rebuilding bodging turbo calipers

[peanut]

After exhastive searching on here and the Net I cannot find a single tutorial on rebuilding 4x pot calipers (to correct plate lift.)

I cannot remove the 4x allen head screws securing the stainless plates in place so I am going to need to split the caliper .

Am I right in thinking that there is no internal fluid links between the two halves of the caliper ? I can't see how there could be but I thought I ought to check before making the job even more time consuming than it already is. The only link is the external brake pipe link right !?

 

[944Scott]

I welded bolts onto the originals to allow for removal.

 

[Monkeythree]

Correct, external fluid transfer only. Split away.

If you have a MIG welder then try welding a blob onto the head of the Allen screws. The heat should break the corrosion between the bolt and the calliper and then you can get mole grips onto the hot blob and wind the bolt out.

 

[Eldavo]

The only thing I can recall about the calipers is that it's not wise to split them unless absolutely necessary.

 

[peanut]

thanks both of you thats just what I was looking for.

I will try welding something onto one of the bolts to see if I can loosen it but its such a tight space to work in for 4x welds.

I'm expecting to split them which will make the job much easier and also cleaning them too.

Thanks for the quick replies much appreciated

 

[924Srr27l]

thanks both of you thats just what I was looking for.

I will try welding something onto one of the bolts to see if I can loosen it but its such a tight space to work in for 4x welds.

I'm expecting to split them which will make the job much easier and also cleaning them too.

Thanks for the quick replies much appreciated

Check the cost and availability of the link pipes, they should be in stock but maybe pricey.

These aluminium calipers can be a right pain to sort, hence why thee are now a few companies offering rebuild services

which are not cheap, but you'll see see why once you start having a go yourself.

Big Red is one company I think £250 ish? a caliper inc painting / seals etc

R

 

[chrisg]

IMHO you shouldn't split the calipers, yes extracting the 8 x allen key head screws is a pain, BUT they can readily be done by applying suitable heat.

On a number of occasions I've paid an capable man to remove them, either by super heating with a fine nozzle oxyacetylene torch, welding said bolt on or as I've seen before super heating then tapping out with a very fine sharp chisel.

It can be done without splitting them !

Chris

 

[Eldavo]

This guy (Chris?) did mine: http://custom-brake-calipers.co.uk

£375 for all four calipers, stripped the old black paint off that the PO had put on with a potato. Refurbished in red with white script, new seals and plates and delivered back with a 1 week turnaround.

I couldnt have done it myself for less!

 

[924Srr27l]

This guy (Chris?) did mine: http://custom-brake-calipers.co.uk

£375 for all four calipers, stripped the old black paint off that the PO had put on with a potato. Refurbished in red with white script, new seals and plates and delivered back with a 1 week turnaround.

I couldnt have done it myself for less!

That is very good value and well worth considering, as you say you couldn't of done that for less and I doubt

there's much profit in it either, as I once (5 years ago) considered offering such a service but decided against it as the amount of time work and faff was extensive and I believe some companies charge £200+ per caliper for the full works

(Strip, repaint new seals / pistons and cross pipes / decals etc..) and I can understand why!

I tried it on a set of Big Red's for my 968

Split, and then stripped them in acid

Powdercoated in Ducati Red, then flatted and more Red Paint (High Temp) added

Then Clear Gloss 2K Lacquered and a bake at 80 degs

These were done on the car, with wet high temp paint and lacquered over New Vinyl Decals

They are a pain and I'll never do them again, but send them to these companies that do them all the time

especially at £375 for all four !

R

 

[vitesse]

Easiest way to get the Allen Screws out ,I found was to counterbore some M10 nuts on 1 side then plug weld them onto the Allen Screws-short socket ,flexible drive plus the effect of the welding heat & they're out-need a MIG welder however!

 

[peanut]

Conclusion ......The final bodge

thanks for all your suggestions chaps .

In the end I found it impossible to shift any of the allen head bolts holding the 2x halves together and faced with heating up the caliper/ bolts etc and then faffing around with trying to get 4x seized allen head screws out with a Mig welder etc I thought .........naaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh .................

So I cleaned up the caliper and dressed the edges of the brake pads that sit on the stainless plates instead .............Job done.

Now the pads move easily in and out without binding and I applied some hi temp grease to various strategic points and bunged it all back together. Bled the caliper and tested it all working A ok .

I took the opportunity to use a rotary wire brush on the brake shoes and disk rim to improve the handbrake efficiency whilst I was at it.

The only problem that I had was having to replace and remove the caliper 3x times !

