COMPLETION OF THE DISASSEMBLY PROCESS - SPARE SET OF OEM REAR BRAKE CALIPERS
Continuing on from where I left off in last month’s blog updates, this month’s progress focuses on completing the cleaning and de-rusting stages for my spare set of OEM rear brake calipers. Once this stage was finished, the calipers were finally ready to move on to the next phase of the restoration process—stripping the original factory protective coating from the outer surfaces and returning everything back to bare metal. This will ultimately provide the best possible foundation for a durable, high-temperature, high-gloss paint finish later on.
Step 4: De-Rusting Process of Both Rear Brake Calipers
The deep-cleaning cycles that both rear brake calipers went through in last month’s update successfully removed the majority of the built-up dirt and grime that had accumulated across all components, including the caliper bodies themselves.
However, there was still a noticeable amount of surface rust present on several parts that needed to be addressed before any new coating could be applied. To tackle this, I submerged all of the affected brake caliper components into a container filled with EvapoRust solution, placed the container into my ultrasonic cleaning machine, and ran a 20-minute cycle at 60°C.
Once the cycle was complete, the container was removed from the ultrasonic cleaner and all components were taken out of the EvapoRust solution. Each piece was then thoroughly dried by hand, followed by a quick powered blow-dry using my BigBoi handheld electric blower to ensure no excess residue remained on any of the calipers or hardware.
The body assemblies of each half of both rear brake calipers came out looking significantly better than before. Most of the ugly orange caliper paint was now completely gone, and overall the calipers are now starting to resemble their original factory condition—albeit with a slightly faded appearance.
https://i.postimg.cc/65r0c3gw/Separated_Rear_Brake_Calipers_Current_Condition_1.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/2SCxKYNR/Separated_Rear_Brake_Calipers_Current_Condition_2.jpg
Next up were the hydraulic pistons, which were heavily rusted on the internal surfaces of all four units. Once again, the EvapoRust solution worked wonders and brought these parts back to life. I’ll still be going over each piston with a polishing wheel to remove the remaining scuff marks present on the external surfaces.
https://i.postimg.cc/Prsy1Z6Y/Caliper_Pistons_Current_Condition_1.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/m2YwjDqw/Caliper_Pistons_Current_Condition_2.jpg
A quick wire-wheel test was also carried out on the internal section of one of the hydraulic pistons to remove any remaining buildup. The result was even better than expected and confirms that a light polish will have these looking near new again.
Polished: (LH) Vs Not Polished (RH)
https://i.postimg.cc/rFXj5WhS/Caliper_Piston_Cleaning_Up_Comparison.jpg
Nearly all of the brake caliper hardware and fasteners came out of the de-rusting cycle completely free of surface rust and corrosion. However, the factory zinc coating was also stripped during the process, so I’ll be looking to replace as many of these fasteners as possible as part of the restoration. More on that later.
https://i.postimg.cc/8PQ4LWyL/Caliper_Fasteners_Set_Current_Condition.jpg
The two rear mounting brackets for each rear brake caliper also saw the complete removal of all surface rust that had formed on the exposed metal surfaces, as well as beneath the factory single-stage paint coating. A full strip-down and repaint will definitely be required before these brackets can be reattached to the restored brake calipers.
https://i.postimg.cc/jdHXc5m0/Rear_Caliper_Brackets_Current_Condition_1.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Yq63R9ZB/Rear_Caliper_Brackets_Current_Condition_2.jpg
Last but not least was the results of the cleaning process for all of the rubber seals and O-rings. Surprisingly, these came out of the cleaning cycle looking almost like brand-new parts. That being said, I’ll still be replacing everything with a complete set of brand-new seals and O-rings during reassembly phase to ensure long-term reliability.
https://i.postimg.cc/FsyZpRqC/Old_Caliper_Orings_Seals_Set.jpg
Unfortunately, that concludes the extent of the work I was able to complete on this project for the month. While I’m extremely happy with the results of the cleaning and de-rusting processes, there’s still plenty of work ahead before these rear brake calipers are fully restored and ready to go back on the car.
By
DJ_Party_Favor ·
Hi all,
well there you go finally joined, fully paid up :cool:
With any luck should be the proud owner of a 300zx tommorrow, see u all at the next meet! :duffer:
p.s. where do I send details for keyring etc?