Brake caliper guessing game

Thomas76

Thomas76

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Just received rebuild kits for front and rear calipers, seals look right but spring clips and slide pins are wrong on both front and rear. Rather than guessing on another order...
To gain a better understanding of what I have, What are the caliper differences out there? How to recognize what I have ect..

-I've got a 1970 that someone converted to rear disc.
-fronts are 4 piston
-rears are 2 piston
-rears have spacers between the two caliper half's
Any help would be appreciated
IMG_20200224_214653225.jpg
IMG_20200224_214653225.jpg
 
Spacers should mean that they are 3.0 CS/CSI/CSL calipers. As far as I know, only the e3 had solid rear disks, which would mean no spacer. The 2800 CS had drums.

Can you post a picture of the bolt that holds the halves together? Is it a hex head or a button head?
 
Markos said:
Spacers should mean that they are 3.0 CS/CSI/CSL calipers. As far as I know, only the e3 had solid rear disks, which would mean no spacer. The 2800 CS had drums.

Can you post a picture of the bolt that holds the halves together? Is it a hex head or a button head?
Click to expand...
Rears are metric SH hex bolts with nuts
Fronts are Button head torx with nuts
I can take additional pics tonight.
 
Thomas76 said:
Rears are metric SH hex bolts with nuts
Fronts are Button head torx with nuts
I can take additional pics tonight.
Click to expand...

Certainly sounds like 3.0 calipers. E12 calipers switched to traditional hex head screws. I’m tapping out, as my knowledge of the subject has plateaued. :D

Paging @sfdon...
 
Interesting... in the past it has been a no-no to split the caliper halves, I think because the proper Ribe bolts weren't available. why a socket head cap screw couldn't do the job, I dunno, but I hope someone will say.

Where did you source your kits?
 
Honolulu said:
Interesting... in the past it has been a no-no to split the caliper halves, I think because the proper Ribe bolts weren't available. why a socket head cap screw couldn't do the job, I dunno, but I hope someone will say.

Where did you source your kits?
Click to expand...
The rebuild kits came from Rock Auto.

Just noticed the bolts are in the pic above, laying in bottom of drip pan.
 
Honolulu said:
Interesting... in the past it has been a no-no to split the caliper halves, I think because the proper Ribe bolts weren't available. why a socket head cap screw couldn't do the job, I
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if the caliper bolts are stretch bolts, but like head bolts a lot of folks advise not to reuse. These bolts however are a strange M7 diameter, and also very long. Socket screws would work but they are hard to find in the proper diameter and length. There was a thread on it about 4 months ago (edit - see below). Perhaps someone will dig it up. Everyone that I have talked to splits the calipers and re-uses the bolts.

Rear caliper bolts

Caliper bolts Is there a source for the rear caliper bolts? the bolts that hold the 2 haves together, with vented disks (have the spacers) I ordered the front bolts from WN and at least at that time they didn't have the rears, even if they did now I would like to avoid the flat rate shipping...
e9coupe.com e9coupe.com
 
Rear bolts are in the neighborhood of 7mm which aligns with other thread. Definitely two lengths, the counterbore on caliper varies from inside to outside

IMG_20200225_203431059.jpg

Still hoping to figure out what pin/spring kit I need.
 
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