The first time I put the blinkin disk on and installed the caliper etc before realising that I had got the disk in the wrong orientation for the 2x countersunk locating screws ....grrrrr

Then the next time I found that the brake disk was not correctly centred and binding on the caliper uhhhhh?

Yep I'd put the spacing washers on under the bolts instead of under the caliper fixing wings so the caliper offset was out .

Off they come again.....

Somewhere in the back of the garage I have a big box of Porsche parts purchased nearly 10 years ago . Brake disks, calipers, pads, shoes, hoses, pipes etc . Come the Spring I'll dig it out and replace the entire braking system but until then this bodge will get me an MOT and get me mobile again.

 

[robwright]

Yes do not split the caliper. As others have said weld some bolts or nuts onto them to remove. The heat of the welding will help to free them also. I posted a good thread on this. I think is was "Caliper Refurb".

 

[944 man]

This guy (Chris?) did mine: http://custom-brake-calipers.co.uk

£375 for all four calipers, stripped the old black paint off that the PO had put on with a potato. Refurbished in red with white script, new seals and plates and delivered back with a 1 week turnaround.

I couldnt have done it myself for less!

Im sure that theyre just a paint shop Dave. I think I said so at the time as well. I was surprised that they came back alright. This all assumes that Im not mixing them up with someone else, but they were in LE too, and had plenty of disappointed reviews for early type Brembos.

 

[Chrishazle]

IIRC the allen head screws were originally put in with locktite, hence heat is needed to first break the locktite before attempting removal of the screws. Every thread I've seen about refurbing calipers to cure plate lift there's been problems removing the screws, welding a bolt to them seems to be the most successful method.

 

[vitesse]

Frankly using nuts is a lot easier-when countersunk,they will just rest in place on the capscrews or whatever fastener exists -allowing the MIG nozzle feed wire into the centre of them-whereas a bolt will need holding with something which gets in the way & also it is a lot harder to make a weld at the butt joint between the bolt thread & capscrew head.

Just my opinion of course but based on the thought that people with little MIG welding experience are more likely to succeed with the nuts.

 

[Eldavo]

This guy (Chris?) did mine: http://custom-brake-calipers.co.uk

£375 for all four calipers, stripped the old black paint off that the PO had put on with a potato. Refurbished in red with white script, new seals and plates and delivered back with a 1 week turnaround.

I couldnt have done it myself for less!

Im sure that theyre just a paint shop Dave. I think I said so at the time as well. I was surprised that they came back alright. This all assumes that Im not mixing them up with someone else, but they were in LE too, and had plenty of disappointed reviews for early type Brembos.

Nope - You're thinking of the Brake Caliper Specialist. They are also Leicester based but are unbelievably crap. My local Porsche Indys send all their calipers to Custom Brake Calipers now too.

 

[924Srr27l]

This guy (Chris?) did mine: http://custom-brake-calipers.co.uk

£375 for all four calipers, stripped the old black paint off that the PO had put on with a potato. Refurbished in red with white script, new seals and plates and delivered back with a 1 week turnaround.

I couldnt have done it myself for less!

Im sure that theyre just a paint shop Dave. I think I said so at the time as well. I was surprised that they came back alright. This all assumes that Im not mixing them up with someone else, but they were in LE too, and had plenty of disappointed reviews for early type Brembos.

Nope - You're thinking of the Brake Caliper Specialist. They are also Leicester based but are unbelievably crap. My local Porsche Indys send all their calipers to Custom Brake Calipers now too.

That's good then as I've sent a Customer to them 2 days ago (Custom Brake Calipers), It's not always what you know but Who!

R

 

[944 man]

This guy (Chris?) did mine: http://custom-brake-calipers.co.uk

£375 for all four calipers, stripped the old black paint off that the PO had put on with a potato. Refurbished in red with white script, new seals and plates and delivered back with a 1 week turnaround.

I couldnt have done it myself for less!

Im sure that theyre just a paint shop Dave. I think I said so at the time as well. I was surprised that they came back alright. This all assumes that Im not mixing them up with someone else, but they were in LE too, and had plenty of disappointed reviews for early type Brembos.

Nope - You're thinking of the Brake Caliper Specialist. They are also Leicester based but are unbelievably crap. My local Porsche Indys send all their calipers to Custom Brake Calipers now too.

LE = Long Eaton.

 

[Eldavo]

Brake Caliper Specialists[/b]Units 2 and 3Chatsworth AvenueLong EatonNottinghamNG10 2FL These are the other company - beyond crap. I know someone who paid £350 for a pair of front 993 calipers to be painted and waited 5 weeks. Do Not Use!!!!