Rebuild front calipers or get new ones?

[rubberbandit]

wondering if I should just buy a kit and rebuild my front calipers or if I would be better off buying a pair instead. Is there anything wrong with stock calipers? I will have new pads and rotors but am wondering if I really need to buy new calipers. (see truck details in signature)

Thanks in advance

[AirSpeed]

I would just buy rebuilt calipers, they're cheap! My last pair cost about $35 each.
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[izazzel]

its not usally worth the head ache to rebuild the ones you have for the diff in the cost to get new ones

[slikside]

If you don't want to do the rebuild work yourself, using your existing calipers as your cores will be the least expensive way to go. I think Orielly's has them for about $21-23 apiece with core exchange. I believe they are Cardone remans.

I was going to go that route, but in the end I didn't want to surrender my original calipers, or pay more for the Cardones, and have mine laying around.

I had a shop rebuild mine for about $40 each. So it's definitely not the cheapest way to go. I also had them rebuild/replate my booster, the master cylinder, and prop valve.

But if you were to do the work yourself, I think you could just about do it for the same, or less than the Cardone route.

I don't think a "new" caliper will perform any better than a properly rebuilt original (assuming we are comparing stock to stock....no wilwoods or ssbc's etc.) It's just a chunk of metal that holds fluid to push a piston. But if you do decide to rebuild your own, make sure the piston is not pitted where it contacts the seals, and don't forget to replace the bushings where the mounting bolts slide through, along with the o-rings in there. If it doesn't float right, it won't work right.

[Wrenchbender Ret]

I have been rebuilding them for many years. You need a special tool to seat the boot. If you are just going to do it once I would get the remans. You have to make sure the bleeder valve does not break off before you rebuild one.

[72chevyk10]

all ive ever done for calipers is put the whole thing in the vice to squeze the piston back in to fit new pads. works just like new

[davepl]

Originally Posted by Wrenchbender Ret

I have been rebuilding them for many years. You need a special tool to seat the boot. If you are just going to do it once I would get the remans. You have to make sure the bleeder valve does not break off before you rebuild one.

Can you expand on seating the boots? I'm about to rebuild mine (because I want to keep the originals with the GM logo, etc) and have never done it, so any tips would be appreciated.

Like most things, the special tool helps but may not be required (ie: there's another way to do it). Any way to seat the boots without a special tool, or if not, is this a common thing I can grab at an auto parts store or is it super-special and expensive?

Thanks
Dave