Clean and Lube Calipers

[fiasco]

I have several questions about possible projects that I either need to take on myself, or send up to So Cal Mark. While I certainly want to support Mark's business, I also want the experience of doing my own work, and, like everyone else, I'm on a limited Fiat budget, so the more I do for less the more I can do. So this is the first, and I'll put the others in their own threads so that each thread can run its own course.

BTW, pretty much everything I know at this point is based on what I've read in the forum and Mark's inspection of my car yesterday. I've done some work on old Mustangs (years ago) and have a pretty good general understanding of how things work. However, I'm a total newbie with regard to Fiats, and have no actual experience doing any of the specific projects I'm asking about now - so expect rookie questions, faulty assumptions, and overall know-nothingness. I'd rather you assume I don't know something I do know and tell me about it than assume I do know something I don't know and I end up inspecting the fuel tank with a lit match.

So anyway, my car apparently sat for an undetermined length of time before I bought it. The brake lines are good and most of the pads as well, but the calipers are rusty and sticking. Mark advised that they be taken apart, cleaned and lubed, if not rebuilt. So I'm trying to avoid the cost of a rebuild and do the clean and lube myself.

So where do I start? How do I get the calipers off? What's the best way to clean/de-rustify them? What do I need to be sure not to do? What do I do with the brake lines while the calipers are off (plug 'em, clamp 'em, let the old fluid drain out of them)? What do I lube them with, and what parts of the calipers need to be lubed? Are there red flags that I should look for that would tell me that a caliper is beyond saving? Once they're cleaned and lubed, how do I get 'em back on?

I assume I'll be removing the calipers from the brake lines and will therefore have to bleed the system when I'm done. I have a generic understanding of how to bleed brakes, but is there anything special I should know when doing the Spider (of course I could probably just do a search on bleeding the brakes).

What else am I missing? Thanks an advance!
-- se

[So Cal Mark]

yikes! it could take a small booklet to completely answer those questions. I'll give you some basics and let others chime in. First, spend $5 at Harbor Freight ( sorry Mike) and get a one-man bleeder kit. They are on sale this week. The calipers are held into the brackets with a wedge. Remove the small pins on the wedges and drive the wedge out using a punch. The wedges, calipers and brackets all need to be perfectly clean where they contact each other. Also the brackets should be clean where the pads touch them. All of those places where the parts contact each other should be lubed. The best product out there is Ceramlub by Bendix. $14 will get you a tub that will last your lifetime, and it can be used anywhere you need lubrication( hinges, latches, etc). I would seriously consider flushing all of the old fluid out of the system and replacing it with new fluid.
While the calipers are off, you'll be able to tell if the pistons are sticky when you retract them. If the dust boots have deteriorated or if the pistons are sticky, rebuild both calipers on that axle. To flush the rear brakes and bleed them, the compensator will have to be put in the open position by either jacking up the rear axle or disconnecting the link and tying it up as high as it will go