Refurbishing brake calipers
- Thread starter MJI
- Start date
This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.
Seems weird to me it is about 45 years since I have seen inside one, was some problematic ones my dad was dealing with.
Done loads of sliders though
They don't need to be smooth, only the seal is in contact with the piston, nothing else.
IMO it's simply not worth the time rebuilding calipers these days. Replacement calipers are cheap, and the seal kits aren't by comparison, especially if you need to replace a rusty piston.
Add to the fact that the old caliper needs stripping, cleaning, possibly a new piston (often more expensive than a replacement caliper), and the special tool to refit the dust seal, it all adds to making caliper rebuilding a rather pointless exercise these days.
I used to refurbish my own, but worked out by the time you've bought the seals kit, spent hours cleaning, than made up a tool to fit the dust seal, it's just not worth doing.
If the pistons are rusty, then you'll spend more rebuilding them than buying new.
I factor in my own time @ £25 per hour, so at £50 a pair, that's less than 2 hours of my time, once the seals have been bought.
So in this instance, it's simply not worth my time.
I replaced all 4 calipers on my FL2, while I was replacing the rotors and pads.
The total cost was £230, for 4 new calipers, 4 new flexy hoses, 1 ltr of quality fluid, 4 new rotors, parking brake shoes and springs, and 4 sets of pads including the shims.
It also took 4 hours to do the job, so for the equivalent of £330 (I paid myself £100), the brakes are effectively brand new, which made a huge difference to the vehicle.
