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MG MGB Technical - Brake calipers new or recon - who from

I have a spare set of MGB brake calipers I was going to have rebuilt but I see that Moss now do new calipers from £40. However, they don't say on their website if the pistons are steel or stainless steel.

Also, my experience of some new parts is that they are often rubbish compared to the original parts.

So, any advice on whether to have my old caliper reconditioned and if so who to send it to, or to buy new and can I get new with s/s pistons.

Thanks
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

To my knowledge, the new calipers come with chrome plated steel pistons. The MGOC, and now Moss, carry stainless steel pistons, but they are not cheap. I'm sure that any local rebuilder can overhaul your calipers at a fair price. I can't say it as a fact, but I would guess that the new calipers are made in China, thus the very low price. As with most things coming out of China, the quality will vary. 85% of the entire world's counterfeit parts are now coming from China. RAY
rjm RAY

Rebuild your old ones. I have just had to return two new callipers as one of them had not been machined properly and was allowing one of the pads to spin.
The old castings are a much better quality.
a goldup

Ok. So I'll have my old calipers rebuilt with s/s pistons. One reason I won't do this myself is that I want them re-coated which I can't get done.

Any recommendations as to who to send them to?
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

I had the calipers on my MGC rebuilt a few years ago by Brake Engineering via my local motor factor.
More recently I had one of my MGB calipers exchanged for a Brake Engineering rebuilt item that my local motor factor had on the shelf.
Brake Engineering has a factory in Wrexham.
www.brake-eng.com
I live in north Lancashire and the motor factor I use is called EK.
Regards,
David.
D M B LEGGEAT

Daniel. What is the problem with having the calipers recoated? I made up two aluminum pieces, with a spring between them, to fit into the two piston openings. This, when used with two piston seals, effectively seals the openings and allows me to coat the outsides of the calipers with some form of industrial coating designed for use in harsh environments. (I am using a product called Gun Kote because I have it on hand, but there are similar products for other industrial applications such as railroad equipment. Gun Kote is solvent resistant and brake fluid will not damage it.)

The calipers are not difficult to take apart and I have never had a problem, over many years, with the ones I have taken apart, cleaned, and rebuilt. In fact, the only thing I would worry about is the quality of the rubber in the rebuild kits. This concern would apply, equally, to a new caliper. The quality of rubber parts I am seeing in recent years is not the quality I am used to using and I make it a habit to inspect rubber parts on some form of regular basis for cracking, tearing, and leaking.

Les
Les Bengtson

Hi Les, I also don't have any kind of media blasting equipment so to get a really good finish on the part I have to buy off the shelf.

Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

Some years ago I rebuilt my calipers and installed new chrome plated pistons. It wasn't hard at all. Just don't split them. These rebuilt calipers have served me well for many years. No special tools were required to do the job.

I'd sure try to stay with the original castings. You likely won't see that quality in any repro part especially if they come from China or India.
Robert McCoy

This thread was discussed between 24/04/2011 and 02/05/2011

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