disc brake questions

Most likely EMPI, but the number showing in your first picture should be able to tell you

@*LongFella thanx just curious why no markings on rear calipers....gonna have to get more seal kits and learn procedure for future similar issue...cant seem to find a YOU TUBE video on these particular rear calipers as well as fronts.....that help would also be appreciated if any of the boys knows

No problem! What do you mean by the “lower boot/seal” in your post?

Maybe it’s not clicking, but the only places I can think of brake fluid leaks are the connections (hard or soft line) and the caliper itself (piston that pushes on the brake pad leaks inside).

Do you have a pick of the actual fluid leak spot? Maybe I need glasses cause I don’t see it :/

@*LongFella attached photo is left rear caliper....leak is on the right rear...definitely NOT the hard steel line....obviously is the piston seal...like i said, not familiar with this type of caliper...all i know is all around that lower rubber part was wet with brake fluid....precisely why i'm having my HOTROD guy investigate further....like a wise man once said...when i doubt..."save your dough and hire a pro"

Mine being a JPS build as well, those look identical to mine.

Front Calipers: EMPI 98-1150-B
Left Rear Caliper: EMPI 22-6123-B
Right Rear Caliper: EMPI 22-6124-B

@JR_1979 thanx man  just the info i needed!

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This is strange. My right rear has also developed a slow seeping. Not actually dripping, but the backs of the pads are very dirty from having been wet for a while.

My car is a 2013 VS, and I know Kirk sourced this brake set from SoCal Imports. Below is a picture of the left caliper, and it looks the same as yours. I was just talking to Andy there yesterday about parts. You may want to contact him to see if this is what you have.

He said they do have a rebuild kit available, but that the rebuild is trickier than most (because of the incorporated e-brake), with a lot of small parts that need to be assembled just right to avoid damage to the seals.

The calipers are available separately, for $99 each, including pads.

LEFT: 113 615 423

RIGHT: 113 615 424

Here's the link.

My brake:

.

@Sacto Mitch thanx for the input....you photo looks just like my part...i believe my problem just started...ergo no drip as of yet...just wet....and since i have no experience with this kind of caliper...that is why i'm consulting a pro to remedy this potential headache...cheers!

Mine will drip a single drop out of the small hole where the parking brake pin pokes out of the bottom of the caliper.

So....   I quit using the parking brake.  

Good morning folks. Mine is a14 VS with drums in the back.Is the rear disc conversion difficult to do? And are there better quality calipers out there that might not seep or drip?

@Sacto Mitch morning update...after consulting my HOTROD guy and having him observe the problem 1st hand ...his opinion is to replace both rear calipers since it would , as you say, be a very a fiddly job and would be more expensive & labor intensive to repair existing parts than to replace with newer better calipers.....updates to follow once completed...soooo glad i didn't dive head first into a calamity ....i'll say it again...."save your DOUGH & hire a PRO"

@*LongFella while i'm updating my situation...i thought i would also specify that the FRONT CALIBERS on my car are VW  parts.....which are OK for the car....the fly in the ointment seems to be the specialty calipers on the rear needed for use with a E-BRAKE....which @thedak may have shed light on the possible leak....the boys here are "in the know" guys!  thanx for help and input

VW Parts? Nice! I didn't know our builders used original VW parts.

Not sure I would call our rear brakes with an e-brake specialty calipers

If you have the time (and money) to spare... since you have to bleed the brakes... why not look at upgrading the all four and get a set of Willwoods?

my car is on a 1974 pan....so i guess front disc brakes were available....i may look into the willwoods in the future....although these existing parts have very adequate stopping power.....definitely a step up might be kewl....food for thought in any case

Does Wilwood make an e-brake caliper combo unit? Last time I checked you'd have to install two calipers, one for the service brake and one for parking via cable.

Not sure, but these come with or without a rope. You might be able to paint match it too

@DannyP posted:

Does Wilwood make an e-brake caliper combo unit?

Not that I know of. If somebody knows something I don't, I'm all ears.

@DannyP posted:

Does Wilwood make an e-brake caliper combo unit? Last time I checked you'd have to install two calipers, one for the service brake and one for parking via cable.

Check with Carey (@chines1).  My coupe has Willwood brakes and an e-brake, so I imagine they must offer something.

Yeah. Your fronts are most certainly Wilwood calipers. I have Dynalite 4 piston in the front.

I'd put money down that your rears are not Wilwood, as they don't make a combo hydraulic/mechanical e-brake caliper. You've probably got the same cast-iron rear e-brake calipers as the rest of us.

https://www.wilwood.com/Calipers/CaliperListLanding

@DannyP, what do you make of this caliper?  The description isn’t as clear as I would like, they call it a parking brake, not emergency brake.

https://www.wilwood.com/Calipe...ombination%20P-Brake

Wilwood probably has a rear disk caliper kit for an IRS rear - It's the same as a Porsche 924/944 and those had e-brake levers on them, but in looking for something I found this:

"Wilwood Engineering and our distributors make bolt-on brake kits for thousands of vehicles. Not all brake kits are listed on our website. Call our Sales staff at (805) 388-1188 to determine if there is a bolt-on kit available for your car."

@LI-Rick posted:

@DannyP, what do you make of this caliper?  The description isn’t as clear as I would like, they call it a parking brake, not emergency brake.

https://www.wilwood.com/Calipe...ombination%20P-Brake

That's pretty cool. We'd have to make a custom radial caliper bracket, but sweet. I wonder if there's a market to make more than one bracket?

Thanks, Rick.

I've used Wildwood front and rear kits on our VW based builds, but generally we prefer to use a Wildwood front kit and a stock rear kit with integrated e-brake over the Wildwood rears due to the lack or e-brake and the lack of room to add their standalone e-brake caliper.  They do not make a rear kit that fits our upright for the coupe, so just Wildwood fronts on it.

