4x BMW E30 Brake Caliper [Restoration] - Gold Zinc Finish | BMW E30 325i Sport Restoration S2 E3

[@Rusiputki]

Ok, Ok I will help you out for those that are stuck and can't get the pads back in (E36 etc). So no matter which way you try like the guy in the video there isn't enough space right? Remove the sliding pins, put the pads in and then put the sliding bracket over the pads (copper grease etc.), finish it off with screwing the pins back in. Also you will notice fitting the sliding pins from this side allows you to load them up with much more silicone grease.....you're welcome! it's how you would have done it if they were mounted on the car by not removing the entire caliper, leaving the bracket on.

[@bigmastertyrone]

wasted so much time trying to do it like this guy shouldve checked the comments first

[@PHATJANUS]

Electroplating only works when there is clear line-of-sight between the anode and cathode. If the inside of the caliper did not directly face a plate the zinc will not transfer.

[@mrrustman1657]

Your plating solution also needs movement... this video might help you...kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJ7Ramd4arqIq7c

[@patricklandusky7467]

In addition to PHATJANUS and rustmans comments you need good current density throughout the part. The current will take the path of least resistance, in a larger part like the front calipers you didn't get much current through the underside there. So more current and/or you can also try moving your contacts around for a better result. AND If you're going to be plating parts at home BAKE THEM after. With zinc nickel plating and acid pickling you are at risk of introducing hydrogen into the microstructure of the steel and making it brittle. It's really only of concern for hardened parts but as a safe bet it won't hurt to just bake everything. Look up hydrogen embrittlememt for some recommended times and temps, but you want to bake those parts within an hour of plating/passivating for a couple hours at 180C or so. Keep up the good work!

[@KineticLatency]

@@patricklandusky7467 You seem to know your stuff. In the video he plates the sliding pins and the inside of the bits that the pistons sit in, would that interfere with their operation as you're adding a layer of zinc to something that should already be a very tight fit?

[@liltimmyotoole]

@@KineticLatency The pistons should be sliding on the seals, which will be a smaller diameter than the inside of the cylinder, so a thin layer of zinc shouldn't affect it.

[@eddiebrown9590]

@@KineticLatency thats why he left the seal in place till the finish.

[@wilmerschock]

That terrazzo floor is the best, durable, smooth, easy to clean, looks great. There's nothing like it for an immaculate workshop. What a great base for your new working environment!

[@RestoreIt]

Thank you Wilmer! A lot of people have suggested i cover it, but i also quite like it.

[@AllanO808]

Yes, but spraying paint around...no sheeting or spray booth, (cardboard box will do.. hmmm

[@FlashFailLPs]

You should get some big rubber sheet and put it on the tables. It will look nice, you wont damage the wood and most importantly its super easy to clean. Also put some at least 5mm plate under your vice to eliminate the flex when you were removing the brake lines at 4:40. Keep up the good work, your videos are my inspiration

[@RestoreIt]

Thank you Jondra! You read my mind. All of this to come in the workshop videos!

[@billllthegreat]

Buy you a set of flare wrenches also, it will help you not strip out your hose connectors.

[@Tobberobbe97]

@@RestoreIt Could also consider a sheet of acrylic for the disassembly bench, even easier to clean, and easily replaced. Also extremely cheap.

[@noodnutt]

When I was a much younger fella, I worked in an electroplating shop. Firstly, we used metal hanging brackets as they gave greater conductivity and surface area contact, but!..... Secondly, when we had odd shaped items we knew would not plate well, we always added an additional contact wire as close to the affected area, this extra wire would help spread the current more evenly and efficiently hence increasing said area of electrical excitement and attracting more of the energised particles. Seemed to garner better results for us, I'm going back 40 years so technology may have improved since then.

[@aserta]

They have custom racks now with selectable paths. So you coat section A then disable that one's path, and start path B and so on. Visited a plating business for antique restoration recently.

