Rebuilding stock front calipers

Simplest thing is to find a rebuilder locally that will rebuild your cores.

Since the pistons don't really ride on the caliper bores themselves, it is safe to assume that the moisture in the system has eaten through the chrome plating and spiked them in place.

I'm pretty sure that Wilkinson and Hall can both rebuild what you have but you might want to get in touch with Stainless Steel brakes in NY.

Paul Fix is the owner, or was, and his wife, Lauren, had a GT5.

If you are going to keep the originals then you definitely want to consider stainless pistons. This is something that they do exclusively and no one else. He also sleeves the bores with stainless.

Google them. They are on the web.

You can't buy the pistons from him seperately.

quote:

Stainless Steel brakes in NY

Doug, thanks for the referral to SS Brakes. But they said NO so fast it gave me whiplash !!!!! At this point I am collecting prices from various vendors for rebuilt units.

In the meanwhile, some things are actually starting to progress. Headlight system now working 100%, all the lighting already functioned, new fans and motors installed in bead blasted and repainted brackets, carb rebuilt, fluids changed, and more to come. Oh, how I hope that the gas tank will be okay !!!

The two screwdriver method usually works as a Plan B.

Here's an eBay listing for a front caliper seal and ss piston kit:

http://tinyurl.com/Pantera-Caliper-Kit

John

quote:

Originally posted by PanteraDoug:

... This is something that they do exclusively and no one else. He also sleeves the bores with stainless.

My buddy Doug had his calipers sleeved with stainless & equipped with stainless pistons by a business out here on the west coast.

Well things change constantly. Who might this be

I think the kit on ebay is a great deal.

The issue is going to be that the caliphers probably will need sleeving too

It actually at this point would be less expensive to just go to Wilwood 4 piston calipers.

quote:

Originally posted by jb1490:
The two screwdriver method usually works as a Plan B.

John

I tried Plan B, and the caliper laughed at me !!!!!!!!!

OK how about instaling the caliper back on the brake hose and using the brake pedal's pressure to push the piston, idealy caliper assembled and progressive thinner piece of wood in rotor position. that would ne more than the 150psi air,

If you can't break the pistons free on the car then you won't blow them apart with air at 150 psi.

Any master cylinder is going to make at least 600psi.

I used to buy Liquid Wrench in gallons for stuff like this. The most you can do is vat soak them for a week or so, then try to move the pistons again.

I'll predict that they are so corroded that they will crack through the flats rather then break free an move.

If you can find a machine shop with a real hot tank, bring them there. That stuff takes the rust right off of the iron blocks and head but it is caustic as hell and you want the shop to get the pistons out.

Now if the car had Dot 5 silicone fluid in it, this would likely not have happened at all.

I bought stainless caliper pistons from here.
http://www.etypeparts.com/pages/about-us
They also sell the seal kits. They also plated the calipers and supplied the brake lines and fittings.
Try talking to John he was very helpful to me.
He might have a magic way of removing the stuck pistons.
If the pistons are not fully pushed into the calipers you might be able to push one in at a time with plenty of PB Blaster or you favorite penetrating oil. Use compressed air to push it back out again and gradually see if comes loose.

I just went through this with a car that I am restoring. Pistons were stuck and would not budge. I used penetrating oil and a air hammer tool from my compressor to get them to move. Once they broke free I was able to pry them out with a couple of screw drivers as pictured above. The pistons were distroyed in the process but I was installing new ones.

Not to sound snooty, but I am going to take the easy way out!! Wilkinson has a set of ALL FOUR calipers rebuilt with OEM parts for ~$500 with the old ones as core exchanges. Given the cost of the parts, the math is in favor of "the easy way" !!!! The owner simply wants his car to work when he wants to drive it, and OEM worked fine for from 1972 to 1990. Frankly, in another eighteen years, the point may be moot, if you get my drift.

Sounds good. Problem solved.

I can only hope that there is a simple solution for the gas tank. DOUBLE

What is the problem with the tank?

It's a 20 gallon tank that had EIGHT gallons of gas in it. Hopefully sacrificing a few filters BEFORE the fuel pump will take care of rust that may be on the sides of the tank and any sediment in the bottom. Otherwise, it will need to come out.

Damn, pulling the tank is a job you don't want to have to do.
It means pulling out the engine.

regards,
Tony.

I know. While on the phone discussing the calipers, I brought up the tank.
Steve: "It's not bad. Only takes a couple hours."
Me: "Oh really ?!?!"
Steve: "Sure."
Me: "Had did that 'couple hours' work out the FIRST time?"
Steve: "Well, yeah, good point."
We both had a yuck over THAT one.

The engine needs to come out to slosh the tank.
It takes a couple of hours to do the tank, yes, after the engine is out of the way!

Why presume the worst on the tank here? The tanks themselves are not that fragile.

What happens is that the fuel pickup on the early tanks with the steel welded in line rusts through around the level the gas was left at.

The way to deal with that is to install a new fuel pick up/sender assembly that has the pickup on the sender assembly.

BEFORE you go trying to open the drain plug in the bottom, pump everything out and examine the interior of the tank with a colon scope.

You can access a lot of the tank that would be gummed up with old fuel from the top access holes.

The only reason really to pull out the tank would be to solder up a hole and then to slosh the tank.

Sloshing it puts a very fine teflon coating on the inside.

If you have the early tank design, like I do, you are better off now getting the new version of the pickup.

The original fuel tube in the tank is about a 3/16" id and is restrictive. The fabric filter on the end usually wear through and is not servicable.

The new fuel line in the pickup is larger.

The reason I say, leave the drain alone is that it is sealed in place very tightly. The amount of torque you need to put on it to loosen it can tear the bung out of the tank.

GP, this should be a new thread?

quote:

Originally posted by PanteraDoug:

GP, this should be a new thread?

