calipers needs change or rebuild still not sure what should i do

[laszlo szucs]

looking calipers topics in here still not sure what should i do.
a./ what kind calipers do i have? worth of rebuild? (see attached pictures of my calipers)
(see big red quotation)

b./ Rough Trax calipers are very expensive. worth it? Advics Front Brake Caliper R/H - [Leaving Land Cruiser Club]

c./ should i just buy any brand on ebay?

d./ import 1997 prado KZTE. 145k miles no rust: should i change break lines, what else should i look to replace? (disc, pads will be changed)

thanks

car current condition:

 

[Higgy]

Pair For Toyota Landcruiser 70 80 90 Series 3.0 TD 4.2 TD Rear Brake Caliper crc 6941324474686 | eBay - [Leaving Land Cruiser Club] Iv used after market brake callipers on all my Land cruisers Weather it be 90/80 Or 120 series... Never had any Issues, Its cheaper to buy than to Re furb these days..... Some say use Genuine parts only, so its up to you.. But iv never had any issues with the cheaper after market stuff... Weather it be Callipers/Discs/ Pads etc etc

 

[Chris]

All things considered, those calipers look pretty good. It's very hard to advise when we don't know how good you are on the spanners. I'd get a rebuild kit and have those done on the bench by lunchtime. If the bodies were shocking, I'd perhaps go with Big Redd but they aren't. So really if you replace them you're paying all of that money just for a few quid's worth of seals. You could buy replacements, swap them and then rebuild the calipers yourself and have a spare set. Reason they look good is because it's an import. Give that 2 UK winters and they'll look terrible. If you're ok on the the tools then get the seals and rebuild them. Quick wire brush of the outsides and you'll be golden.

 

[laszlo szucs]

i was told right side calipers stuck. killed pads fast. left side pads good. disc better on left side.

rear all good. except calipers.
car can stand till i sorted out.

break line? any other staff around breaks? fluid was replaced not long ago

thanks

 

[Shayne]

Send em here http://www.biggred.co.uk/ and they will come back brand new for a price that makes it pointless in messing with them yourself .

 

[Chris]

Why touch the brake lines if there's nothing wrong with them? What you can find is that the short flexible hose to the caliper can get soft and under braking they swell and you lose effect. There are braided versions available and from experience, I can say they make a huge difference if your old ones are tired. But as for the brake lines in general that run the length of the chassis, I doubt there's anything wrong with them.

Very often all you need to do is push the pistons in, pump them back out, push them in, pump them out - repeat a few times and everything will free up.

 

[laszlo szucs]

i have paid a mechanic just to do that with all 4. he asked £120

im not a guy to cut corners in any ways, my children's safety is important.

 

[laszlo szucs]

i would be more happy to use biggred if i have genuine parts. but i don't.
or is that matter? well, that's why im here to find out.

since i never wanna sell my car im thinking to spend extra £250 and buy new from rough trax. rear they have genuine, for front Advics. total £736 (biggred would be about £500 with shipping.

start fresh with genuine pads and discs. that is the question, how much difference that would make? i wonder.

 

[Shayne]

Doesn't matter , mechanically a caliper can't be improved upon unless its redesigned to add bigger or more pistons so quality is all about the materials used to make it . If it hasn't rusted to bits yet its not likely going to .

I have 3 cruisers , two got a bigred refurb and these Drilled & Grooved Vented Front Brake Discs - 302mm - [Leaving Land Cruiser Club] , I ise Toyota pads .

The third got 4 new calipers from i can't remember where but still uses Toyota disks and pads ................ I will be replacing the disks as above when i get around to it because while 4 new calipers did improve breaking there was no wow moment like the other two .

It should be noted though the first two are swb 90's and the third a much heavier and harder to stop 80

 

[BobMurphy]

The original Toyota brake lines are steel with a green lacquer coating - mine looked OK(ish) but when I went to replace them they just crumbled - they had corroded out from the inside.

At that age and mileage I would replace them with cupro/nickel pipes. I make my own (have done for 45 years) and the job doesn't take long. I use stainless flare nuts with PTFE tape on the threads, that allows them to come undone again !

Its worth it for peace of mind.

Bob.

 

[laszlo szucs]

Bob now you speaking about something which i have zero experience or knowledge! (but sounds good) i will make a note of itand definitely recommend to my mechanics.

 

[laszlo szucs]

Shayne i was waiting for something like this. good point advice! so i guess i will go with biggred £500 for all