[@stephaniesander5465]

This is just my opinion. A great part of enjoying restoration videos is seeing how it looks at the end. You show the end product in the thumbnail, taking away the “surprise” - the “wow” factor.

[@Lameosity]

It must be so much nicer doing this work in the new shop/workspace.

[@RestoreIt]

It's amazing thank you Aaron. A lot more walking but I'm getting used to it. The shop is only 20% finished, so I have a lot of work ahead of me.

[@Lameosity]

@@RestoreIt Only 20 percent?? Wow I can't wait to see what else you have planned!

[@jstrndm945]

Agreed

[@HandToolRescue]

Nice one Steve!

[@atharvakhemkar4629]

You should paint it red It will give you extra 20 whp

[@Niggabalzz]

dont you mean bhp??😂😂

[@eugy0763]

And +25 bhp for yellow one

[@CA-gy4qf]

@@Niggabalzz wheel horsepower is more relevant than brake horsepowers, you can lose a lot of power between the engine and wheels.

[@Niggabalzz]

@@CA-gy4qf i said BRAKE hp because he is restoring the BRAKES😂 come on man it was just a joke

[@CA-gy4qf]

@@Niggabalzz that one went way over my head I'll admit 😂

[@hammertimee777]

You don't need so much copper anti-seize on the back of the brake pads. A light coat near the contact point is fine. Now the copper anti-seize is just going to collect brake dust and look nasty bro

[@MegaDirtyberty]

And now the sky will fall because of it.

[@MegaDirtyberty]

@noxxi knox Yes, that sky is so full of that nasty C02

[@KevinxDoll]

@noxxi knox i get at least 4 cars in a day with rubber backed pads for break squeal. throw some antiseize on the back of the pads and it works every time.

[@MegaDirtyberty]

@noxxi knox True that, cant be having the people smelling cow farts.

[@KevinxDoll]

@noxxi knox They're all cars with electronic e-brakes. Ebrake digs into the rubber and gets stuck onto the picton.

[@Tiagotaf]

This is so satisfying!! Specially the zinc coating. Good job!

[@slackjaw703]

It’s always nice during a busy day to pump the brakes (so to speak), kick back and watch another awesome video of yours! Thanks for posting!!

[@suziemack7269]

Wow. Just love your videos. I know nothing about cars but I can watch you all day!

[@michaltimko]

Awesome video. Just one thing ...you can buy restored calipers for dirt cheap from TRW for example. Also why did you restored old pistons ? You can buy brand new repair kit for 8euro.

[@glasser2819]

where do get them piston kits around 8Euro only?

[@srpacific]

Another method is to leave the pistons and seals in place, then remove the brake lines and seal the opening with another brake bleed screw (usually it’ll be the same thread as the brake line). The bleed screws are cheap and you can plug the end with silicone or something. This lets you sandblast every surface that will be exposed to the elements, then you remove the old stuff and clean the inside of the caliper by hand

[@the_hate_inside1085]

Cant imagine a lot of used brake calipers that gets to go through this deluxe spa treatment. Looking pro with that putty to mask surfaces from the blasting. +1

[@NoorShaheed]

Im always watching your videoes.. Please hurry up we need more videos in week:(

[@RestoreIt]

Dude thank you. This video is two weeks late. I am so frustrated, it's unreal. I have another video completely ready because of a postal issue. Expect a lot more content soon. More than one video a week. I'm still getting on my feet in Spain, it's a right pain in the ass. But soon I'll be there and the content will flow.

[@kampfspetzle]

@@RestoreIt Come to Germany when ur car is ready

[@jasoncdebussy]

@@RestoreIt How are things going for you in Spain? I'd really like a video where you just talk about the reasons for moving, how you chose where you are, pros and cons etc

[@Daedalus_UK]

​@@RestoreIt Power plug should be protected more from liquid.

[@davef.566]

Hello you are not shy when it comes to hard work l swear you did everything the hard way but l was entertaining thank you so much for sharing

[@sparkeyjones6261]

Wow, they look beautiful. Great work. I rebuilt mine a couple years ago. I didn't have access to a blaster for the rust, so just soaked the calipers in a couple gallons of vinegar. That actually worked really well. I need to learn more about your zinc plating process..... that looks highly interesting.

