Brake Caliper Rebuild
 

Who rebuilds/restores brake calipers? I need the 4 piston calipers for my Beaumont rebuilt. I'm having a hard time just finding rebuild kits for the 4 piston ones.
Thank you, James

I’ve sent mine to Muskegon Brake in Michigan. They do wonderful work.

https://muskegonbrake.com/pages/rebuilding-services

Kurt

Muskegon Brake sublets 4 piston caliper sleeve/rebuild to Lonestar Caliper. Lonestar says they are wholesale only.

I have had two pairs of '67 Chevelle 4 piston calipers done by them, both had leaks on the driver's side. The first was resolved with the first return. the second was returned three times, each time the leak was a different place.
The routine was, I call Muskegon, send them the leaker, a couple weeks later Lonestar ships directly back to me.

A problem with these Chevelle 4 piston calipers is lip seals, no O-ring seals are available (2 1/16" IIRC) whereas Corvettes use O-ring seals. Do not use DOT 5 fluid!

Just my experience, I have three NOS HURST/AIRHEART kits is you are interested. - Bill W

That’s good info Bill.

The first time I used them was over 20 years ago for my 1968 Nova I had, which had 4 piston calipers. I didn’t have any issues and I owned it for approximately 8 years after having them rebuilt.

The second time was a few years ago for my Chevelle. They are single calipers…..with no issues.

Kurt

At least in the past, White Post Restorations was the go to place in the eastern part of the country for this type of work. I don't have any recent experience with them, so cannot comment on their present reputation.

https://whitepost.com/brake-sleeving...ding-services/

I was able to send mine out to the local NAPA store - I believe they use Cardone. They tagged them accordingly and returned my originals rebuilt and ready for paint/detailing.

FWIW - I had my Z/28 calipers resleeved maybe 15 years ago, by Vette Brakes, and have used DOT5 in that car ever since with no problems.

Thanks for the responses. The NAPA here doesn't offer a rebuild service for these. I checked with White Post and Goldline Brakes. Also called Muskegon but no one answered the phone. Has anyone heard of or used Phoenix Caliper out of Chicago? Prices from each of these companies varied a lot. Goldline was $1400 for a set. White Post was $640. Phoenix was almost too cheap at $290 with a 2 day turnaround.
Since no one answered at Muskegon I called Lonestar hoping that they weren't wholesale only. They are not. They are $480 for the set with a one week turnaround. I think I will use Lonestar.
I had checked with all of the local parts stores and Chevelle parts suppliers. None of them can get rebuild kits for these 4 piston calipers.

Memory jogged Tony, Vette Brakes did my Corvette calipers in 1982. Zero issues in 40 years.

Chemistry is not my strong suit, I have been told by Muskegon that the old formula DOT 5 has not been available for several years and that current DOT 5 is not compatible with the brake parts in our old cars.
Lonestar, and I believe White Post and Karps warranty is voided with DOT 5.

If this is incorrect, please set me straight! - Bill W

I emailed Muskegon Brakes as I too need my calipers sleeved . White post quoted over $300 a caliper last year hence why I waited. Muskegon quoted cost of Camaro caliper build to be:

$179.95 per caliper with o-ring seals

or

$129.95 if they use lip seals. Turnaround time is approx 4 weeks.

That's bore, sleeve and test pressures. Survivor style no restoration (paint etc)

"Payment will be collected when they're done and ready to come back to you."

Was that for single piston or 4 piston calipers?

Edit to add: I just talked to Muskegon. They quoted me $179.95. If they send them to Lonestar, I wonder why Lonestar quoted me $219.95. I guess I'll be sending them to Muskegon.

4 piston.

I used Lonestar for my 70 LT-1 Corvette brakes. No issues.

That’s interesting, I’ll look into it. As long as you’re starting with a dry system, I’ve never had an issue with DOT5, other than bleeding it every 5 years or so on a preventative basis.

Mike Gibbons say dot 4 when he does brake parts.....Joe

The only advantage to Dot5 is it won't eat paint if you spill.

My 67 had DOT 5 in it since the early 1980s. The restoration was started in the late 70s and the original owner told me Dow Chemical gave him a couple gallons of DOT 5 to try. Amazingly, when I disassembled the calipers, wheel cylinders and master, all were spotlessly clean and attracted no rust, bores were all perfect as well. I have heard that this is another benefit of DOT 5.

I like Mike Gibbons. A great guy and easy to deal with. Had several parts done by him.

Absolutely true - DOT5 will not absorb water, so as long as you keep it sealed to prevent ingesting moisture, it should do a good job of preserving your hardware.

I have used Lone Star exclusively for 30+ years, and never a problem. I'm currently restoring a 1969 350/350 A/C Corvette Roadster and a 1976 Corvette Coupe and received exchange Calipers for both projects. Everything looks as it should. The kicker is there was a note inside all calipers that if anything other that Dot 3 brake fluid was used, the warranty is VOID.

Back in the late 1980's all we ever used was Dot 5 silicone brake fluid because it would never stain the paint. But that was then, and this is now. Bill

Per White Post Warranty statement.

"Lifetime Warranty
We fully guarantee all parts that are sleeved and/or rebuilt by us, with the exception of those used in conjunction with silicone fluid (DOT 5)."




White Post Warranty on Rebuilds



..

Does anyone know if DOT 5 fluid actually changed or did the seal material? On Corvette Forum, several folks have reported only Raybestos kits work fine with DOT 5 (no leaks). I spoke with Lonestar the other day as I sent them my calipers. They told me they dropped some seals into a container of DOT 5 and it caused them to degrade after time.

Does Lonestar have a website other than facebook? A phone number or anything? If you have to be a wholesaler to deal with them then I wont bother. What price did they quote on bore & sleeve if you can say?

I can tell you what the cost is after they come back Darryl. My wife works at a Detroit area restoration shop that does a lot of business with Lonestar. They do have a website but I think its been down for quite some time. They do show their business phone number however. http://lonestarcaliper.com/maintenance/

I called Lonestar a couple days ago at the number listed on their site that is under maintenance. They are not wholesale only. They quoted me $220 per caliper with a one week turnaround.

Muskegon is $180 per with a 4 week turnaround.

http://lonestarcaliper.com/maintenance/

Just got the calipers back from Lonestar. Ended up costing $450 which included a $20 “babysitting” fee per caliper which my wife explained is a fee Lonestar charges to folks who want the same calipers back that they sent. Shipping was in that total number as well.

Calipers look good. Are those the HD caliper pistons? Also good to know about the O'Reilly fluid. Is there a fluid that they recommend?

Apple Hydraulics worked well for me:

https://www.applehydraulicsonline.com/

They do not seem to have the issue with DOT 5 fluid.

I don't know if the pistons are considered HD but they are designed for the insulating disc used on J56. It was a little concerning as they called to say the insulating discs sometimes get cracked or chipped. I was relieved when they arrived un-damaged. Regarding any brake fluid recommendations, I think they just tell you what not to do/use.