Bent caliper bracket slide pin recommendations

[Mr D]

03 GTP, 142k mi. w/ 12" front calipers (Imp/MC) - one of my first mods, don't recall if I got them from ZZP or WBS- probably the same.

Like title says, I got at least one bent slide pin. Don't want it to happen again. Hoping for some wisdom sharing & recommendations for brands, part #s...

As always, thanks!

[02NavyBlue]

Are they loose in the bore of the bracket?

[Mr D]

I can't move them by hand.

Lot's of history, too much. There's a knock from same area, seems suspension, brake related. Been chasing that sound for over a year, lots of new parts along the way. It would be mind boggling if a $5 jy slide bolt fixed it...

[02NavyBlue]

That's weird man. Well I don't know the style of bolt you have since they're not stock, but it would be hard to bent a slide that's in a perfectly round bore, unless it bent where it mounts around the caliper.

[nik12937]

Are you sure they aren't just seized in place? Blue has a good point, those bolts are like Grade 8 or 11 bolts, they're very hard to bend. I've seen slide pins get seized to the point of using vice grips and pry bars to remove them due to the grease drying up and the pints/bore eventually rusting, once just overheating to the point of pretty much fusing since the caliper got stuck. I'd just toss a new bolt in and grease it up real good with some high temperature silicone grease, and then check it after a bit.

[Mr D]

Slide pin is bent, I know b/c I just did new rotors, pads, pad retainers, drag reduction clips- which is when the pins came out, & fresh grease added. I'm hard on brakes, but dang.

This really leads to a follow-up, as the pin is bent, how likely is it that the caliper is damaged? Idk, but seems like the shaft would be tight, not large enough to accommodate a bent slide pin.

What's the difference between stock Imp/MC calipers & the upgrade for our GPS?

I'm making a jy run, and trying to decide if I should be looking for slide pins or whole calipers?

Thanks again!

[FordMan77]

The F-body calipers are aluminum, while the stock MC/Imp dual piston calipers are cast iron. No difference other than the weight as far as I know. If it's cheap enough in the jy I'd just grab the whole caliper. Worst case your's is fine and you have a spare caliper for that side.

[Scottydoggs]

id try to clean the caliper holes up real good, spray brake cleaner in the holes let it sit for a bit, then work the new slider pin in and out to flush/clean the hole out. then hold it upside down and spray into the holes so it leaks right out to flush the holes. then re grease the pin and work it in the hole. re grease the pin like 3 or 4 times till the hole and pin are loaded with grease good.

your supposed to use synthetic brake grease too, its high heat grease.


same goes for any junk yard brake set up you up grade to, clean and grease the crap out of them.

[Mr D]

Fordman, the "stock Imp/MC" calipers I'm talking about are 12" single piston. Both wbs & zzp sell them.

My question is, how is the zzp/wbs 12" single piston caliper 'upgrade' different then actual, true stock Imp/MC calipers?

[Scottydoggs]

why bother using a single piston caliper for a up grade? f bodys are dual piston.


every thing zzp sells is the same thing you can go buy off the shelf at your parts store. if you know what car they came off of originally.

[REDCRAPGP]

why bother using a single piston caliper for a up grade? f bodys are dual piston.


every thing zzp sells is the same thing you can go buy off the shelf at your parts store. if you know what car they came off of originally.

^^^^^

What you bought wasn't much of a upgrade. Should of went fbodies and be done with it.

[Mr D]

Nice, the Sig w/ wrecked front end is bagging on my brakes. Red, you didn't quick enough did you? Mechanical or user error?

Why bother w/ fbody when real ballers do ctsv, 13" quad piston.... Blah blah...

I disagree, 12" is noticeably better than stock 11", it feels safe now, & strong enough to stop the wheel from turning @ speed. If I would have had more $, it'd be bigger, w/ the requisite sst brake lines, drill, slotted, etc. . But I chose an affordable 'upgrade' & have been satisfied & recommend it.

Thanks for reading, but..... The point is lost & no one has even come close to the question, does anyone know if/what difference is from OE Imp/MC calipers & what wbs & zzp sell as a 12" single piston 'upgrade'?