[@phillipnewton8910]

It's so nice watching these videos knowing that if I want to learn a better way to do it all I have to do is read the comments from all of the couch blistered experts.

[@richie9777]

Excellent job. Poor bench got dirty. Have you thought about thin layer of sheet metal on the surface.

[@miatafan]

Richard Powell sheet metal and a rubber mat

[@stijn9957]

im not sure, but did you make your workbenches from MDF? if so you should put a different sheet if wood on top. oil and water will desolve the binding glues and MDF will swell and fall apart. then you get all these holes in your table, and weird MDF fibers on all the stuff your working on.

[@screwsnutsandbolts]

Great work ! 👍🏻

[@comfort_in_discomfort]

Regarding the missing Zn plating. There are two possibilities: cleanliness or shadowing. I am speculating, but believe the issue is more shadowing and geometry related. Did you pre-charge your electrolyte? This will get a lot more Zn into solution. despite having 4 plates in the bucket, it helps to rotate the part.

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks for the comment man. How do I pre charge the solution? I feel like it plated with zinc alright, I double plated the fronts. Its was just the passivate that didn't stick in those places. Which is why i'm confused.

[@comfort_in_discomfort]

@@RestoreIt To charge, run without a part. essentially, you'reetting Zn dissolve in the solution. + to one Zn plate, - to another and let it go for a while (30-45min) . After a while, the reaction will continue even without a charge depending on your electrolyte. The chromate will only adhere to plated sections. so after plating, you can rinse and acid dip, then rinse again. For the dip, you must be gentle (what I've read). You may need to have more fluid in your bucket, but you need to continue to move the part while in there. It took some playing around with my setup to get it right. Parts look great where plated.

[@ISupportTheCurr3ntThing]

The o rings around the pistons, shouldn't they of had lubricant applied before installation? to help prevent dry rot early on. or not needed in the application?

[@josiahkaufman393]

"Of had?"

[@garymucher9590]

Nice refurbish and rebuild. I realize you could have simply bought new or rebuilt ones, but now you know that are truly good and no worries if rebuilt ones will actually work. Not all the rebuilt parts you purchase in any auto parts store are good and quality reworked. I know that first hand... Thumbs Up!

[@ayyahuasca9722]

The metal plating is gorgeous. Very good work.

[@digitalrailroader]

Time to christen the new workshop with an E30 restoration video!

[@RestoreIt]

Oh hell yes! So many more to come :)

[@digitalrailroader]

Restore It can’t wait to see them!

[@peterdushaj5262]

This is gonna be the cleanest E30 on the planet when it's finished.

[@ferretkiller9454]

Curious what amperage you ended with the calipers themselves? Using caswell system? If you have a third plate in the bucket will help with evening out the zinc in the section where it was dull/ grey looking, even putting a small plate on the posi lead and move it under closer can help if it's not taking at all. And moving it during the process vs letting it sit for the whole duration helps as well, 180 flip each 1/4 its in there.

[@essamkhatri3978]

YOU ARE SIMPLY A BRILLIANT PERSON.... 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@hanshoogendyk2203]

in this video he deals qith calipers that have recently been in use ....as the pistons popped out with just a bit of air pressure... being a mechanic i have come across hundreds of seized pistons in calipers that will not "pop" out with air no matter how much pressure is applied, the solution i found was to use a grease gun, simply take off the nipple tip and screw the thread into the hose thread on the caliper ...you can now apply 3000 psi of hydraulic pressure at a very controlled rate.... the piston "WILL COME OUT". every time, then its just a matter of cleaning the grease out of the caliper, this whole process takes 5 mins if you have the tools at hand, if you dont have a grease gun, go and buy a cheap pump action one. its so worth it

[@tarasque01]

During the zinc plating I noticed a little taste of nostalgia in the background...the label container drawer organizer. Yep that was always there in the old shop in view. Glad it's still around. Relief.