The author of a thread (i.e. the original poster) cannot hi-jack their own thread.
The thread can go where ever they want to take it.
Party on dudes.

Just to update an old thread...since I am in the midst of the very same thing....

I hosed the pistons down (at the parting line...between bore and piston) with some LPS lube and then using a 4" or so C-clamp, managed to push the pistons in to the point where they moved smoothly...YMMV!!! Then I was able to get air to move them out..pushed them back in, along with more lube....back and forth until finally the last 1/4" or so I had to use the two screwdriver trick....easy does it!

You may need to put a clamp on the one you have loose....or clean it off and put it back in the bore...then hold it with another clamp...then work on the second piston.

I did it with the two halves still together...... but once I got around to cleaning them up, I had to bust the halves apart to be able to get at the bores more easily.....other wise would have never gotten them cleaned up!

So, last item.....who carries the two little seals that go between the two caliper halves???? They do NOT seem to come with any kits that I have seen offered......

Ciao!
Steve

And the reason most of us try to avoid separating the two halves when rebuilding a stock caliper is precisely because the kits do not have that o-ring.

Welcome to Pantera land, Steve.

I'm sure somebody has solved this but I don't have the answer in my notes.

Larry

Larry,

In a perfect world...where everyone actually pops the pistons out of the calipers each time when replacing the pads.....this normally wouldn't be much of an issue.....but when you are dealing with 45 years of crud and neglect..... it's either sacrifice all the skin on my knuckles trying to clean the varnish and rust off of the initial bore area (outside the seal), or print some more Benjamins up....! Someone cut down my money tree...bugs or some such nonsense.....!

With as many calipers that Girling produced that split in half, they are out there....

I've seen mention of dealers having them...but no one has them in their online wares.....

Later today, will let fingers do the walking while they still can!

I never thought I'd say this......but the Goose was a lot easier to work on....at least in this area! But I have only begun....!

Gotta stop before I can go!
Steve

I have forced them out with a 'Porta-Power' hydraulic hand pump. You'll need a few pipe fittings to adapt a proper connection.

This guy still lists SS kits on Ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DeToma...1exxlAAmEsRQ&vxp=mtr

Just did them. They are here:

https://www.pegasusautoracing....tails.asp?RecID=1144

LarryW: Thanks! That link is to a guy that helped me a lot when I was looking for Girling stuff for my Goose!!! Good guy to work with........ He was on my list to call this morning!

RRS1: Super BUENO!!!!! Exactly what the Dr ordered!!!! Tacos for you!!!

Onwards!!!!
Steve

If anyone is interested, I have a set of JFZ calipers, these are the first custom calipers as Girling broke up.

quote:

Originally posted by pantera chris:
If anyone is interested, I have a set of JFZ calipers, these are the first custom calipers as Girling broke up.

Got pics? How much?

Question for users of PORTERFIELD AP63 RS4 compound pads....front calipers...

My new pads seem to be missing a guide hole for the caliper pin.

Do I remove the pins, or drill a hole?

Seems that without the pin, the pads would be allowed to move up and down about 1/4" or so, putting the pads off center of the pistons...something which I believe to be not so good....

Any feedback appreciated? I've also pinged Porterfield.....

(One of the new pad backing plates appears to have a punch prick right where the new hole would go.....odd.... or planned?)

Thanks in advance!
STeve

Does anyone know what cars these front calipers were also used on???
They seem to be loners...

Steve

quote:

seem to be loners

I heard a rumour that the front calipers came off a Volvo 840... But I have not heard a lot of substantial evidence to confirm that.

Rocky

I couldn't find a Volvo 840 anywhere....and the site I looked on, predominantly they list their parts as "Piston"....and don't offer much after that...ugh!

So, I still would like one clean stock small piston. There must be one out in the world somewhere, sitting all alone on a shelf...!

Cheers!
Steve

Hey Doug, these 4 piston calipers worked as good as my current Wilwoods

another, these were the predecessors to Wilwood, sierra, etc.

Those look like nice calipers, although getting to the line fittings might be a bit cramped?

If those are 4-50mm pistons, they'd offer some good performance!

Steve

The only fitting is the hole in the first set of pictures (in the middle), the bleeders are easy to get at on either side like the Wilwoods

All four seem to be the same piston size? If I am understanding this correctly? There are four? Front and back?

What is the approximate piston sizes? 48mm? 50mm?

These bolt into the Pantera with no adapters?

Do you know what the part number is for the brake pads they take? I don't recognize them right off the bat? The "Big" Ford's don't have that retaining pin right in the middle but they might take the Girling "Cobra/GT40" pads? Those use the quick change pins like that I think?

They have no provision for using a dust shield on the pistons? Probably should be high temp powder coated to reduce the pitting in the aluminum castings?


Do you know what each weigh?

Stainless Steel Brakes sleeves these things with stainless sleeves and puts stainless pistons in them. Have they been done?

Not cheap at all to do. Probably $600 right there. Lots of work to do to them. These were on many '70s race cars. I used to see them all over on the race cars. They all seemed to have disappeared.

I would PRESUME that they are vintage racing legal now but I'm not positive about that. You have to check your rules handbook.

one by one 1.)yes all are 4-piston 2.)can measure. 3.)yes but you need to shim to center. 4.)Sierra makes the replacement pads, es a large cotter pin.5.)no, no need.6.)guess 4 7.)don't know 8.)& 9.) they worked fantastic when I took them off. $500.00 obo + shipping

Thanks for the pics Chris. I´m wondering if I have some version of those JFZs..? No name to be found, could have been ground off.

by your picture I would say maybe the bolt for the brake pads are a cotter key on mine. Hall offered a number of brake up-grades in the 70's, I see you have aluminum hats, how do the brakes work?