[Mechanically Minded]

Hello Everyone,

Just completed rebuilding a set of b2000 front brake calipers. Some my be familiar, some may not. If this needs moved, I apologize. I frowned as learned that these calipers remanufactured are in the +$50 range and ordered two kits from autozone. #66403 (d351595) duralast.

I assume you have basic knowledge if you are attempting this. This is just to maybe save someone a little time, on their attempt. Of course, at your own risk.

Remove calipers!

I suggest to remove them with the rubber lines attached. For two reasons. Most brake services arise from failure, noise, or poor performance. Removing the rubber lines will allow you to blow through and wash them out, while checking for obstructions. This is important if a brake is dragging! Some hoses can collapse inside in such a way that allows high hydraulic pressure from the peddle to pass but will not allow the low pressure backflow to release the brake.
Also, if you are having caliper issues, chances are your hoses have aged enough to warrant replacement anyway. Be thorough or be scared!

There is another situation to which removing the lines will help. If there is a stuck brake, chances are your 100psi air compressor will not be strong enough to blow the piston out of the caliper. If you already have them off the truck, this is extremely frustrating. Cut an old line, and plug it. Screw the stuck caliper and hose back on the other side stomp the peddle repeatedly to push the stuck caliper apart. Or separate the stuck caliper BEFORE you remove anything else!

Back on track, remove and wash calipers and/or lines, slide pins, bleeders. Take your time here, any loose rust or debris on the calipers WILL make reassembly an absolute nightmare. Your new seals will be rubbing the outside diameters and become contaminated. Steel brushes and steel wool are great for clean up.

Using compressed air, blow through the brake hose to push the piston out of the housing.
Clean all debris and most of the discoloration from the piston outside diameter and the housings inside diameter. I personally choose to polish the pistons to a mirror shine.
Clean all your slide pins and boots. Straight sewing pins work great to clean out the bleeders.

Sorry, missing pictures for this. Somehow, they didn't save when I took them.

Set yourself up, everything cleaned, brake fluid in a solo cup bottom, q-tips because I hate brake fluid. Clamp for squeeze, DULL flat screwdriver, seal kit and deep calming breaths.

Piston is clean, when it looks like this.

Put the new square o-ring in the caliper housing and stretch the dust seal over the piston.

Push/twist/rock the piston into the housing.

If everything is as it should be, you most likely can squeeze it in by hand.
Note: do not leave the banjo bolt in the housing. The back of the piston can contact the banjo bolt if it is screwed in place without a line connected.

Start working the dust seal down into the housing.

The piston depth and seal started into the housing should look like this.

Now push the piston all the way down. Stop, when it stops moving, do not force it after it bottoms out!

Work the dust seal outer edge down into the housing more. Until it looks like this. If everything is clean, the dust seal may sink into place when pushing the piston all the way down.

Get your retainer clip and start working it in.

 

[Mechanically Minded]

Be patient, and don't poke holes in your new dust seal!

When it is in and seated, it looks like this.

Don't forget to clean and lube your slide pins!

Clean out your bleeders and drum up some caps. I used silicone vaccum caps, that I already had. New brass washers are a good idea, as well as new rubber lines.

Do it twice. These are ready for masking and paint. This is not a show truck, but it will look better.

 

[Mechanically Minded]

I spent approximately $10 dollars rebuilding my two calipers. It is not something to do if you are in a time crunch. The truck is a spare vehicle and I rather enjoy projects. Don't forget to lubricate the piston and o ring with brake fluid before assembly. Anti seize is great on bleeder threads, and ceramic brake lube is great on float pins and contact points of pads.

Reinstall on truck and start your favorite brake bleeding process. (The reason your girlfriend/wife has one big leg.)

Thanks everyone, happy wrenching! 🔧

 

[Axel Breaker Earl]

Actually.....after 40+ years of marriage, I revert to my home made brake bleeder tool! I never buy the aftermarket calipers for any of my trucks (and cars), I get the rebuild kits and do it myself.

Good write-up MM!!

 

[Mechanically Minded]

Cleaning everything up very well is the key. I used steel wool on the piston and housing bores. Finished it off with a scotch brite pad and some metal polish on the piston, while watching television.