[@154Jamesp]

Beautiful job as always. I always put a high temp clear over zinc plated calipers. Just about all wheel cleaners are acidic and will burn the zinc right off.

[@archygrey9093]

You are very brave having your fingers so close to the piston when popping it out lol, usually i will lay a folded up towel on top of the caliper just in case things go wrong.

[@robertrishel3685]

This channel is so addictive. Nice work. Cannot wait to see this car completed!

[@Stuntman707]

Brilliant restoration as always.

[@ZMO999]

Awesome as usual! Can’t wait to see the car rolling. 👍🏻

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks ZMO999! It wont be long!

[@yaikerz1]

Amazing! I love your work and you inspire me to restore my truck!... greetings from Argentina!

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks Yaikerz! Good to hear!

[@HD.Motorsports]

Nice to see u were able to find a set that were in pretty good condition (granted the circumstances given bc they r 30 yrs old) i bought a set of e34 sport breaks to install on my e28 535is and man ill tell u that they were a little bit pitted and were a pain to sand and paint without a sand blaster.

[@theprodigy01uk]

Nice job man. They came out good. I hate breaks at the best of times, you made it look easy :) nice!

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks dude. It certainly was not easy haha.

[@kossi2607]

I am really excited to see the fully restored E30

[@Gilly14]

Your new shop is very nice.

[@RestoreIt]

Thank you, Gilbert. It's only around 20% finished. I have so much to do. As well as keeping the restoration videos coming. I'll get there :)

[@levinsteins_adventures]

If you ever wanna take those retainer clips off again you push them down(awards the two middle moles, and pull out, saves time and prevents wear :) great work you're doing here man!

[@budukin2010]

Чувак, ты лучший! Просто красавчик! Терпения тебе !

[@faridbahal1]

これはどう？ あなたはそれを読むことができますか？

[@МорозНиколаевич]

Сам кайфую просто,золотые руки ,так мотивирует !

[@lolman77]

Blyat !

[@ЗолотаяПодкова-ч3б]

Мороз Николаевич лайк тебе

[@scottcrawford4148]

Phenomenal restoration

[@TheVwgolfmk1]

Great job, what a transformation. They're better than new and will look fantastic on the car. How much longer do you think it will be till you start to actually rebuild the car. I think it will be priceless when it's done due to the immaculate detail you go to on all the restoration. Can't wait to see it.

[@elkarim9929]

I will do mines too.but instead I will go get calipers from the junk and take my time with them..first time for ..Nice excellent work.. do you need a primer if not using the electro plating thing ? Thanks

[@jimc12]

You should try running a dust collection/air filter system on the blast cabinet. They make a world of difference. They suck out the dust on one end while sucking in clean air on the other. When the system fills you just dump it back into the blast cabinet.

[@2003garyb]

Hi, Steve! Your new shop is awesome! Your brakes turned out really nice. I like how you have a system to plate/coat them. Your car is going to be a show piece. I'm saving up now so I can get over there for a ride once it's finished. Hahaha! See you soon in the next video. Take care, my friend.

[@henrikolsen6534]

great video...could you say how many volts/amp you use in your bath for one calipers. Tryed this and mine calipers came out pitch black !

[@abdulrosid8326]

I can't wait to see your brand new BMW

[@airtondbutta7012]

Hello, Very good restoration. For my painted taste they will be better. I love your channel greetings from Argentina

[@DanteTheAbyssalBeing]

Watching this makes me think I should finish off refurbing the wheels I've had in my garage for the last 6 months ;) Nice job, as always man :)

[@rosewd2]

I liked the idea of outing the pressure blaster hose in the bead cabinet, I'll have to try that.

[@questy44]

I once used a compressor on a caliper that had the piston seized, when it came loose it was such a powerful collision that it felt like someone punched me in my chest.

[@MABFR01]

Lol

[@mohamadshaheen1196]

BMW Company Proud of you

[@itinkle]

How do you stop brake fluid from continuously dripping out the lines while doing this work? I’m working on my calipers right now.

