caliper flat washer.... Oh my

[rustbucket]

My 70 gt is giving me indigestion.
I'm rebuilding the front calipers and some where along the way I misplaced one of the four tiny flat rubber washers that go between the calipers. I can't find them anywhere, I even called ogts and they said the only way to get one is to have your caliper rebuilt by the company that does their work. Come on, its a tiny washer, do they have to make a buck on everything?.
I tried auto part stores, hardware stores and I still can't come up with one.
Does anyone know where I can get this rubber washer or does anyone know the dimensions so that I don't have to go from place to place with the example washer on the tip of my finger asking if they have this part.
Things like this are such a set back.
If anyone has one or two of these washers I will gladly pay for them, its as easy as putting them in a envelope.

Thanks, Mike

[RallyBob]

In my 20+ years of working on and selling parts for Opels, Ive never found a source for the rubber seals between caliper halves. In fact, the factory service manual specifically states to not split the caliper halves, since the seals are not available. You should never re-use the old rubber seals or they will leak.

Bob

[rustbucket]

Thanks for the encouragement Rallybob.
Is their anyone out there with a possibe solution?
Thanks, Mike

[RallyBob]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be the bearer of bad tidings....

You might try to contact the US affiliate of Alfred Teves (A.T.E.), and ask if they have the correct metric o-rings for the Opel calipers.

You can't really use off-the shelf hardware store o-rings, since they must be metric, square cut, and the correct size. If they're too thin there will not be enough 'crush' and they'll leak (which is why you should not reuse old ones). Remember the pressures we're talking about here....1500 psi or more. Also keep in mind the extreme enviroment. Temps at the brake pads can easily top 500 degrees, and they will be exposed to brake fluid.

You might check the Thomas Register, and look up o-ring suppliers. I suggest you DO NOT mention they're for your brakes (liability and all that), but rather that they're for some commercial machinery with hydraulic controls...or whatever BS you can think of! They'll want to know the composition of the hydraulic fluid, and temperatures they might see, etc. There are lots of types of o-rings out there.

HTH

[BQS4]

Well there is another alturnative, and it involves going to a ACE Hardware in Tucker, GA. I rebuilt the calipers for my "big brake" conversion and I went to this ACE Hardware and got a set of the o-rings that fit good and since having re-assembled them, they have not leaked a drop. That was at least a year ago and I have put quite a few thousand miles on these brakes. The cost? I think is was about $.30 a piece

[BQS4]

RallyBob;
I don't want to undermind what you have said, but, the ones I got, I don't remember if they were metric, I think we just test fitted them till we got the closest match and yes they were square cut, and I did allow for "crush". And as stated in my other post, if they were going to leak, they would have done so by now. I have also had these brakes in several "panic" stops, I mean REALLY slamming them and they have not let me down.

[rustbucket]

Thanks for the help. Of course I'll get the job done, you all know how these Opels take on a will of their own.

Mike-Rustbucket

[rustbucket]

Can someone please get me the flat rubber washers for my 70gt that are smashed between the calipers.
I have had no luck locating them and its driving me crazy.
Thanks, Mike

[garrymc]

I have noticed that BMW and others have simular looking calipers. If you cannot find new ones maybe some junkyard ones would be ok.

Be careful with your brakes, your life and others on the road depend on them.

Garry

[BQS4]

Mike which calipers are you using? The large 75's or the smaller 74 and older?

[rustbucket]

I don't know the size, they are the original to the car.
How can I tell the difference?. They look small.
Thanks, Mike

[BQS4]

Mike;
The 74 and older calipers use this pad:

[BQS4]

the 75 big calipers use a pad like this:

[rustbucket]

BQS4,
They are the 74, 61.5mm. The plain straight looking pads.
There is nothing on my car thats special.
Thanks, Mike

[BQS4]

Mike;
I just needed to know what caliper to take and match up at ACE to get the correct o-rings

[rustbucket]

BQS4,
They are the 74, 61.5mm. The plain straight looking pads.
There is nothing on my car thats special.
Thanks, Mike

[rustbucket]

BQS4,

Thanks for any help you can give.

I wonder how we ever got anything done without the internet.

If you happen across any of these elusive flat washers please let me know asap.

Thanks, Mike

[BQS4]

I can get the 0-rings tomorrow, I just needed to know what calipers you had. This ACE is amazing, I have yet to go in there and NOT find what I needed or could use. I was looking for the unique fastners that mount the luggage racks on the Wagons. I cleaned out several GM dealerships for a total of 7 pieces, I needed 8, so, on my way back home I had to stop at this ACE to get something else. I took a chance and showed the fastner to the fastner guy there, he took me over to a flat bin box, pull it out, and opened it and there were HUNDREDS of these things in various sizes and he calmly asks "how many you want?"

[rustbucket]

BQS4,
I live in Pittsburgh, PA., need I say more about availability.
I lived in CA. for about 5 years, thats when I needed to be working on a Opel.
If you can get them let me know cost and hassle pay. I would need a total of 4, maybe you should get 8 just in case.
I will check this sight 4/10/04 to see if you had any luck.


Thanks, Mike

[BQS4]

Oh, I know I'll have them tomorrow, just need an address to send them.

[kwilford]

Gene,

Maybe you could make the O-ring details available via this thread (part number, or maybe the dimensions)? Or in a perfect, less litigious world, send a bunch to Gil at OGTS so he can make then available to the Opel public?

[rustbucket]

I put a ruler to them I came up with:

Inside diameter: 6mm

Outside diameter: 10mm

Thickness/Width: 2mm

I'm surprised this wasn't a problem for opel folks in the past.


Thanks, Mike - Rustbucket

[BQS4]

Keith, Mike, Et-Al;
I'll see what they have and match it closely. If I can, I'll buy a box and see where it came from, and we'll go from there.
Gene