On my 1982 TA I have 4 wheel discs.
I had the rear calipers hanging off, and pushed the brake pedal a few times.
Now i'm trying to put them back on, and I can't push the piston back in. I removed the calipers from the car, there's no fluid in there, and I still can't push the piston back in.
Is there a trick or a secret going on here? Did I screw up the calipers beyond repair?
Unfortunately rear calipers for this car are much more expensive then front ones, since they are pretty rare. I'd rather find a way to fix these, if possible.
I tried compressing the piston in my bench vise, with a 4' snipe, and only twisted the vise.

 

The pistons don't press in, they screw in. If you're lucky you haven't stripped the threads yet.

 

are you sure about that? In my haynes it never mentioned that, but I remember having to do that once upon a time with a car... guess it was this one?
I think I tried screwing it in, and couldn't. Big vise grips should do it ?

 

"Haynes" seems to be a common problem...
on my 83 I believe they screwed in counter clockwise... but that was 8 years ago.. I've slept since then..
I prefer GM Service Manuals to Haynes...

 

true true, haynes isn't always my best bible... I do have the helm, but I don't usually use it unless i'm really unsure of something, don't want to dirty it

From a search on here, looks like one of those disc brake 'cubes' is what I need. I think I can borrow one of those puppies, or pick one up for $10 or something from a parts store...

Thanks

 

how are the brakes for an 82 rare and expensive? Arent they the same as the iron calipers used on all years till the PBRs? And yes, you need one of those caliper screw in tools, i got one at pep boys for about 7$ i think.

 

Check rock auto and tell me why. Front calipers are $24. For my oldsmobile they're $26. For the TA rear? $67 or so. And a $60 core.
REAR calipers are semi-rare, and therefore more expensive.
I'll grab that tool and give'r a shot.

 

"Brake cubes" are crap for most applications. They kind of work on GM calipers, though.

This is what you really want:

http://www.lislecorp.com/tool_detail.cfm?detail=294

 

Damn... Hard to justify if I only use it once or twice...
Bought a cube yesterday ($17!). Screwed the piston out. I didn't get a chance to inspect the threads on the center rod yet. I checked the other side, and obviously those are ok...
I disassembled both calipers so I could clean and paint them. I hit one with the grinder (angle and die), and the other I left soaking in "safest rust remover". Today I'll find out if it works at all...

 

That's why you rent.

You'll use it more than once anyway.

 

If you're ever looking at rebuilding your rear calipers the GM recall kit, Part Number: 18019028 from GM Parts Direct, listed as "Actuator" includes parts for both rear calipers, pistons, springs, seals, etc. and ensures you get the 'updated' parts that fix the parking brake issues.

With a manual trans yours may have been recalled previously, but if you're considering a rebuild (or need to because you've boogered something up), everything's there.

 

Actually I had GM do that rebuild for me a few years ago, so I do have the new parts.
Thanks though.

 

Ahhh. If you'd done them yourself like us Southern boys you'd have known the caliper screwed back in. Took a little effort to figure out how all that worked when I did mine.

 

So I took the rear calipers off the car, soaked them in "safest rust remover" (highly recommend this stuff by the way, works like a damn!). I primed and painted (and will be repainting soon, ahem...).

Anyway, I ripped the seal on one off as I was reassembling. I'm ordering new piston seals off rock auto now.

I'm having a hell of a time reassembling these. Anyone remember how? Should I drop the "bolt" in there, tighten the e-brake assembly and nut on the backside, then put the piston in (sans seal?), turn the caliper in (this is where i'm stuck), and drive in the seal? or do I do this another way?
If I hold the piston and spring in hand, the piston will rotate CW easily (which is "loosen", or "out"), and if I try to rotate it CCW, it will bind the spring and doesn't want to rotate. There's got to be an easier way...?

 

All I can remember is that I DID install the seal first (before the caliper went in) and that it screwed in. Maybe I turned the bolt on the back to draw in the caliper? There's also a high degree of probability that I didn't re-install mine the 'correct' way.

Not much help, maybe, but I'm bored here. The boards have been less than exciting since last Spring.

 

hmm, good idea. I'll throw a washer on the bolt, then grab the threads with a vice grip over some rags or something, and draw in the piston, then hold it in place with some plywood or something, then put on the ebrake gizmo....

Yea, not much going on on the boards lately eh? ah where's our comic relief now? I miss RB83/sofaking...

 

I did score a low mileage set of vortec heads at the JY last weekend. $100 WITH the roller lifters, rods, spider and valve covers. If I'd had my puller they would have let me have the cam, retainer and timing cover too for my $.

They're crushing crazy amounts of cars. With the low prices for scrap metal they have to crush their own cars to keep the machines fed.

That's MY excitement for the week. Had to share. Haven't really decided yet what I'll do with them, but that truck's scrap by now.

 

You install the actuator screw in the piston and then put the piston in the bore.

 

Yea, easier said than done! If you do that, then try to drop the piston in, the screw unscrews itself from gravity, and falls out. So you try it upside-down. You have to compress the spring as you push the piston in the bore, which is hard. I can't do that with my bare hands.

 

Guess what kind of tool you'd use to take care of that problem...