Powder Coated Goodness

[gsodonis]

These pics are representative of 16 year old SVX calipers (or any old, uncoated, unplated caliper for that matter):


Here are the naughty bits of 16 year old SVX brakes - and unless you have rebuilt yours within recent memory, there's a good chance that yours look like this too. And people wonder why calipers 'stick'.


A closeup - these are exactly what they looked like right after I popped them out of their bores:


And heres what they look like after some TLC, Purple Power and scotchbrite pads (used sparingly as needed):


And finally, powder coated goodness - with the sand cast marks removed on most surfaces visible through the wheel. These were assembled with all new OEM Subaru rebuild kits and all the proper Permatex copper antiseize and synth brake caliper pin lube - I believe that these are going on Bobby's supercharged baby (unless he doesn't want them anymore, in which case you'll see them soon on the For Sale forum):










And as a reminder, this is what they look like in red - the set I first did some 3 years ago on the car currently owned by Eric S.


Bobby, are ya comin down to get 'em?

[ShiuludeSVX]

Nice. They must have taken a bit to get to a workable state.

[gsodonis]

Originally Posted by ShiuludeSVX

Nice. They must have taken a bit to get to a workable state.

If people only knew! Being the second set I've done, the assembly went really fast. It's getting rid of 16 years of corrosion and prepping for assembly that are a pain. Like almost everything we do for these SVXen, it's a labor of love.

It's a whole lot easier on newer brakes. My next powder coating job will be a set of calipers for my current 2006 Audi A3 daily driver and I don't expect to spend half as much time on them as I did on the SVX brakes.

[Johnybeas]

gorgeous! and oh so inspiring! how many hours of that labor of love??? how much was the rebuild kit???

[Nevin]

Yeah, those do look good. I had mine apart last summer when I did my rotors, SS lines, etc... but I just scuffed mine good and painted them. Still look better than they did though!

Where can you get a rebuild kit, anyway?

[gsodonis]

I did an estimate that I posted not that long ago and will check to see how far off I was.
My best guess for this go around is:
1 hr disassembly
1 hr machine shop work - broke a caliper bracket bolt that needed extraction
2 hr hand grinder work
0 hr transport to powder coater - our company had a machine frame coated at the same time so no shipping on my part otherwise add some time for driving around
0 hr sandblasting - the powdercoater has a sandblating company nearby that does their work. Otherwise add some time for blasting yourself or driving around a bit
1 hr cleaning of the reused items (pistons, pins, hardware)
2 hours reassembly - be sure to chase all the threads before starting because some coating will leak past the caps used over the threaded holes and you're bound to find some where the bolts won't start

So total time was around 7 hours, but non of it was consecutive. Every step was interrupted and resulted in all of the parts being put away until another time, which takes time too. You could easilt do this in two half days. One half day to take apart, machine, clean, grind and deliver the parts to the powder coater. Another half day to put it all back together once the coated parts come back. Now, if you did more than a set at a time, or skipped the grinding, you could probably reduce the total time to around 3-4 hrs.



As far as rebuild kits go, you can still get them from the dealer. From Subaruparts.com, they're $28 for the fronts and $20 for the rears. I think I was able to beat those prices by about 10% from another online Suby dealer.

Originally Posted by Johnybeas

gorgeous! and oh so inspiring! how many hours of that labor of love??? how much was the rebuild kit???

[Tim]

I noticed when some of the calipers wear out, it will make a metal banging sound if you go over bumps because one of the rubber pieces wear out.

Does the rebuild kit include that part?

[longassname]

OH do I feel your pain and pride in a job well done.

I rebuilt the calipers on my pearly recently while putting all new brakes on it. The subaru seal kits are inexpensive but man the front calipers are really a pain at first. You have to install the dust shields before you put the pistons in then hold the dust shields open while you slide the pistons in. It's not bad once you get adept at it but that first one is a pita!

[Twinboosted]

For those who run with PCed calipers, how do they hold up to the heat?

[gsodonis]

Originally Posted by Tim

I noticed when some of the calipers wear out, it will make a metal banging sound if you go over bumps because one of the rubber pieces wear out.

Does the rebuild kit include that part?

Yes, the kits include all of the parts needed to prevent the banging sound - unless you have a worn out slider pin, in which case they're still available from Subaru for arouind $8 - $10 each new. Subaru includes small pouches of assembly lube that makes everything go together well. Most manufacturers' kits give you nothing, forcing you to use brake fluid as an assembly lubricanbt, and for anyone that has had brake fluid make prolonged contact with your skin - it wreaks havoc on your hands!

[gsodonis]

Originally Posted by longassname

OH do I feel your pain and pride in a job well done.

I rebuilt the calipers on my pearly recently while putting all new brakes on it. The subaru seal kits are inexpensive but man the front calipers are really a pain at first. You have to install the dust shields before you put the pistons in then hold the dust shields open while you slide the pistons in. It's not bad once you get adept at it but that first one is a pita!