[@Sid978]

Děkuji za video, vysoce kvalitní obraz fotoaparátu. Good job!

[@raulvaldieguez6534]

Can you explain How do you make electolysis what products do you use

[@Nordice92]

There is already a video for that ;)

[@commuterdude3053]

Keep on keepin on. Your inspireing me to do this with my car

[@albertomolina8682]

Interesting your work great detains. Thanks you very much for all steps. I have seen 3 o 4 times that video and I tell you I am not tired. I live in Nashua NH and I am becoming to be your fan.

[@gabor7928]

That vise would probably deserve some kind of a sturdier mounting (around 4:50). Maybe a nice structure constructed of angle irons beneath the board?

[@randdower6573]

What was that you used on the inside of the piston to seal it. Looking through the notes i did not see it listed... The main reason I am asking is if it is note brake fluid proof which most paints are not ( maybe resistant) then it will flake off and contaminate your brake system. If the stuff is brake fluid proof please tell me what it is so I can use it on my frame and undercarriage of my vehicle. Also if you use a synthetic brake fluid or a silicone fluid (silicone fluid is known to change the feel and efficiency of brakes) there is no reason to coat them as synthetic dot 4 or silicone dot 5 is supposed to be hydrophobic meaning it will not absorb water unlike regular dot 3/4.

[@aserta]

For future reference, use lacquer (in 5 thin coats) on the MDF. MDF sucks it up really quick and becomes quite durable. Now, it's a bit late since it's contaminated, but keep it in mind if you ever redo the bench tops.

[@sungn4512]

lovely back to brand new status great detailed handiwork, patience, craftsmanship thanks for taking the time to put this together

[@jumukene65]

Hello Restore it😉 Pls tell me how powerfull is your compressor. Im asking because i wanna build my own sandblast cabinet. But i need to knw how powerfull compressor i need?

[@steamedbuns8925]

I'm really curious as to why didn't you remove the caliper bracket pins? They were only a hex bit away. Nice job on the electro-plating! The calipers are going to really pop behind the wheels.

[@ahmadqaddori9755]

really addicted to your videos man , keep going

[@slghn01]

Why didn't you un bolt the slider pins rather than masking them up? Also, I prefer to use built hamber de rusting solution on this sort of work to remove any rust as it doesn't remove any metal like blasting does.

[@officialmysteriousrider6327]

Can you remember how much power you used when zinc plating these calipers mate

[@andyreed2898]

Great job, do you have any links to the products and process used for the zinc plating and yellow chromate ?

[@ArvoR]

you may just let pistons with seals in for soda blasting and even painting (if thats the finish you like) also worth replace bleeding valves, they tend to stuck and get rounded, cost around euro piece

[@adcampo7601]

Hey, I know you love your Dremel tool, but have you seen the dry ice blaster? That thing works amazingly well. I could see liking that.

[@RestoreIt]

Getting one on lease asap!!

[@Lukasz531]

Zinc plating gives incredible results!

[@upfactoryracing4148]

Looking good! Back to spec with a little bit of elbow grease!

[@abdulraoof4335]

The caliper also looks good in bare metal..nice work.

[@steve5912]

Yea until it trusts

[@steve5912]

Rusts

[@bertone83]

Will the tolerances for the pistons work after the plating? It seems you left the bores unprotected. I would just buy a set of new calipers since they are not very expensive...

[@davidbrowne9984]

Great video, excellent work. The finished product looks awesome. Keep up the good videos 😀.

[@reza_dc2]

Any other ways to remove the piston if you don't have compressed air? Great video.

[@michaelrawlins419]

How much does a parts washer like that cost? After watching how nicely the parts clean up, I want one.

[@ISupportTheCurr3ntThing]

depending where in the world you are, hobo freight has them at a good price. 100$ is the average price for one with a pump.