It would be helpful to me in looking for parts &/or replacing that caliper.

[Mr D]

Ok, reread, Scottydoggs' about everything being off the shelf. I'm not sure it's always that simple, but I'll start there.

It's my DD, & only car, & I do the work alone. The only real way to know, is to try & put them on. Brakes are not hard to me, just a pita b/c if something goes wrong, I can be stuck w/o wheels until I get someone to help bleed them. Always better I if know before I put it on jacks.

[REDCRAPGP]

Wtf are you talking about wrecked front end?

[02NavyBlue]

That's clearly a squirrel mod. Squirrel air intake.

[REDCRAPGP]

Since I feel that OP is feeling a little sour that we informed him that he got hosed by ZZP and had a better option of going to fbody instead...

Here's a few size picture



Clearly it's a squirrel mod, and clearly the hood is proped and I was refinishing my headlights that why they're off... Nothing wrecked here. Nice try though

[Scottydoggs]

Ok, reread, Scottydoggs' about everything being off the shelf. I'm not sure it's always that simple, but I'll start there.

It's my DD, & only car, & I do the work alone. The only real way to know, is to try & put them on. Brakes are not hard to me, just a pita b/c if something goes wrong, I can be stuck w/o wheels until I get someone to help bleed them. Always better I if know before I put it on jacks.

trust me, zzp dont make them calipers or the brackets. the F bodys are on any, and i mean any, v6, ss or any other type of 98-02 camaro or firebird you see on the road, or junk yard. nothing that should command what those asshats charge for some stuff.

f bodys clear 16 wheels too. aka stock wheels. i got em, under stock 16 inch caddy wheels.

as far as bleeding the brakes, make a one man bleeder. you get some clear tubing that fits the nipple on the caliper bleeder, run the tube through a hole in a cap of a bottle then to the very bottom of the bottle. then make another hole in the cap for a vent. then add a few inches of new clean brake fluid, then open the bleeder, now slowly push the brake pedal 3 or 4 times, then go look at the line, if theres a air bubble in the clear line, push the pedal a few more times. repeat for all calipers.

make sure the master dont run dry.

[Scottydoggs]

this is the clearance you have on a 16 inch wheel. these will fit under any GP wheel but those crosslace wheels.




hell theres a member selling a pair for a $100.

[Scottydoggs]

and heres a f body caliper for sale at advance auto. looks just like the f bodys ZZP sells dont it? cause its the same thing.....

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/r...921%7CL2*16461

[Mr D]

Thanks for advice. I'm cool w/ my single piston 12" brakes. I have 18" wheels, so if I upgrade, it will be a 13" something.

Scottydoggs, I know zzp doesn't manufacture the parts, but I also believe if I just bought fbody, or ctsv brakes, & tried to put them on I would have a problem, starting w/ OE brake lines, but more importantly for me is to have correct bolts &/or space rs, shims, whatever. zzp puts together a kit that is a direct bolt on, w/o trips to store, that's what I paid for.

And that's what I was asking about, the bolts, not the caliper itself. Believe it or not, I actually understand the difference, & made the purchase I wanted.

So I answered my own question, about the slide pin.

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/...psamzngalg.jpg

Top is from jy off 12" single piston 05 MC (N/A)
Middle is off the 12" single piston 'upgrade' that you all are hating on.
Bottom is OE from my 11" 03 GTP.

If anyone cares, GM 11" & 12" caliper have same slide pin. My after market bent pin has a rubber sleeve @ bottom that give it same outside diameter as upper portion of shaft. it's bent right where it narrows. I'll only use solid straight slide pins in the future. And next time I have the other wheel off, I'm changing those to solid straight shaft slide pins, too.

I'm mind boogled! & happy! Finally, quiet & smooth up front! It was a knock or clunk, when engaging gear, changing momentum, low speed braking or hard acceleration, similar to what a broken sway bar sounds like.

Red, thanks for the big pic, now I see the squirrel upgrade. You must have good brakes, I don't know squirrels that roll out w/ crappy brakes.