Mike, you're doing them wrong. The right way takes less than a minute per piston.
- First, lubricate the ID of the piston boot and the OD of the piston liberally with the supplied assembly lube.
- While your fingers are covered with the lube, lubricate the o-ring that you installed in the caliper bore
- Now install the boot over the piston top (groove side). The boot will slip into the piston groove where it's supposed to ride.
- Assuming you have lubricated everything, force the boot down, away from the groove. It will pop out of the groove - being new, fear not - you won't tear it.
- Slide the boot to the very bottom of the piston. Your boot now hangs off the bottom of the piston.
- Hold the caliper in your hands. The casting has a conical shape cast into the bore entry, just above the o-ring groove. Lubricate this conical section.
- Now place the piston with the boot gently into the bore, just far enough for the boot to start to seat into the groove where it is supposed to ride.
- Using your finger, drag it around the boot, applying slight downward pressure and it will pop right into place.
- Now that the boot is in place in its caliper bore groove, apply steady downward pressure with both tumbes to the piston making sure it is square to the bore.
- If you've lubricated everything along the way, simple 'two thumb' pressure will drive it home (you may have to rock it a bit back and forth til it starts), and the boot which was at the bottom of the piston when you started will now 'pop' into its proper groove on the piston.
- It took me 5X longer to type this than it takes to install each front caliper piston.
- This isn't magic, it just took me a few tries to figure it out the first time I did a SVX rebuild.

If I didn't describe this right or you still have any questions, IM me. I promise to take pictures the next set I do (Bobby's current brakes which will become cores for the next set).

[gsodonis]

Originally Posted by Twinboosted

For those who run with PCed calipers, how do they hold up to the heat?

My first red set looked almost as good as new 3.5 years after I first did them. Keep in mind that the powder coting doesn't melt until 450 degrees F, so unless your braking hard enough to boil your brake fluid, the coating will outlast ANY paint. The powder fills in the casting mark voids and brake dust can be removed with compressed air or a stream of water. No more harsh cleaners. Brembo factory calipers for the STi are powder coated from the factory!

[longassname]

Hmmm. Believe it or not that's actualy not how it's "supposed" to be done. The factory service manual is clear--install the shields on the caliper first then the pistons into the shields. I'm almost skeptical you are really getting the lip of the shield seated in the groove of the caliper that way but then again I believe you. Sounds like you have developed a knack at cheating these in easily.

The other way works pretty easily too once you develop the knack for it...not under a minute though..more like 5.

Originally Posted by gsodonis

Mike, you're doing them wrong. The right way takes less than a minute per piston.
- First, lubricate the ID of the piston boot and the OD of the piston liberally with the supplied assembly lube.
- While your fingers are covered with the lube, lubricate the o-ring that you installed in the caliper bore
- Now install the boot over the piston top (groove side). The boot will slip into the piston groove where it's supposed to ride.
- Assuming you have lubricated everything, force the boot down, away from the groove. It will pop out of the groove - being new, fear not - you won't tear it.
- Slide the boot to the very bottom of the piston. Your boot now hangs off the bottom of the piston.
- Hold the caliper in your hands. The casting has a conical shape cast into the bore entry, just above the o-ring groove. Lubricate this conical section.
- Now place the piston with the boot gently into the bore, just far enough for the boot to start to seat into the groove where it is supposed to ride.
- Using your finger, drag it around the boot, applying slight downward pressure and it will pop right into place.
- Now that the boot is in place in its caliper bore groove, apply steady downward pressure with both tumbes to the piston making sure it is square to the bore.
- If you've lubricated everything along the way, simple 'two thumb' pressure will drive it home (you may have to rock it a bit back and forth til it starts), and the boot which was at the bottom of the piston when you started will now 'pop' into its proper groove on the piston.
- It took me 5X longer to type this than it takes to install each front caliper piston.
- This isn't magic, it just took me a few tries to figure it out the first time I did a SVX rebuild.

If I didn't describe this right or you still have any questions, IM me. I promise to take pictures the next set I do (Bobby's current brakes which will become cores for the next set).

[longassname]

I bet you there's a lady in Japan with tiny hands that can do it the factory way in like 30 seconds though.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by gsodonis

Yes, the kits include all of the parts needed to prevent the banging sound - unless you have a worn out slider pin, in which case they're still available from Subaru for arouind $8 - $10 each new. Subaru includes small pouches of assembly lube that makes everything go together well. Most manufacturers' kits give you nothing, forcing you to use brake fluid as an assembly lubricanbt, and for anyone that has had brake fluid make prolonged contact with your skin - it wreaks havoc on your hands!

I think it's my slider pin, as the noise goes away when i hold onto the brakes over a bump.