Consensus on rebuilt calipers?

lloyd

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Curious whether those who perform their own hydraulic repairs, e.g., caliper rebuilding, use brake assembly lube fluid or paste? I have often wondered what effect, if any, the paste might have when commingled with brake fluid, prompting some reassemblies using brake fluid alone (without any issues). Paste seems more suitable for pad backings than caliper cylinder walls. :(


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Detailed Description
Caliper Synthetic Grease; 12 Ounce; A specially developed synthetic grease with a high-tech formula for use in disc & drum brake systems. High temperature grease is plastic & rubber safe. Use on metal to metal contact points and sliding surfaces. Resists moisture and will not washout.

Applications: Backing plates, brake pad contact points, caliper o-rings, calipers, disc brake pad backing plates, drum brake systems, grommets, parking brake areas of lubrication, pivot points, self adjusters.

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bill

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I had my fronts and rears done by PMB this summer. They did a fabulous job. They will go the distance to insure the calipers are 'period correct," apparently the earlier calipers use different nuts and bolts than the 74s (there goes the 74 again, always has to be different than everything else.) In 1999 I replaced my calipers with "rebuilt" ones from a place called "the Best Source" in Long Island (they are OOB now.) Turns out the rebuilt ones they sent me were not correct and were poly- coated which PMB found out cannot be stripped and zinc coated. They are now paper-weights on Eric's desk.
 

Ajay

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Hi @Ajay
Nice rotors, may I ask where you purchased them?
Thanks Barry
Barry, I got the front rotors from Ireland. They have an option to cross drill & slot them. Was pretty reasonable also. The rears I can't remember where I got them, but they are the same set up--cross drilled, slotted and vented. I think the rears are the same as the early e24s 272x19, vented.
 

jefflit

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I've got a big box of parts (including calipers) that need gold zinc, plus a smaller box for clear (silver) zinc, and an even smaller one needing black oxide. I use Black Oxide Service in San Marcos for the latter but the calipers are important to get right and I was wondering if anyone has a lead on a good zinc plater in the Los Angeles (or SoCal in general) area who can handle the job properly.
 

Ajay

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I've got a big box of parts (including calipers) that need gold zinc, plus a smaller box for clear (silver) zinc, and an even smaller one needing black oxide. I use Black Oxide Service in San Marcos for the latter but the calipers are important to get right and I was wondering if anyone has a lead on a good zinc plater in the Los Angeles (or SoCal in general) area who can handle the job properly.

In SoCal, Linco in Anaheim is good and Active Plating in Santa Ana is good. Active Plating recommends sand20171027_132933.jpg blasting parts prior to zinc, which adds to the cost, but the parts come back looking like new. Both do gold zinc and blue zinc (silver).

Make sure your calipers are fully apart before sending them in.

These parts I sent in to Active Plating in Santa Ana.
 

Wladek

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From my experience best way for calipers renovation is:
1. sandblasting before disassembly (to remove rust, old paint, dirt etc.)
2. full disassembly
3. degreasing bath
4. beadblasting (glass beads)
5. zinc plating process
6 (optional) powder coating or painting with caliper paint
7. assembly with new pistons, rubbers, etc.

Cast iron like to breathe after sandblasting, that's why bead blasting is needed, it is sort of closing the pores.
Cast iron also have chemically sligthly different electroplating bath if compare to regular steel.
 

Carmine

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Hello to everyone. I assume, reading several post, that the bolts in origin have to be finished in black oxide coating? There are alternative black coating / finish better than the original?
Thanks
 

jefflit

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Some shops do black zinc. However, back to sfDon's original nightmare photo w/ short bolts.... Now I know why. I just had a bolt snap while tightening a rear caliper. Finding a replacement, in any finish, has proven impossible. I've tried BelMetric and McMasterCarr, etc. Does anyone know where I can purchase a M7x1.0x55mm socket cap bolt?
 

sfdon

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Jeff- I had lunch with Erik from PMB last week in Sandy Utah. I will reach out to him on Monday.
I would NEVER Re-zinc a caliper bolt.
They can become very brittle!
 

bluecoupe30!

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These discussions always circle back to the fact that you usually cannot get a better rebuild unless you do it all yourself. Usually we are taking so much apart and renovating absolutely everything, that you want to farm something out to just get done while you deal with something else, but inevitably, you wish you had just done that rebuild, too.
There are limits of course, but brake callipers, well, sometimes these rebuilders take a few shortcuts.
 

dang

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Some shops do black zinc. However, back to sfDon's original nightmare photo w/ short bolts.... Now I know why. I just had a bolt snap while tightening a rear caliper. Finding a replacement, in any finish, has proven impossible. I've tried BelMetric and McMasterCarr, etc. Does anyone know where I can purchase a M7x1.0x55mm socket cap bolt?
I just took off some bolts on rear calipers and I kept then just because. I suppose another used one would be better than not having one. Let me know...
 

Ohmess

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I just took off some bolts on rear calipers and I kept then just because. I suppose another used one would be better than not having one. Let me know...

I find myself doing a lot of this these days. Even if they are not as pretty, I know what I've got when I remove and store OEM BMW fasteners.
 
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