Where are all the fuselage brake calipers?

[Turbo301]

I'm looking to put new (or even just rebuilt) calipers onto my '73 Fury, and I cannot find anyone who carries these! Can anyone direct me to a vendor who sells calipers for these?

 

[FURYGT]

@mobileparts

 

[MONC440]

They are pretty easy to rebuild. Seals and new pistons will only cost you about $60. If you buy a rebuild caliper it is going to be a chunk of money.

 

[customsportsman]

What MONC440 said. I rebuilt mine. Easy peasy, and good to go.
However, if you are doing a drum-to-disc conversion and don't have the factory calipers from the donor vehicle, finding calipers will be difficult as you have discovered. If that is the case, I wish I could help you.

 

[Turbo301]

They are pretty easy to rebuild. Seals and new pistons will only cost you about $60. If you buy a rebuild caliper it is going to be a chunk of money.

My issue is I can't get the piston to extend, so I don't now how I'd get it out once I get it "on the bench". Is there a technique for that?

 

[MONC440]

My issue is I can't get the piston to extend, so I don't now how I'd get it out once I get it "on the bench". Is there a technique for that?

I have done it three ways.

On the car, on one side of the car remove the caliper from the rotor, but leave the brake line hooked up, take the pads out and place a block of wood in the caliper so the piston can come almost all the way out. You don't want the piston to come all the way out because then you will not be able to do the other side. Pump the brakes a few times then check to see if the piston has moved out against the block of wood. Then do the same thing on the other side. Remove both calipers from the car, and the pistons should come out fairly easily at this point because they are almost out and have been broken loose. When pistons are stuck you can usually get enough pressure from the brake system to get them to move out.

Another way is on the bench and use compressed air but this usually will not work with calipers that are really stuck. Apply the compressed air where the brake line fitting is attached.

The last way I have used is the heat wrench. You can get the caliper really hot and basically melt the seals and the piston will pull out using pliers or I have a large pair of snap ring pliers that will grab the inside of the piston. I watched my dad do this once (on a really stuck piston) and he had to drill a hole in the piston and use a slide hammer to get it out.


I did see a U tube video once where they use a grease gun attached to the brake line fitting. When the piston finally popped out it made a big mess.

 

[volksworld]

I believe Cardone was the one rebuilding most of the calipers out there and they are in the middle of something...they reported they were getting away from rebuilding and concentrating on new stuff but now I can't find the article I read last year...I found everything I needed to rebuild mine on Rockauto in Raybestos brand...there's a thread here somewhere with all the part numbers listed...I was really suprised I got mine to move with just air Pressure since it was seized...the pistons are available new and that is the machined surface that the seal rides on (opposite of a wheel cylinder)...soaked the caliper bodies in Evaporust prior to rebuilding as i was afraid that blasting them might have left grit behind

 

[Just Carbs]

My issue is I can't get the piston to extend, so I don't now how I'd get it out once I get it "on the bench". Is there a technique for that?

If it don't budge with a 1000 psi when you step on the brake with the pad removed, it's good and stuck.
I've drilled and taped the cylinder a couple of times and forced them out with a bolt pushing on the caliper well, but I wouldn't do it again, especially on a hard-to-get caliper. And to much work.
The suggested 15000-psi grease gun method works, but I didn't think to cover it up. Yep, the mess was big, all over the garage, and me.
The 72 caliper pistons last month were $10, seal kit was $5. Plus shipping.
I us low flow-low pressure compressed air to blow the big bellows seal over the piston for installation.

 

[Turbo301]

I did finally get the caliper moving after disconnecting it from the car and using a big C-clamp to compress it. The fluid coming out of the caliper was pretty brown and gross. I was worried that there might be a blockage in the lines, and that's what was preventing me from being able to compress it on the car, so I pressed the pedal a few times and confirmed liquid was indeed coming out of the line. I don't have time to rebuild the caliper before I need to put the car away for the winter, so I'll flush it with new fluid and hope that holds. I don't think it got any maintenance under the previous owner, so it's no wonder the fluid was might skanky!

My next concern is with how short the flexible brake lines are: I could barely clear the caliper over the disc, without the outer pad in place! I'm used to a bit more breathing room than that. Is that normal?

 

[Just Carbs]

My new hoses are 1 inch shorter than what was on this 72 New Yorker. Tight. Bummer.

 

[Turbo301]

Okay, more on my BS brake saga: I'm trying to bleed the brakes to see if my pesky passenger side caliper will actuate now (after finally being able to be pushed in). My pedal is rock hard without the car running, which surprised me since there's tons of air in the line now. With the car running, and the brake booster in-play, the pedal is super-soft (more what I would have expected), though NO fluid comes out of the passenger side caliper when I try to bleed it - again and again and AGAIN. The driver's side caliper is functioning correctly, and doesn't seem affected by air in the system (it likely didn't get any since it's closer to the master cylinder).

Why would my pedal be so hard with the car of but so soft when it's running? I've never had a car that did that. Normally it's stiffer, yes, but not virtually immovable. Any fancy electric power bleeders that anyone uses to help give my wife a break (no pun intended) from having to depress/release the pedal for me? After 20+ times of doing that, and no fluid coming from the bleeder, I think she's annoyed with me . I really don't know why no fluid is coming out

 

[Justin Plant]

If you're not getting any fluid out of the caliper, loosen the hose at the other end. Hit the pedal, if you have fluid there you'll need to replace the hose. It appears to be blocked.