Dead Bright Red Zed

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March 19, 201114 yr

Saw a very shiny Zx pulled over on the Stoke Hammond By-pass (MKeynes/Bletchley to Leighton Buzzard/Bedford). I almost spun back at the next round-a-bout thinking to chat to you but the AA man you had with you seemed to be stood well away up the banking. Was it about to explode? Did it explode? Maybe it had already exploded?

I feel for you cos that's the place where you might have been extending ones right digits(lets say). :sad:

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ADAMZX's OEM+ 2000spec Version R Replica Conversion & Rebuild Project Build Thread

HYDRAULIC BRAKE PISTON RESTORATION PROCESS
The next phase of the brake caliper restoration process involves inspecting and restoring the hydraulic brake pistons that were removed from both the front and rear brake calipers.
The goal here is to put the pistons through one final cleaning process and then assess their restored condition to determine whether they can be reused or be replaced with brand new hydraulic pistons.

https://i.postimg.cc/Mph2qvG8/1_All_Brake_Hydraulic_Pistons_2_(Before_Polishing).jpg
(Above) The current condition of all the hydraulic pistons after undergoing a deep cleaning and de-rusting cycle in the ultrasonic cleaning machine.
Before beginning the restoration work, I took a closer look at several areas of the pistons that still required additional cleaning.
https://i.postimg.cc/P5BsTPqs/2_close_Up_Of_existing_rust_inside_pistons.jpg
(Above) Rust deposits still remaining inside the inner barrel of the hydraulic pistons.
(Below) Some staining or contamination present on the outer surface of the pistons.
https://i.postimg.cc/9Qv5Crfh/2_Staining_or_marking_on_outer_surfaces_of_both_front_and_rear_pistons.jpg
Grinding Process
To tackle the remaining rust deposits first, I attached a small brass wire brush bit to my Dremel and carefully began grinding away the corrosion. This method proved to be very effective at removing the rust while leaving the underlying metal clean and shiny.
https://i.postimg.cc/NjWqB50F/3_After_wire_wheeling_inner_barrels_of_all_brake_pistons_1.jpg
(Above) Nearly all of the rust deposits have now been removed from the inner barrel surfaces, revealing clean metal underneath.
https://i.postimg.cc/Mph2qvG7/3_After_wire_wheeling_inner_barrels_of_Front_brake_pistons_1.jpg
(Above) The front brake caliper pistons came out looking great, with all rust removed. Only a couple of pistons still show minor pitting at the bottom of the inner barrel.
(Below) The rear caliper pistons actually turned out even better than the fronts after the grinding process.
https://i.postimg.cc/fbm4LD3V/3_After_wire_wheeling_inner_barrels_of_Rear_brake_pistons_1.jpg
I’m very happy with how well the wire brushing process worked. The pistons have cleaned up so nicely that I’m now unsure whether I should paint the inner barrels or simply leave them as they are.
What do you guys think — should I paint them or leave them bare?
Polishing Process
Next, I moved on to removing the staining or contamination that remained on the outer surfaces of the pistons.
To do this, I set up my electric drill in a bench vice and attached a cone-shaped polishing wheel. This created a simple DIY polishing rig that made the process much easier to control.
https://i.postimg.cc/wBLKvgtt/4_Polishing_Setup.jpg
(Above) With this setup I can safely hold the piston while polishing, without having to manage both the drill and the part at the same time. This gives me much better control and allows me to polish the piston surfaces more effectively.
Here’s the starting condition before polishing the first piston.
https://i.postimg.cc/bvkXJpGg/4_Test_of_polishing_process_on_outer_surface_of_Brake_Piston_(Before).jpg
(Above) It’s a little difficult to see in the photo, but there is a thin ring of staining along the upper section of the piston’s outer barrel. The goal is to remove as much of this contamination as possible using the polishing process.
After about five minutes of polishing, the results were impressive. All of the staining on the outer barrel of the first piston was completely removed.
https://i.postimg.cc/SKC0skXM/4_Test_of_polishing_process_on_outer_surface_of_Brake_Piston_(After_1).jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/zfKmB8Lw/4_Test_of_polishing_process_on_outer_surface_of_Brake_Piston_(After_2).jpg
(Above) As you can see, the contamination that was present on the piston surface has now been completely removed.
All that remained was to repeat the process on the rest of the pistons. Just like the first one, the results were excellent. The polishing process removed all visible contamination from the outer surfaces, making the pistons look almost brand new again.
https://i.postimg.cc/q7yfR4t1/5_All_Pistons_Polished.jpg
(Above) The polishing process was quick, simple, and extremely effective. I’m very happy with the results so far.
After successfully removing the rust deposits from the inner barrels of all the pistons and eliminating the contamination on the outer barrel surfaces, I am satisfied that these restored brake caliper hydraulic pistons are suitable for reuse. They can now be reinstalled into the front and rear brake calipers during the final stages of the restoration process.

By DJ_Party_Favor · 1 hour ago1 hr
ADAMZX's OEM+ 2000spec Version R Replica Conversion & Rebuild Project Build Thread

This month I wasn’t able to dedicate as much time to the project as I had hoped, but I still managed to make some progress. The focus was on cleaning up and polishing the hydraulic pistons in both the front and rear brake calipers.
These components still had varying amounts of residue and rust buildup left over from the earlier cleaning and de-rusting process, so this stage involved carefully removing the remaining contamination and improving their overall finish.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ADAMZX Instagram: instagram.com/adamzx_z32

By DJ_Party_Favor · 1 hour ago1 hr
OEM Brake calipers - aluminium vs cast iron

As per the "what did you do" thread I had to source a pair of replacement front calipers today, as mine have seized on the lower inner piston on both sides.
After searching the 'net, I found a couple suppliers had them in stock. First being Torquen - albeit at over £600 for a pair for either cast iron or aluminium.. Then I found some fully rebuilt aluminium ones (the correct fitting for a TT) at less than half that, which got me thinking. Cast iron vs aluminium....??
Both seem to have their merits and drawbacks - the ali ones being much lighter, so less unsprung weight - whereas the iron ones allegedly handle the heat better, reducing the chance of disc warpage. If one believes everything one reads on the interweb LOL!
Seeing as I don't track the Zed - and I am happy with the OEM set-up, when it works properly, plus I have a set of Brembo discs waiting to go on, as opposed to the Ebay ones I had previously, I thought the ali calipers would suffice.
Opinions please - good or bad😁

By RichardS · Thursday at 21:352 days
What did you do to your zed today?

Took mine to the garage today, to have new front discs and pads fitted - as the replacement discs I got fitted a year ago have also warped.
This time, it was obvious that both calipers had seized - lower inner piston on each side! Naturally, they didn't bother fitting the new kit for me, as those discs would also go bad pretty quickly. Not to mention the pads would never squeeze in past the protruding pistons!
So a quick search for some new or rebuilt calipers on the web ensued, and hopefully they will arrive on Tuesday - as the garage has rebooked me in on Friday 20th. Just in time for my next road trip😉

By RichardS · Thursday at 21:222 days
A sad thread

Wow - it doesn't seem that long......

By RichardS · Thursday at 20:162 days

Dead Bright Red Zed

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ADAMZX's OEM+ 2000spec Version R Replica Conversion & Rebuild Project Build Thread

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A sad thread

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