@chines1 posted:

I've used Wildwood front and rear kits on our VW based builds, but generally we prefer to use a Wildwood front kit and a stock rear kit with integrated e-brake over the Wildwood rears due to the lack or e-brake and the lack of room to add their standalone e-brake caliper.  They do not make a rear kit that fits our upright for the coupe, so just Wildwood fronts on it.

As I suspicioned.

The world is ready for a small aluminum bodied rear brake with an integrated E-brake. Of the 70-bazillion car types world wide, surely somebody has made one with the right piston size/stroke.

Had enough of the drips out of the parking brake.

Now I need a brake line adapter

Assuming 3/16" to 10mm.?.?.?

The original flare won't thread into the new caliper

Gotta love it....   lol

It should be 10 x 1.0mm. But I've no idea. Germans use 10 x 1.0mm, Japanese cars use 10 x 1.25mm. Could be American 3/16" flare. My hoses are braided and AN-3, I used an AN-3 to Banjo bolt adapter with 10 x 1.0mm Banjo bolt.

@DannyP posted:

It should be 10 x 1.0mm. But I've no idea. Germans use 10 x 1.0mm, Japanese cars use 10 x 1.25mm. Could be American 3/16" flare. My hoses are braided and AN-3, I used an AN-3 to Banjo bolt adapter with 10 x 1.0mm Banjo bolt.

I ordered about $30 worth of fittings hoping one of them will work.

Opening up a can of worms.....

Prob end up replacing everything with 3AN Braided lines next Winter.

repair update.....finally got my rear brake disc caliper issue resolved...i had my mechanic hot rod guy do the repair...which i am glad i didn't tackle this on my own..& have a friend who knows all concerning VW...both confirmed the fact that the EMPI style rear disc brake caliper with e-brake are non rebuildable...and our cars are stuck with using this style set-up....i replaced both R & L rear calipers along with new pads....i hope these news parts last longer than the originals that came on the car....knowing DR JEKYLL no telling if they were new or not...but i digress....i have both old calipers...left rear is still OK but right rear seals are N/G....if someone that has experience way above my pay grade in repairing these parts is interested in them....feel free to PM me and they are yours...not sure what they are worth if anything or just scrap

You can use VW jetta rear calipers if you want. Just saying

Long ago, in a Galaxy far, far away, @jncspyder wrote:

"luckily i felt a slight disturbance in the "force" ie: pedal felt a bit soft followed by ok when pumped."

Even more luckily, Tomorrow is "May the 4'th be with you" day.

Good luck with the new Calipers, dude, and

Sorry for mixing movies, there........    

@IaM-Ray   thanx for that info..i'll file it away in the memory back for future reference since this seems like a common issue over time ...unless willwood comes up with a solution for our application....which is strange they haven't as of yet that i'm aware of

@Gordon Nichols  thanx man!....  "i chose you!...you funnnnnny!!" -hamchuck, green berets...totally mixing movies

@jncspyder posted:

@IaM-Ray   thanx for that info..i'll file it away in the memory back for future reference since this seems like a common issue over time ...unless willwood comes up with a solution for our application....which is strange they haven't as of yet that i'm aware of

My builder says to me, if there is a few million cars out there ie VW, with the OEM PART that works, why reinvent the wheel?  FYI, a Jetta MkIV or V rear brake has the same surface area as some P cars.  Just saying

@DannyP posted:

It should be 10 x 1.0mm. But I've no idea. Germans use 10 x 1.0mm, Japanese cars use 10 x 1.25mm. Could be American 3/16" flare. My hoses are braided and AN-3, I used an AN-3 to Banjo bolt adapter with 10 x 1.0mm Banjo bolt.

The answer is "all of the above".  The most consistent thing with these calipers is inconsistency.  

As for rebuilds, there are rebuild kits, but they cost almost the same as a new caliper and you have a 1:3 chance of getting the right rebuild kit as it seems there are 3 versions of the same/similar caliper used over the years by EMPI.  

Carey

which Wilwood front caliper do you use on the Beck Speedsters?  I would like to get rid of the empi's that are on there now.

@Bobby D posted:

Carey

which Wilwood front caliper do you use on the Beck Speedsters?  I would like to get rid of the empi's that are on there now.

Pete at airkewld puts together a kit for me. Ball joint front beam is about all he needs to know besides bolt pattern and # of pistons you want to run.  If you're wide five, keep in mind that it increases the front track by 3/8" per side, generally not an issue for Speedsters but not good for Spyders.

My brake kit came from Pete at Airkewld. I actually bought it through Carey(thanks man!). I have the Wilwood 4 piston calipers and couldn't be happier with the braking performance.

I think it might be more than 3/8" added per side, more like 3/4". I had CSP brakes on my first Spyder, and I believe they are a true 3/8" per side wider than stock drums. The Airkewld setup added 3/8" more from the already wider than stock drum width.

Greg adds backspacing on his front steel wheels from stock. After I added the Airkewld brakes I cut and welded the centers and moved them another 3/8" outward.

With my 2" narrowed beam in my Spyder it is about perfect. But as you all know the beam is welded in, so it's a decision that must be made early in the build. The narrowed beam works perfectly with the gorgeous Vintage 190 wheels.

@DannyP Pete's specs say 0.375" per side, but you may be correct, plus the 190 wheels are a touch more pronounced than the steelies too, which doesn't help.

Yeah, it would be SUPER DUPER cool if Greg offered the 190s with about 3/8" or 1/2" more backspacing. Then we could install the five individual round wheel spacers that OE Spyders had. Something to add to the 16" wheel wish-list...

Carey, You're right of course, the 190s do sit a little proud compared to my old steelies.