It's been a while since I asked a stupid question so here goes. When the Bendix four piston fixed calipers are sleeved with a stainless sleeve, how thick is the sleeve? What grade of stainless is used? How is the sleeve retained (press fit, grub screws, loctite, all of these, none of these, something else)?

Are you sure they need sleeves installed? I just rebuilt a set of Kelsey Hayes A-body calipers and the best I can tell is the rubber o-rings that go around the pistons are the 'sealing' part, and not the metal caliper housing.

The Bendix four piston fixed calipers are a different breed. They don't have the stationary 'O'-ring like the later calipers, they are built something like an oversize drum brake wheel cylinder where the seal moves in the bore with the piston.

Kelsey Hayes sbp brakes have a rubber o-ring that slides over the pistons and seals the pistons to the caliper bore.

There is also a dust boot that goes on the outside that attaches to both the piston and the caliper housing.

I guess I'd have to see a picture of what you have to better understand as I have not messed with the type you are describing.

Here you go. If you look at the bottom of the piston, the seal snaps into the piston and then moves in the bore with piston movement. The seal is not stationary like the later calipers.

Ok, now I think I get it.

Are your trying to do the sleeve job yourself vs paying someone to do it?

I'm on the fence. Between all the cars I have with these calipers I'd have 8 calipers to overhaul. Calipers On-Line wants $235 each or $1800. With shipping I'm sure I'll have at least $2000 in the calipers with this route. I have access to a vertical mill and while I'm not God's gift to machinists, I can usually hold my own. If I built a jig to hold the calipers, it wouldn't be a big deal to bore them for sleeving. But as with anything, the devil is always in the details, thus the questions.

That's about it.

The rebuilder is likely buying the sleeves from somebody else. The trick would be to get that information and just buy the sleeves. You could also start with the original diameter of the caliper bore and work backwards from there searching sites that sell that kind of part.

Jim, that is a good thought. Unfortunately I think it would be unworkable. I have all the Bendix instructions to rebuild the Master-Vac boosters. So I went looking for a kit supplier. No one has one available to the general public. I'm guessing liability concerns. I think this would turn out the same way.

Ring cut see each ring bores are pretty common in the industrial transmissions we rebuild, so we sleeve plenty of cases.

We make our own sleeves, sweat fit them into the cases after boring them for the sleeve. Finish hone for final size and finish.

Since there's spinning shafts in these sleeves we have to make sure they get installed on center and straight. You're tolerances can be a little more forgiving for just the pistons.

I hate to act stupid but I am not familiar with what you are saying.

Lots of places offer this service.

https://www.google.com/search?sourc...2l6&sclient=psy-ab#spf=1609608010754

You are correct John. But with eight of these to do, the cost adds up fast. Besides, I'm one of those people who has to prove it to himself that he can't do it!!

Stupid auto correct. It's supposed to say ring cut seal ring bores.

The shafts supporting the clutch packs use basically small piston rings to seal the shafts to the case. Sometimes these rings spin in the case and wear a groove into it.

We bore out the worn hole and make a sleeve to press in to eliminate the grooves.

The grooves in the cases will cause leaks, just like pitting in your caliper bores.

Ah, now I understand completely what you are talking about. Thanks for the clarification.

I used to have all my brake cylinder sleeving done by Sierra Specialty, he used brass sleeves but the owner has since retired.

https://www.brakecylinder.com/

Being an amateur machinist, I had occasion to talk to the owner about the procedures, and he told me the biggest issue was making tooling to hold the cylinder. After that it's just simple lathe/mill work and honing the sleeve to final size which requires hones that will work in a bore that bottoms out.

Thanks for the link, that was interesting. Yeah, I can see where the jig to sleeve some hydraulics would be a challenge. With the four piston fixed caliper Bendix you'd have five locations that you could support the castings from. I'm hoping that will be sufficient but as the CEO of my last employer always put it "Hope is not a formula for success". We'll see.