Stan944

I might want to call the dealer to check the price.

Unfortunately, there is one deep scratch very close to where I think the seal will be;it's hard to measure it exactly, especially that it depends on the pad wear. There are also many, many smaller scratches (1/16" long) which also look problematic to me.

Dave in Chicago

Gotcha. Then it needs a proper fix. You won't have much fun driving around wondering if the caliper is going to act up.

Try Sunset Porsche (ads in Pano / Excellence). They seem to discount and they found a part for me in a nationwide hunt recently. They were very helpful.

Stan944

Toronto dealer can't get the pistons for 1983 944 at all, neither the complete calipers. Supposedly same would be all over Canada.
Could you tell me which dealer you were referring to that sells the pistons?
EDIT: I just saw the above, must be Sunset Porsche you're talking about.

Scott at Team Harco

Stan,

Wow - what a disaster. Who the hell would paint the inside of a caliper bore?

Good thing you took it apart. Rebuilt parts are often a crap shoot as to their quality. Looks like you crapped out on this one.

Not sure I have any useful advice on finding parts. Fortunately, for me, seal kits were all I needed for my brakes.

I did write a decent generic article on how to rebuild calipers. Send me a PM or provide your email address if you'd like a copy. (offer still holds for anyone else here).

Dave in Chicago

Also, I think someone may have mentioned Ian at www.944online.com. His whole mission in life seems to be keeping these low-value cars running with reasonable parts and rebuilds. Might be worth a call.

I bought a rebuilt transaxle and alternater from him. Was very happy with both products and transactions.

And - Scott's right. I may have never personally pulled the pistons out (broad assumption that someone rebuilding them would have SOME commons sense). It's a very good thing that you did.

Chin up man. I'm sure there is a simple answer out there somewhere.

Stan944

So I went to return the caliper and the guy at first said he won't take it because I'm not supposed to open it, and the rebuilding guys have been doing this 24/7 for years, and they know what they are doing. I showed him the piston , and eventually he gave me back the money. He didn't want to get a replacement, and I didn't want it either, as it probably would be of similar quality.
I'm no longer sure about this paint I mentioned earlier. He claims it was sandblasted. Since I'm not an expert, and don't know how a sandblasted surface looks like, it might as well be the case. Even though, the surface was rough everywhere, and I have my doubts if the brake line would contact the caliper well enough to be leak-free. In any case, I would welcome comments on sandlasting here, as I'm likely to face something similar again.
Scott, thanks but I already have your write up...
I hope I find a good product soon!

Dave in Chicago

And here is a link to a caliper rebuild procedure that I found useful. The author states that he was able to push the pistons back in by hand, but I bloody well couldn't.

Anyway, hope it's useful and many thanks to the original author for posting it complete with pics!

http://vista.pca.org/sch/tech_articl...er_rebuild.htm

Scott at Team Harco

Good that you got your money back. You'd have been stuck with a paperweight if not.

Sandblasted? Inside the bore? No - no one who knows what they are doing would do that. Cast parts have a rough surface. Sandblasting is used to clean the old rust and paint away (from external surfaces).

See pictures below of sandblasted castings and post paint. Note the ear plugs used to plug the holes to prevent paint from getting on the threaded and sliding surfaces.

89magic98

I used Scott's article for my caliper refurbishing on my 924s. It really helped me!

Stan944

Thanks for the pictures: the surface finish looked like the one in the picture above (gray color). If only they didn't do it to the bore, and line holes... And I like the idea of using ear plugs - I might want to do the same if I decide to paint them.

500

If they sandblasted the insides of the cylinder, that is just really poor. The bore is a machined surface and must remain that way. I would expect a rebuilder to either blast before dissassembly (since the seals are getting replaced anyway), or carefully mask off these areas before blasting (said masking being capable of withstanding the blast media).

Upon reflection, I agree with others that the best bet may be to get a used caliper and re-seal it. Since you are in Canada, another place to contact (for items taken off of parts cars is) porschapart