I have just got all my donor bits but the calipers are looking tired!

What is recommended?

New/recon calipers or just stick with these until I can afford to change them all?

Any good suppliers would be appreciated!

either clean the crud off the outside and they'll probably be ok, or get htem exchanged with a recon company/motor factors..

I got mine exchanged for recon ones at MAC1 motorsport.

Just depends on what you prefer, the old ones may be fine but I just thought I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Rich.

What do you think of these?

The rubber seal around the piston is damaged.

Change the seals

recon kits are pretty cheap from motor factors, a light scrub and some electrolysis to clean up the outside - this is the cheap, few hours work way of doing it.

alternatively shell out 30 quid a side or something and get recon ones by exchange.

I used electrolysis to get rid of the rust and replaced everything but the caliper body and the carrier.
Rescued attachment brake012.jpg

I agree with Blueshift who actually talked me into reconditioning my own Sierra rear calipers using electrolysis and new seal/piston sets. The rear ones are much harder to rebuild than front ones so in my opinion the front ones must be a no-brainer. Just get a set of seals and pistons from someone like http://www.brakepart.co.uk

I'd rather know that my calipers were rebuilt correctly by doing them myself rather than get a cheap set of remanufactured ones as there is always the chance of getting a Friday afternoon caliper with a seal missing or something...

Cheers,
Craig.

Thanks for all your comments!

Brake Parts do the front kits for £3.77 each +VAT, the rears are £8.94 each + VAT, but they say that these are difficult to do without special tools!

They want £49 +VAT Each for a recon rear caliper.

What is the consensus? Recond rears or DIY?

Have got my electrolysis up and running - suberb!!!!!

I have also just found out that new rear pistons are £19 each + VAT and the fronts are £11.22 each + VAT.

This is how I see it;

Recon the fronts - £15 each + VAT or get new recon ones for £27 + VAT

Recon the Rears - £28 each + VAT or get new recon ones for £49 + VAT

It is a bit fiddly but not impossible. Here's what I sent to craig1410 a while back:

Haynes are, of course, lying in the manual when they say you can use the adjuster nut to compress the handbrake adjuster spring. it's bloody impossible to turn.

I used a 19mm deep socket and a two-leg puller which worked very nicely thus:

getting at the circlip is a bit fiddly, my normal pair of circlip pliers didn't fit, but screwfix sell a pack of four mini circlip pliers that are made out of stamped steel and slim enough to fit down the side of the socket.
These are they:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=24554&ts=04583

Apart from that the only tricky bits are:
- getting the new piston dust gaiter attached to the caliper and the piston at the same time. I found it best to get it onto the bottom of the piston, then fit it in the caliper, then slide it up the piston as I screwed the piston in, using some brake fluid to lubricate
- screwing the piston back into the caliper. lubricating the adjuster screw and nut with brake fluid before reassembly helps. apart from that, plenty of brute force and sturdy long nose pliers.

Hope this helps, if you need any other advice on sierra rear caliper stuff give me a shout.

Hi,
I agree it is tempting to get the recon rear calipers but in all honesty I am glad I did mine myself as you get a feel for how it all works and you also know it is done right!! Remanufactured calipers are not the same as brand new ones and will simply have been rebuilt along similar lines to what you would do yourself albeit against time and profit pressures... I'm not saying there is necessarily anything wrong with them but I can virtually guarantee that more care went into my calipers than would have gone into a recon one.

Special tools would be nice but as Blueshift says are not necessary. I compressed the spring using a brake caliper windback tool and the small circlip pliers. The first one was a bit fiddly but the pair of calipers were done in perhaps 6 hours of work total including painting time. Electrolysis took 24 hours or so but that doesn't require any effort from me so I don't count it. The finished result is very satisfying too!

Cheers,
Craig.

Anyone out there have the part number for the rear seal kits?

Brkaes Int. seem to have sent me the wrongs ones.

The rear calipers need dust seals the locate in the caliper & pison right?

The ones they have sent only locate in the piston!

doesn't seem too likely.. got any photos of the seals they sent you?