The 'E' Type Forum

Hi guys,

Wonder if anyone has come across this problem before...

I am rebuilding my front calipers and i have bought a new seal kit.

A couple of weeks ago I rebuilt the N/S caliper and it went together OK, bit awkward getting the outer piston covers on, but once I understood the process it went OK and the caliper is rebuilt.
However I have now come to do the O/S (by the way I don't think O/S - N/S has any bearing on my problem) the problem is the seals are a very loose fit inside the bore in both the large piston bore and both the small piston bores.
They protrude from the groove to the extent that fitting the piston is nigh on impossible.

I do not recall having this issue with the N/S caliper.

Has anyone encountered anything like this before? I have tried gently stretching the seals, but to no avail.
I have also read that rubber reacts different to most other materials in that it expands when cold, so I am now trying to keep the caliper in a warm place and seals in the fridge to try again.
Both sets of seals came from same packet so I think unlikely the seals are incorrect as the other seals for N/S caliper fit well.

Anyone any ideas?

Many thanks

Peter

Hi Peter,
I think Girling made different calipers with pistons that varied only slightly in size. So my guess is that somehow you have been supplied with a mismatched seal set or perhaps less likely you have unmatched calipers. I had a similar problem recently with the front calipers on a 1963 Alfa. I ended up buying three different seal sets eventually to find that those for a S3 E-Type were the right size.
Might be worth buying another set from a different supplier, I found Past Parts very helpful.
Cheers,

Hi Adrian,

Thanks for the reply, think that will be my next move, I will look at the company you mention.

It is very strange and scratching my head with this one.

many thanks

Peter