15 years old and are the original from AP.

[coopertaz]

Clear question. Should I restore my original AP calipers (which I'd have to leave to a specialist) or buy MiniSpares' own-production calipers (which I've heard work very well).

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Regards
Luis

you can easily overhaul the calipers if they are not corroded internally but also buy bolt kit from minispares so you can split the caliper into 2 halves. just be careful not to nip the fluid seal when re assembling. would also fit stainless steel pistons

[PACINO]

Clear question. Should I restore my original AP calipers (which I'd have to leave to a specialist) or buy MiniSpares' own-production calipers (which I've heard work very well).

programa montar fotos

[/url]
programa montar fotos

Regards
Luis

you can easily overhaul the calipers if they are not corroded internally but also buy bolt kit from minispares so you can split the caliper into 2 halves. just be careful not to nip the fluid seal when re assembling. would also fit stainless steel pistons

[url=https://ibb.co/ycC6TQNf]
Cheers man!

Edited by PACINO, 08 May 2025 - 06:49 PM.

[NLinPEN]

Thank you so much for your fantastic response. When braking, the steering wheel now turns to the left with the new discs and pads.
The calipers are 15 years old and are the original from AP.

This means that the left hand caliper works but the right hand caliper does not (or only very little).

Two months ago I repaired my calipers as one wasn't working. However, instead of repairing only one I did both. I was thinking that if one is bad, the other one is probably not far behind. There are many videos on YouTube that show what needs to be done. You may want to look at a couple to see if you think you can do that yourself. Or, if you are a member of a local car club, other club members might be willing to help you with that.

[stuart bowes]

the trickiest bit about the refurb job is getting the final outer metal ring on over the dust seal, it's very thin bendy metal and it needs to be really carefully aligned and pressed in, it's real easy to kink it

 

the other bits are very easy and more or less impossible to put back wrong to be honest, you'll spend most of the time just cleaning them

 

give them a nice paint job at the same time, two birds one stone

Edited by stuart bowes, 09 May 2025 - 02:57 PM.

[NLinPEN]

the trickiest bit about the refurb job is getting the final outer metal ring on over the dust seal, it's very thin bendy metal and it needs to be really carefully aligned and pressed in, it's real easy to kink it

 

the other bits are very easy and more or less impossible to put back wrong to be honest, you'll spend most of the time just cleaning them

 

give them a nice paint job at the same time, two birds one stone

I fully agree with the comment about the "bendy metal". I messed up the first one and had to buy extra before I got it right.

[PACINO]

Thanks to both of you for your comments. Yes, I've been watching this video, and it's so well explained that the only real difficulty I see is fitting the "metal ring" into its housing using a specific tool or socket wrench. As you say, the ring is very fragile and bends easily.

https://youtu.be/0jr...NTpoEJytH9sQtMb

I see that the pistons are lubricated before inserting them. Is that grease, oil, Vaseline, or something?

Cheers
Luis

[Lplus]

Thanks to both of you for your comments. Yes, I've been watching this video, and it's so well explained that the only real difficulty I see is fitting the "metal ring" into its housing using a specific tool or socket wrench. As you say, the ring is very fragile and bends easily.

https://youtu.be/0jr...NTpoEJytH9sQtMb

I see that the pistons are lubricated before inserting them. Is that grease, oil, Vaseline, or something?

Cheers
Luis

The lubrication is either brake fluid or special rubber grease designed for braking systems.

 

The dust seal retiners seem to be stamped out leaving a very sharp edge which jams when installing the retainer.  Filng this down slightly does help but it's possible this edge does help hold the ring in the caliper.

[NLinPEN]

Thanks to both of you for your comments. Yes, I've been watching this video, and it's so well explained that the only real difficulty I see is fitting the "metal ring" into its housing using a specific tool or socket wrench. As you say, the ring is very fragile and bends easily.

https://youtu.be/0jr...NTpoEJytH9sQtMb

I see that the pistons are lubricated before inserting them. Is that grease, oil, Vaseline, or something?

Cheers
Luis

I watched some portions of that specific video. You can lubricate the piston (and the rubber seal) with a little bit of brake fluid. The video does not really show how the bore was cleaned before the dust covers were fitted. The way of fitting (a large whack with a hammer) is, in my view, the easiest way to demolish those dust covers.

For me the trick to install those easy-to-damage metal dust covers was to slightly sand the edge of the bore where they are supposed to fit in. Due to age has the bore corroded and therefor a tiny bit expanded. Due to this expansion has the diameter of the bore become slightly smaller, making these covers to not fit. Sanding the corrosion away from the bore makes the dust covers fit. Of course do you not want to sand away too much material as you want to have that dust cover fit snugly. So it is an iterative process of sanding a bit and test fitting.

Edited by NLinPEN, Yesterday, 01:36 PM.

[PACINO]

Thank you so much for your interest in this post, and also to Lplus, who commented earlier.
Watching the video, I'm struck by how the guy does such a fantastic job. He even polishes, cleans, and paints the calipers, but doesn't renew the pistons, which already show a little rust.

The day I restore my calipers, I'll take pictures to post here.

[NLinPEN]

Watching the video, I'm struck by how the guy does such a fantastic job. He even polishes, cleans, and paints the calipers, but doesn't renew the pistons, which already show a little rust.

I noticed the same thing about those "rusty pistons". To be fair, in theory only the portion of the piston that sits inside the bore needs to be smooth and clean. The portion of the piston that sticks out does not necessarily have to be so clean. But if you refurbish the entire caliper then it makes sense, in my opinion, to also use a new piston.