Brake Caliper Seal Kit - Front - Lip Type

BangkokDean

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I need to replace the front brake caliper seals on my 80 C3. They are stock type with stainless steel sleeves. I can still drive the car as the leak is small. But I am not sure what type of seals needed. This is what I believe is needed?

BRAKE CALIPER SEAL KIT - FRONT - LIP TYPE.
 
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These guys have the best conversions.
You can get by with just pistons and seals but they will sell you the whole kit or as many or as few parts as you need.
Call or email them.

http://www.fixvetteparts.com/

BTW, Do not use the springs with the orings.
 
These guys have the best conversions.
You can get by with just pistons and seals but they will sell you the whole kit or as many or as few parts as you need.
Call or email them.

http://www.fixvetteparts.com/

BTW, Do not use the springs with the orings.
First time I see a kit that includes the SS sleeves, good to know.
Only if they could list a price.:hissyfit:
 
When you do the conversion you need new pistons with grooves cut for the O-rings. You also need new dust seals, these can be tricky to install straight and square to the bore. It's a good idea to have extra seals in case you bend one .... And yes, leave the springs out ...
 
When you do the conversion you need new pistons with grooves cut for the O-rings. You also need new dust seals, these can be tricky to install straight and square to the bore. It's a good idea to have extra seals in case you bend one .... And yes, leave the springs out ...

You know, one of the best damn tools my father left me, is a solid steel block cut like a 2x4 and about 4" long, second on that list is a chunk of steel about 1/2" thick 1.5" wide and 4" long, lay that flat over most any seal and hit with a hammer handle...boink, in place....once in a while you maybe have to flip it 90* but not often.....countless uses over the decades.....he used to refer to the large chunk as his 'bucking block', used on the back side of a stud, when toe nailing it into position....been a while, I not driven a nail by hand in some years now....:harhar::gurney:
 
The O-ring seals are much better, I used them on two sets of calippers and they don't leak.
Get the conversion kit here : http://classiccorvetteparts.vstore.ca/

Your calippers are SS sleeved so the O-ring conversion is really easy. I have a thread on this somewhere....

Will these do, but not using the springs that come with the kit?

BRAKE CALIPER O-RING SEAL CONVERSION - FRONT + REAR

Item# 192318 2 sets and 2 sets Item# 192391 for 1965-1982
 
These guys have the best conversions.
You can get by with just pistons and seals but they will sell you the whole kit or as many or as few parts as you need.
Call or email them.

http://www.fixvetteparts.com/

BTW, Do not use the springs with the orings.
First time I see a kit that includes the SS sleeves, good to know.
Only if they could list a price.:hissyfit:

They're prices are better than anyone else's and the pistons are made here in Florida.
 
Thanks for everyone's input I have a shipment planed from Corvette Central and want to add these to the shipment. With all of you recommending that I use O ring replacements I can add these to the order. But why do you suggest to not use the springs supplied with the kit?
yb.dll
 
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I can only speak for the ones I have used for years from fixvettes, all the others Should be the same, but I don't know for sure.

These oring conversions are a "rigged" improvement toward the real oring brake tech that all manufacturers have been using for decades now.
The true oring design uses a "square cut" oring mounted in the caliper, not the piston. when the brakes are applied, the oring does not slide as it would in a hydraulic cylinder, but instead just distorts or twists and when releasing the brake pedal, it returns to it's normal position pulling the piston back in a hair and keeping brake pad pressure to the rotor at a minimum. And of course any true oring caliper from any car manufacturer also uses no springs. For this reason, it helps reduce the rotor runout problems the lip seals are so well known for. Corvette was the only car ever to use ucup seals in a caliper.
There is really very little movement of the brake pads from the relaxed position to hard clamping. Of course over time, on these corvettes, as the pads wear, the oring will shift slightly in the caliper bore to compensate.
Further, the design of the oring groove, determines how much return there is and that is why I say I'm not familiar with other brands.
In fact the fixvettes pistons are made so the springs cannot be used.

The trend in newer cars is to have less rotor drag for mileage estimates and the only difference was to distort the oring more for a further return.
It's also because of this oring elasticity, that the orings are recommended to be replaced each time the pads are.
 
Thanks for everyone's input I have a shipment planed from Corvette Central and want to add these to the shipment. With all of you recommending that I use O ring replacements I can add these to the order. But why do you suggest to not use the springs supplied with the kit?
yb.dll

will this work?
 
Thanks for everyone's input I have a shipment planed from Corvette Central and want to add these to the shipment. With all of you recommending that I use O ring replacements I can add these to the order. But why do you suggest to not use the springs supplied with the kit?
yb.dll

will this work?

Yes, that kit will do one caliper, and so two rear kits, and two front kits, just leave out the springs....I did my Oring changeout from VBP over a dozen years ago.....

it will do nothing to firm up the brake pedal though, you need Hydroboost for that....

:bump:
 
Thanks for everyone's input I have a shipment planed from Corvette Central and want to add these to the shipment. With all of you recommending that I use O ring replacements I can add these to the order. But why do you suggest to not use the springs supplied with the kit?
yb.dll

will this work?

Yes, that kit will do one caliper, and so two rear kits, and two front kits, just leave out the springs....I did my Oring changeout from VBP over a dozen years ago.....

it will do nothing to firm up the brake pedal though, you need Hydroboost for that....

:bump:

Thanks Gene, I will order them now.

I still don't understand why you don't use the springs that come with the kit?
 
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I must be the last of the lot because I still use lip seals and haven't had a problem.:shocking:

IF your rotors don't/are not warped you will not have a problem, much less we can NOT GRIND the rotors.....because I have never spotted a rotor grinder that can finish it like a sanded surface after grinding like a phonograph record...I know, I had my rotors cut in the rear, years ago, and so I noticed this clicking sound when going slo in a parking lot/garage which allowed the sound to bounce back at me, jacked it up, and ran it without wheels, rotors still secured by my wheel adapters....and noted that just at idle in 1st gear, the pads were pulsing in/out against the later securing PIN, and had worn it a good bit....

and nearly had the pads worn down to the liner where the pin was....I looked at that action and nearly shit bricks....bought new rotors, had to clock them to min then shim them with tin foil to take care of the lateral runout, but got it done, been fine for years now.....

The crap I have had to fight on this car, straight outta the factory designs, has been amazing....but such is advances in designs, may as well take advantage of them when repairing shit, especially if it's cheeeeeeep and easily done....

Some years ago, I had to do the front rotors, due to a collapsed left front brake hose, that bitch was SMOKING in the ~45 mile trip home fighting every inch of the way....at LO speed, obviously...

so new front rotors from NAPA, 30 bux each, talk about cheep, I figgered CHINA, but no, came in an American box, even the cardboard, the guy said they owned the factory....interesting comment, and so on the car, the lateral runout was PERFECT, rebuilt the offending caliper, changed all the hoses, and was shocked the caliper was not stone fried/destroyed/melted but I put in new pistons/rings/seals anyway on that one.....

:shocking::beer:
 
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