Thanks Axle: Unfortunately, it seems everything is marketed as throw away now. Worse with time. Glad to hear that I am not the only one, still doing things the hard way. Bahaha!

Now to decide what to do with my leftover $85...

 

[Mechanically Minded]

Axle breaker: Do you have a pic of your diy bleeder tool? Gravity, pump, or pneumatic? I'm curious, if you don't mind...

 

[Axel Breaker Earl]

I also have a bunch of different "Dental Tools" that I use all of the time when working on cars.......the ones I like for tucking in the dust covers around the caliper pistons and the caliper housing are the ones with a rounded end on them. Kinda like a very small spade, but no sharp edges......don't know the official name for that dental tool, but I did find a pic of a similar one online.....

 

[Axel Breaker Earl]

Axle breaker: Do you have a pic of your diy bleeder tool? Gravity, pump, or pneumatic? I'm curious, if you don't mind...

I will take a few pics and load them here for you......it's a small pump-up sprayer that I removed the spray nozzle and added a fitting to the end of the hose, then screwed a old Mazda brake cylinder cap onto. Drilled a hole in the plastic tank, and threaded in a small pressure gage.

Basically, it pressurizes the brake fluid reservoir slightly, so when you crack open the bleeder screws, it forces the fluid through the system.

So far, I have used it on multiple vehicles and it works like a charm every time. Had to make a cap for my 2002 Chevy Silverado with a large O-ring so it sealed to the reservoir, so I could force new fluid through all of the new SS brake lines when the factory ones started rusting! Known issue for those trucks, and because of the anti-Lock system people have nightmarish posts on the GM forums when they try to get all of the air out of the new lines!! My little homemade low pressure system, worked like a charm! The first time!!

 

[Axel Breaker Earl]

Here are some pics of my homemade Brake Bleeder....

You can see in the last pic here that I melted the vent hole closed on the Mazda cap also.....ugly, but effective!

 

[Axel Breaker Earl]

I picked up a lower PSI gauge I'm pretty sure......and it's around here somewhere, but I probably put 10-15 PSI of pressure in the systems when bleeding them, so not a bunch, but I would like a better gauge in it for sure.

Also, I just unscrew the Mazda cap and then can screw on a different vehicles reservoir cap when I need it for a different make of car.

Here is a replacement cap I bought for my Chevy......it was pretty cheap, but I made it work...

Two layers of some 3/16" rubber sheet that I had around (for ages!) did the trick of sealing up the cap on the Chevy......Probably need to spend a little more time making a better one for next time though!

 

[Axel Breaker Earl]

So now........both of my Wife's legs are swollen up......from lack of pumping the brake pedal the last ten years!!

 

[Mechanically Minded]

That's slick, it would double as a coolant pressure tester with the right cap adapter, too! My 2016 Cruze was a pita after my abs unit self-cycled DURING a brake service. I understand the GM despair.
Also, no proportioning valve woes. With the right chemicals, you could flush a/c systems and all.

You get points for simplicity. Nailed it! I think I am on board

 

[Axel Breaker Earl]

I bought a flushing cylinder that I use for A/C work.......looks like this one....

 

[Cussboy]

I've owned my 1988 B2200 since 1994, when it had 50K miles. In that time and now 239K miles, I've rebuilt one brake caliper and bought a lifetime rebuilt one for the other side.

When Mrs. Cusser kept walking in circles due to a stronger left leg a couple of years ago, to bleed brakes on my old VWs that I've had for 50 and 46 years respectively, I had a replacement cap that threaded on, so I drilled a hole in it and inserted a tire valve.

I filled the reservoir with new brake fluid, screwed on my cap with valve stem, set my I used my 3-gallon air compressor to about 20 psi and attached it to the valve stem. Then I opened up the bleeders in sequence, filling up the reservoir as necessary to flush out all old brake fluid.

 

[Mechanically Minded]

That shook a memory loose.... My grandfather owned and operated a body shop, 70's-80's One of my shop "toys" was a 2 liter bottle cap with a valve stem attached. I would fill the bottle 2/3 with water, put a bunch of air in it, and slam it in the parking lot. Water rocket! Kept me busy, I guess.