[@that_laughing_hyena]

just in time for my birthday thanks :)

[@RestoreIt]

Happy birthday Justin :D

[@that_laughing_hyena]

thanks keep up with the quality because it's always a joy to watch your vids

[@MyMathex]

Where do you get the yellow passivate and the zinc electroplating solution?

[@vladbucica4825]

did you use a metal wire brush on the caliper piston ? because if you did they are more than likely scratched and will probably leak.

[@spkay31]

Very nice work. Excellent results.

[@Mixz1890]

DO NOT grease guide pins that sit in rubber bushes. Read the instructions, no car or brake manufacturer says to do that with this style of guide pins. They are designed to work dry, as the rubber will move them back a tiny bit. Greasing them prevents the rubber from doing that. Also, you should get new guide pins, pistons and the clips(OE ATE). All of this doesn't cost very much.

[@questy44]

Good insights, what do you think of the ussage of copper grease? I heard it causes galvanic oxidization.

[@kezzaa0049]

just a tip when you get the piston out with air, it's good to get an air blower with a rubber seal on the end and push on it, unless this has one and they were just really seized

[@RestoreIt]

Cheers for the tip Kezzaa!

[@pattygq]

16:51 The pointed sides of the caliper are the closest to the zinc sheets. Due to the electric field while plating it went there first and never made its way to the inner section. The onyl way I know how to fix this is to get a piece of zinc in that crevice while plating. Other than that, move the part around more. Your should get anode bags and a pump with a filter to get that plating solution clear so you can see what's happening.

[@jw200]

Hello I would like to get more info how you zinc plated. What chemicals, timing, steps etc.. Please explain/make video. Zinc plate some random useless part. I need this. I also want to start working on my E36 Thanks.

[@YZFMANIAC08]

Sweet finished product!

[@7jonte]

One question, how do you not get zincplating effect inside the brakecylinder? Great videos love to watch them.

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks Buddy, the effect would have happened inside but i then cleaned the insides with a dremel very carefully.

[@7jonte]

@@RestoreIt Thanks, will try that on my extra brake calipers.

[@electronic7979]

Woow excellent 👍 very good 👍

[@qwerrrz202]

That's a great result.

[@vwivancc]

Hi. I would like to perform the gold zinc to many screws of my lathe. I'm going to restore it. How Could I find the product to make it? Does it is a kit? Is there some guide to perform it? Thanks and regards from Mexico.

[@marcinzieba5438]

Angielski Good morning. I have a question, what substances did you use to make the yellow and white zinc?

[@funbox2882]

Also with the pads you'd want to be using a ceramic based lubrication like ceratex and to be lubricating the wings/tabs as these are the bits in full contact with metal and what slide along a guide mate

[@williamfindspeople4341]

People always wonder why it cost so much to have a caliber rebuilt they don't realize how much time and effort goes into reconstruction those calibers. Most garage is just replace the brake pad or the Piston if it goes bad they don't do all the extra cleaning like you did

[@RestoreIt]

So true, you can see why some places charge £80 an hour. Its hard work for sure.

[@mjux89]

Cleaning is irrelevant... If you replace the square cut seal and dust boot you can consider your caliper to be rebuilt. Everything else is just cosmetics

[@williamfindspeople4341]

Although complete restoration means cosmetic as well. I helped restore a Silver Shadow and we cosmetically fixed everything turned around and sold the car for 1.5 million Euro.

[@treehouse7861]

​@@mjux89 pitted cylinder?

[@hpt08]

@@RestoreIt £80/hr plus the vat and then when you finally decide to do it yourself, you uncover everything they couldn't be bothered to do but still charged you for! 💰💰💰

[@oblivion2477]

It turned blue!! What sorcery is this??

[@RestoreIt]

ELECTROPLATING :D

[@oblivion2477]

@@RestoreIt 😎😎 love the video. Looking forward to the next. Take care.

[@mgmg3561]

Brilliant, absolutely fine ... my Led Zeppelin of restoring videos ...

[@layton7430]

Please can you tell me how you get a better low from your sand blaster when you switch? What set up is that?