Rebuilding brake calipers
 

1980 911SC..

My 25 year old ride is showing it's age.. rear drivers side caliper is dragging... making lots of dust... not good..

I'm contemplating rebuilding the caliper vice buying a rebuilt [$100/Vertex] or new [$280/Pelican]... cost of a rebuild kit is about $20.

I don't track the car , don't do anyhting wild > so brakes get a decent life [in terms of Porsche brakes]..

Sure I'd like to get a set of big-reds.. but my kids would like to go to college too... [prioities all messed up I now]..

I've read/downloaded the Pelican article on rebuilding .. doesn't seem like rocket science....

Thoughts .. lessons learned... ?? personal experience?

thanks

It's pretty simple. The pistons can be tough to get out, unless you have a compressed air source. Be careful or they can launch into orbit, or your face. Make sure the pistons are clean and free of rust. Check the manual for proper orientation of the pistions. That's about it.

While we're talking about calipers....can you paint them? I know you can powdercoat, but doesn't that require taking the whole thing apart? Isn't there some bling bling paint you can put on there for looks?

Yes, I have been spending too much time in the Honda.

Kim, you'll need compressed air to pop out the pistons. Other than that it's a very easy job.

You'll need:
Air compressor
Eye protection
Brake Kleen
Scotch bright abrasive pads
Rebuild kits
Brake fluid
associated tools for R&R of calipers

Being that you've been dragging a piston, you may need to replace a rotor. Worst case the caliper isn't rebuildable. If the side of the pistons or inner caliper are pitted baddly they aren't rebuildable. I'm happy to help anytime.

Another source for compressed is a bicycle pump or one of those cheap 12v compressors. Use an old valve stem or cut one off a bicycle innertube and clamp it to a rubber hose. Clamp the other end of the hose the the hard brake line off the caliper. Pump away.

If you don't have compressed air, just bring the calipers over to my house once you have them off the car. I'm happy to extract the pistons for you as I have done for a couple of other Dorki's.

PM when you are ready.

If you are dragging a piston, it might be a good idea to pull the pads with the caliper still on the car and press the brake pedal a little and use the hydraulic force to break the piston loose. I've seen them so seized that 100psi of air wouldn't free them. I don't like using that much air pressure anyway, because when the piston decides to finally break loose, 100psi is going to send it flying.

They originally came anodized, just clean really well, use heat resistant paint. I did the SCs several years ago in cheeby orange and they still look pretty good. You can tell when you are really using your brakes when you “cook” the paint off during a track session :shock:

FWIW: I recently talked with someone who knows brakes, and according to him painting brake calipers acts as an insulation layer and actually hinders heat dissapation YMMV

How about the powder coating? The smaller stock brakes are plain silver, but the big reds are well, red. Would it only be OK to paint/powdercoat only if there was more surface area?