Technical Brake calipers on wrong side.

On some calipers, it is real obvious when they are mounted on the wrong side. On others, though, the difference can be very subtle. I found this picture on the Internet which illustrates what I mean.


Sometimes, the "top" isn't the top. You have to try and picture where the seat of the bleeder screw and the fluid chamber intersect. In this picture, the caliper on the right would appear to be correct at first glance, but it actually would not bleed completely. Results? Spongy, low pedal, poor braking, and lots of head scratching why. The fluid when bled comes out clear with no air bubbles so it appears to be bled completely, while still having a big air bubble.

EDIT: I found the picture with a Google search so I don't know who it belongs to. I hope they don't mind me using it because it is the best illustration I have seen of this issue.

 

I'll bet this little bit of info could solve a lot of the soft pedal threads on here lately. I know it opened my eyes to a possible problem. Ralphie

 

Thanks for this, I never would have looked at it this way


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Pff, calipers? Not period correct.

 

When you get down to it I 'm not sure any single piston calipers are period correct. But is a 350 Chevy?

 

Really? So what... I'm more for safety in this area than period correct. Come on, give just a little bit once in a while. gesh...

 

The first caliper-type automobile disc brake was patented by Frederick William Lanchester in his Birmingham factory in 1902 and used successfully on Lanchester cars. However, the limited choice of metals in this period meant that he had to use copper as the braking medium acting on the disc.

If disc brakes had been more readily available and cheap the "traditional" hot rodders of old would have jumped on them like a chicken on a June bug.

 

Yup, thanks.

 

Kind of wonder if that may solve some of the "I put a disk brake kit on my _____ and now I have mushy brakes, what the hell do I do" issues from using caliper brackets that may mount the caliper in a position other than what it was designed to be used in on the oem spindle it was designed for.
When you think about it, you never see any threads on mushy brakes on frame swap rigs nor do you see them on subframed rigs. Remembering my two subframe jobs = the 48 and my old 51 Merc after the swap getting the brakes to work right was one of the easy parts.

On the other hand here on the HAMB and on another board I spend a lot of time on it is usually a brake swap with a kit that mounts the caliper on the original spindle that gives the owner or builder fits. It may be that on the kit the caliper is clocked a few degrees different one way or the other than on the oem spindle it was designed for and trapping air.

 

Fairly common for newbies, and not so newbies, to get the calipers crossed up.
Had an engineer bud admit he was having a bad day and couldn't get a pedal with his new calipers.
In his haste to get the car ready for a track event he bolted on the calipers and tried to bleed the brakes with the bleeders(no hose) squirting right into the mason jar.
Took him about a gallon of fluid before he realized his mistake.

Always remember that the bleeder hole has to be the highest point, not the bleeder screw itself.

 

Thanks for posting !
I've pointed this out a number of times.
Easy mistake, easy to miss understand .

 

Yes. Definitely

 

That’s why pics help.

 

Exactly. That's why I posted it when I found the pic. It's hard to explain but that graphic nails it.

 

First 350 chevy was 1967 Camaro? Yes/No?

 

Yes. L48 option.

 

Check the pics of Harry Luzaders' "32" 5w gasser in Rodders Journal. It had, I believe, Airheart disc brakes. He had them as far back as "1964".

 

Maybe off topic..
Working in a new car dealership, I have been witness to this more than 20 times.
Vehicle towed in from aftermarket repair shop. Brake pedal soft, no brakes. Long story short, calipers installed on wrong side with the bleeder facing down.

Scary shit that these shops don't even know that air goes to the top.
And these asshats are working on vehicles everyday.
Oh, and the compression fittings used to patch rusted brake pipes!!!

Keep that in mind when your stopped at a light in traffic.

Now back to the regularly scheduled HAMB

 

The only 350 with a road draft tube hole, too, IIRC!

 

THIS IS THE MOST USEFUL POST ON THE INTERNET!

I recently replaced my rear calipers and pads on my '04 wrangler but have been cursed with a "no pedal condition" ever since. I've gone through boatloads of brake fluid bleeding and bleeding and bleeding. Are my lines bad? Is my brake master cylinder bad? What did I break?

IT DIDN'T OCCUR TO ME THAT I PUT THEM ON THE WRONG SIDE.

@onetrickpony, please know that your wisdom has saved me time and money. If you're ever in Philly, I owe you a beer. Thank you.

 

Me too. I hope this graphic posted helps people 'get it.'

 

Glad the info helped you. It's that suttle stuff like this that can

 

Yes , stick around awhile and check out what we are all about, Ya might get hooked.

 

Makes perfect sense.
When we get another tech week, this one needs to be in it.
Thanks to the OP!

 

Having done most of the brake work for a living in a tire store in the early 70's I didn't see many disk brake rigs that were done at home on Saturday and brought to the shop to be corrected on Monday but sure did see a lot of brake shoes that were installed backwards (primary/secondary) then along with a lot of springs put in the wrong places. It might have been a good thing that the "I'll change my brakes at home and save money" guys didn't get into disk brakes much then.

 

Now they have no problem doing disc brakes on the weekend and dropping the car off on Monday cause they screwed up the parking brake shoes removing the rear rotors and have no idea how they go back on..................
Or my current favorite electric parking brakes..............."customer watched on the internet how to disassemble the caliper to retract the piston now it does not work. Car towed in".

 

Come on now. It was on my left on the other side of the car. At the high school (on trainers) I made them draw a sketch, label it along with colors, get it approved, and only take one side apart at a time. Then stayed out of their way until right before frustration time.

 

Speaking about the safety and modern upgrades not being traditional. As a young educated (know everything) teen ager with a single resevoir master cylinder blew out a brake line coming off the interstate on a down grade ramp. STOP sign at the bottom of a + intersection. I did not get the car stopped. Made the right hand turn in front of a car that was alert to see I was not stopping. Made another immediate right turn to go up a hill and stopped at the top to diagnose, why I had no brakes. Moral is two reservoir master cylinders are safer than the old single chamber style so any upgrade for safety, is OK with me. Fast forward to today with stainless steel, Nicop, non deteriorating metal lines along with two chamber master cylinders, disc brakes. Stopping is more assured than 40 years ago. I also believe more attention is paid to our "Hot Rods" today than was paid to our daily drivers then. Great information here in this thread.

 

I thought everyone knew that

 

obviously not