Same man, bought this b2000 that's the subject now. Truck was involved in an airport bi-plane crash @ 12,000 miles. Pilot/aircraft styled log of documentation was included with the truck. If this man added air to a tire, it was documented. Propeller shrapnel hit it above the back window. Small 1/2 CC stripe/dent almost centered above the glass. Completely overlook-able, but this pilot couldn't handle it. Grandfather bought the truck, rather than fix it for the pilot. This was years ago 88 maybe. I was into toyota 4wds at the time.

Truck now has 315,xxx miles on original engine, 2nd transmission. It WAS awesome driving it as a teenager, I used to run it against the first gen pgmfi preludes and old corollas. Eat them alive in corners and watch them gain it back on straights.

Now, I apologize to it with refurbishments and drive it in amazement, as all the other cars/trucks in the family from that era have long been scrapped. Sparing my 70 Elky, thanks to Papaw....

It's had all steering/suspension done fresh with a 2" -ish leveled static drop. Truck is heavily associated with my grandfather, so paint is off the table for now, for nostalgia. Most of the interior is nice again, with a lot of work sealing and painting the oem plastics and recovering materials. This truck is a dark grey se-5 graphic never been in a garage, driveway sitter.

Man... the older I get, the easier these ramblings tie together. I appreciate the sharing of the diy tools, it's enjoyable to see them. I am the only one in the family that still takes garage therapy. I may never recover!

 

[Axel Breaker Earl]

Cool story(s) MM!

There are some of us here that enjoy getting in the Garage and fixing/improving our vehicles......I just recently retired and have a bunch of vehicle projects to enjoy working on again.
Here is one that I don't usually need to work on......mostly all original car, with all paperwork, Protect-0-Plate, etc. and bought originally in Gainesville here, and I am the third owner.......a blast to drive!
Second owner painted it with the help of a buddy, so the paint is not perfect, but decent enough to drive and enjoy.

 

[Axel Breaker Earl]

Another one that I need to do some work to and hopefully will this winter.

 

[Bobmo]

Hey ABE,
Nice projects you have to work on and congrats on retirement.
I retired about 6 years ago with the same intention. I built a nice 48 x 32 pole barn with a two post lift.
I was talking with my mechanic friend and told him the same story as you. 'i'm retired and can finally work on all those fun projects I have.
He laughed at me and told me of his father.
He told him that its so hard to get things done now that he's retired. It seems there is too much time and the urgency to get things gone before having to go back to work on Monday morning is gone!
And I believe him now!
Its a wonderful life though.
Bobmo

 

[Axel Breaker Earl]

Thanks Bobmo! Yeah......another problem is I have lots of friends that know I'm retired now......so, tomorrow will be the third day in a row that I am helping them with THEIR projects......instead of working on mine!! I guess it's good to be "needed"......

 

[Mechanically Minded]

Nice projects! I have a 70 Elky roasting on the back burner, I managed to hold onto it since 15 yrs old. (First car) It is new underneath, but ugly still. I cruise it some, no one suspects the old crowsfooted girl.
Well guys... I hope to have 30 yrs of work life left. Congratulations to you.
I enjoy tinkering too much. I do nitro r/c from the couch if I can't get my hands on something outside, Gotta love tuned pipes! My nights consist of stock refinishing and trying to learn diy ecu tuning for Honda/G.M. at the moment. For fun I am 100% overhauling a 87 Trx250x, and wife's 94 Civic both ground up, hench the tuning lessons. Much more 80%er projects stored in totes waiting for more of my time. I enjoy gunsmithing and engine theory.
I have a problem with starting way too much, which makes me get dressed when my feet hit the floor. My urgency is phenomenal, a lump on my neck, indigestion pills, and light chest pains sometimes, but WHEN do I have time to sit in a doctors office?
No, seriously... I wouldn't change very much about life, I am thankful for everything. Good luck in the future projects. Simple things, I document sometimes. Hopefully see you around. Now if I could get rid of that time wasting job....