Hello Everybody,
I'm currently upgradeing my rear rotors and brake pads on my 87 firebird formula 350 (b/w 9bolt rear) and i have stummbled across some trouble. FIRST i found that my passanger side rear calliper has a little bit of break fluid leaking out of the piston. I believe it needs rebuilt or just upgraded to something better but I don’t know which rebuild kit to buy (don’t know how to rebuild a calliper either but I have successfully rebuilt plenty of engines so can't be that hard) or if I should just buy a OE calliper or find a decent priced upgraded calliper, and where should I buy any of those thing? The SECOND thing wrong was when i went to put the driver side calliper on with the brake pads on and it didn’t want to go on like the new pads were to thick. So i tried using my brake pad piston compressor tool (I dont know what it's really called) and the piston wouldn’t budge. Did I do something wrong? Is the calliper broke? or is it not suppose to compress inwards like the fronts do? The THIRD thing that went wrong was while attempting to place the driver side rear calliper on to the rotor I accidentally dropped the calliper and it broke the metal line that attaches to the calliper how should I go about fixing this without buying a whole brake line kit?

 

1.http://www.summitracing.com/parts/aa...bird/year/1987 $60 remanufactured OE callipers. 2:crack the bleeders on the rear callipers to compress the piston. 3: autozone sells brake lines just find the right one that fits. sound good for a daily driver?

 

If you have brake fluid leaking around the piston area, the piston seal is probably starting to leak and should be replaced or rebuilt. I haven't rebuilt that style caliper before so I don't know how hard it is to do it. I've rebuilt my rear calipers on my iroc but I have pbr aluminum calipers and are pretty easy to rebuild. It was just finding the rebuild kits was the hard part. You have the iron calipers on your car which is a different style caliper than mine. To compress the piston on your calipers, you have to turn/twist the piston while you are pushing it in. They make a tool to do this and can be bought at any auto parts store. They integrate the e-brake mechanism in the caliper and that's why you have to turn the piston when pushing it in. This style caliper is on a lot of vehicles on the market. Take the brake line that's broke to the parts store and they can match it up to the one you'll need.

 

I'm been at least ten years since I last put a set of rear pads on my camaro. I remember turning the piston to compress the caliber but I forget, isn't it counter clockwise to make the piston go back into the caliber? Anyone remember which way? Also the little rubber cap on the center of the piston, what does it do?

Thanks

 

yes the rear calipers need a tool to turn it. it can be rented at auto or you jus buy one. its counter clock wise an pressure inward to get it to go.