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Rebuilding 82/83 rear calipers


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Just wondering if anyone has any hints for me on rebuilding these calipers. I have the rebuild kit and all came apart and cleaned up great it's just getting the emergency brake spring and snap ring inplace that is just kicking my rear :fmad: . I have some rebuilt calipers on order but, if I can rebuild my orginal ones then I could save a bunch of money that I want to put towards a better welder.

 

Any hints or ideas would be great.

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Use a deep well socket to press the spring into the caliper body and then install the snap ring. Having a press (hydraulic or drill) is handy but you can use a bench vise as well.

 

If you have a junk caliper you use the internal part of the piston assembly that screws down on the threaded rod to hold the spring down while you secure the snap ring. This is the piece in the far right of the below picture. You have to grind part of this piece for better access to the snap ring, hence you need to find a used junk caliper that you can rob.

 

To remove or install the snap ring that is buried deep inside the caliper body I use a modified heavy duty hemostat (i.e., “roach clips”). Grind down the tips so you can insert the hemostat jaws into the holes of the snap ring. Works great!

 

BTW, the order of assembly of the caliper piston (if you do not have the FSM) is:

 

pistonassy.jpg

 

Don’t forget that during re-assembly you must rotate _and_ push the piston into the caliper body.

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Use a deep well socket to press the spring into the caliper body and then install the snap ring. Having a press (hydraulic or drill) is handy but you can use a bench vise as well.

 

If you have a junk caliper you use the internal part of the piston assembly that screws down on the threaded rod to hold the spring down while you secure the snap ring. This is the piece in the far right of the below picture. You have to grind part of this piece for better access to the snap ring' date=' hence you need to find a used junk caliper that you can rob.

 

To remove or install the snap ring that is buried deep inside the caliper body I use a modified heavy duty hemostat (i.e., “roach clipsâ€). Grind down the tips so you can insert the hemostat jaws into the holes of the snap ring. Works great!

 

BTW, the order of assembly of the caliper piston (if you do not have the FSM) is:

 

[img']http://home.comcast.net/~zcarfan/PistonAssy.jpg[/img]

 

Don’t forget that during re-assembly you must rotate _and_ push the piston into the caliper body.

 

Thanks for bringing up memories I'd rather forget about!!! Man, I remember having a few words with God when I rebuilt mine. What a pain in the *** they were to redo!

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I love you man!!!!!!!!!!

 

Great ideas! I made a "tool" to compress the spring but, the c-clamp and all got in the way. I tried about 3 different sets of snap ring pliers and none of them could get down in there with the clamp and all in the way. I even tried a old set of needle nose ground down to fit in the little holes.

 

Now, I think I'll be able to get this done. Your gonna save me 150.00 bucks. Thanks.

 

Hybrid Z members Rock :rockon:

 

It's gonna be Sunday before I can mess with it all again but, I'll let ya know how it went.

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Ok so I feel like I'm part of some kind of club now. I just finished the first one. What I did was to go to the JY and get the screw part out of a maxima caliper and then do some grinding, drilling, and welding a nut on the top so I could screw it down and have plenty of room to get the ground down snaping pliers in there to to the ring on. Worked great!!!

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has anybody found that you should put some grease in there where the spring goes for the parking brake cable?

I had my rear caliper start leaking fluid from that park brake lever area. When I pulled it apart I found that the internals had been grinding themselves away every time I pulled the parking brake cable. Eventually something wore through to the fluid chamber. I had to replace the caliper as the housing was trashed.

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Oh, the memories are coming back......when I pulled mine apart to redo them, the needle bearings were shot! What I did was to machine a bronze bushing to replace the needle bearing. I had never seen a needle bearing assembly with the side cut out for a rod to pass through it. Anyway, the bronze bushing worked out perfectly. Again....these are some of the memories that I'd just as soon forget about....that a PITA!!!

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