Can anyone help ID my front Calipers?

[LeeME3]

My front brake calipers are shot beyond recovery so need replacing. Of course the bus is a 1971 so the ‘one year only’ brake fit but I think she has had some kind of conversion to allow different calipers to fit.

Piston size is 54mm, distance between the 2 halves is way more than 48mm and the calipers are embossed ‘VW 147’. No other markings. I’ll try and put pics up shortly.

I think they may just be late bay calipers but then I’d expect to see spacing shims to line up on the disc but there aren’t any! I know she had a replacement front beam that was a US import flipped and converted for RHD so there has been a fair bit done to the front running gear in the past.

Any steers most welcome! Thanks.

 

[LeeME3]

 

[subheatadey]

Hiya, when you say they are shot they are just a lump of steel, it is the pistons and seals you need to replace about £40.00 for the pair. The pistons are 54mm here is a link for some on fleabay. Bigred are a really good company to deal with.

 

[LeeME3]

Hiya, when you say they are shot they are just a lump of steel, it is the pistons and seals you need to replace about £40.00 for the pair. The pistons are 54mm here is a link for some on fleabay. Bigred are a really good company to deal with.

Ah well the current snag is I can't get one piston out but yes I take your point and if I do get the piston out I'll definitely aim to refurb. Link didn't post but I'm sure I can find it with google now I have the brand name (mind you I'm seeing 'new' calipers for £54 at Veewee)

 

[subheatadey]

£54.00 for a pair of calipers sounds fair enough to me. Some people use air to blow the pistons out I use a grease gun, its a bugger cleaning out the grease afterwards though

 

[LeeME3]

£54.00 for a pair of calipers sounds fair enough to me. Some people use air to blow the pistons out I use a grease gun, its a bugger cleaning out the grease afterwards though

Ah £54 for one - and having now found the listing on the bay of fleas I realize you were talking pairs I was talking singles! I think I'll get one of those kits and take a chance on it ('take a chance' always being a great phrase to use in relation to brakes! :shock: )

But if anyone does have a view on whether I have early, late (or god forbid something else) calipers i'd still be interested to know!

 

[NigelDenham]

If you have M14 bolts holding the callipers on I’d guess the spindles (and callipers) have been swapped for later 73-on ones. The 71 model callipers take M12 bolts, and as you say to convert to later callipers you use M12 bolts with “conversion” bushes which also give the right spacing to line up with the disc. As you say the gap for the pads is 48mm on the one-yr-only model, and I think 54 or 55mm on the later callipers.
I would say If you have later callipers with no conversion bushes fitted you must have later spindles.