Expert: Dan Liddy - 3/7/2006

Question
Dear Dan,
I need to find a substitute for my 1980 280zx rear calipers as in Malaysia, these units are hard to come by. I've heard about replacing them with 200sx or 240sx calipers, and also seen something bout using toyota truck calipers. Would appreciate your insight on such matters. My mech told me that rebuilding a caliper cannot be done...is this true? If not, how does one go about it?
Thanks for all the help.
Cheers!
Anas

Answer
Hello Anas :

Going right to the last question, your mechanic is mistaken.  There are repair kits available from many aftermarket manufacturers for the rebuilding of the caliper.

What must be done is to remove the caliper from the car, then remove the piston from the body of the caliper, and clean everything VERY carefully.  You must not use gasoline or diesel for cleaning, only brake parts cleaners may be used, or clean brake fluid.  The kit will contain all the rubber compound seals for the unit. You simply replace the seals, and re-assemble.

Care must be taken though. The piston must have a perfectly clean surface, no pits from rusting or anything else.  If the piston it pitted, it will be necessary to replace it with another. That's where the problems start. Pistons are normally not available for purchase.

You might find that usable pistons from other Nissan calipers are the same size, a trip to your local wrecking yard will help. It's also quite possible that rear calipers from another vehicle would fit and work satisfactorily .  I don't have any  knowledge of such parts though.

Good luck with your car. The old Z cars are a great sports car, and about as tough as anything ever built. I have owned 5 of them over the years.

Dan Liddy
Sarasota, Florida, USA