Looking to replace my 72 original four calipers due to leakage. Any suggestions as to which ones I should buy? Looking for good quality calipers and good deals. Thanking you in advance!

Vette Brakes and Products sells st-st lined calipers.  Probably other vendors also.  I suspect there's only one or two actual manufacturers.

1973 L-82 4 spd

You can also get the SS sleeved calipers from local auto parts places. I have two on my '74 that came from Autozone...one I installed 20+ years ago.

Joel Adams
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From experience, Anything remanufactured from ANY auto parts store is Junk! I have a 72' as well, and had Multiple problems with remans. I went with Lone Star out of Texas. They have quality products, and NO problems after replacement of SS inserts. 

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If I'm not mistaken, Vette Brakes closed up shop earlier this year. If you are a DIYer at all, they are not that hard to rebuild. There are several videos on YouTube depicting caliper rebuilds (the Ecklers Garage is a good depiction but I emailed them and they no longer rebuild your calipers but do have units available for purchase). You have to make sure the interior surfaces of the caliper are not rusty and pitted but if they're in good shape you can get a rebuild kit and refurbish them yourself. I do agree with ManchesterShark regarding stainless steel sleeves if you do it yourself or have it done. Then you get the added bonus of keeping the originals on your Vette. Good luck!

Lone Star Caliper out of Texas has a good product and you can specify the correct date code for your car.

I had the same problem for years. Changed 4 sets of calipers in just 6 years. Last fall I installed a set of Wilwood by Duntov Motors calipers out of Texas. I replaced EVERYTHING!!! Master cylinder, lines, calipers and pads. I am a very happy Corvette owner now.

I am now in need of the same.  At least 2 of the calipers (front) are leaking on my '76.

I am not eager to rebuild them myself, as I do no have any equipment to hone them if they are having issues.  I want to order a set and just throw them on the car.

I read in an earlier post that AutoZone might have them.  Anyone have part #'s?   I see NAPA has them, but the descriptions online are vague.  I also considered ones from Summit Racing, but the reviews are very mixed, and I do not want to replace a leaking caliper with another leaking caliper!

Anyone shop at Pep Boys anymore?

Thanks in advance!

You can call Lone Star Caliper and ask them if they supply anyone near you or on ebay.  They told me Corvette World here sold them and it was reasonable.

Lone Star kinda gets you for shipping (although I haven't checked them recently).

I see kits on ebay that say remanufactured in USA for around $400.

I have two calipers on my '74 from Autozone. They do typically have them in stock. Not the best solution, but they do work, and are reasonably priced. In some cases, they are stainless steel sleeved, depending on who their vendor is at the time.

Driver side front part # C138

Passenger side front part # C139

Joel Adams
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Be sure to get stainless steel lined calipers or you'll be doing it again someday. I had to replace my fronts with less than 10 years on them but was able to hone the rear and rebuild them with new seals. The car was a daily driver which meant that it saw a lot of road salt in the winter.

1973 L-82 4 spd

Thanks all for your input!  I was going to wait until Jan to dive into this project, but I went ahead and ordered the fronts from Lone Star via eBay.  I figured that I need brakes for inspection, and the fluid in the lines is pretty much already drained from the prior owner, so why not just do it now...

There are many on the market now. Go with the Stock castings that have been machined out and sleeved with stainless steel.

Additionally ask for the pistons to have o-ring seals not the lip seals. These work the best.

Make sure you clean out any and all old brake in the lines and master cylinder. Then flush again prior to installing the new items.  Your break pedal will thank you for this extra task. 

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Thank you for your feedback- yep, those are exactly what I ordered from Lone Star.

I also learned something very interesting today about the whole situation: the previous owner shared with me that while the car was at the mechanic's during its time to be troubleshot for brakes, the mechanic told the person that it looked like "a different kind of fluid had been used at some point".  Of course, to hear that, I thought maybe that meant that someone had dumped DOT 5 fluid in there.  That would help to further substantiate seal failure and all kinds of weird stuff happening to the already-tired calipers and equipment.

I ended up calling that mechanic today after work, as they know our family, and I asked if they recalled what the issue had been with the fluid mixup.  I specifically asked if they thought maybe DOT 5 had been introduced into the system.  They responded that they did not believe it to be DOT 5, however, possibly hydraulic fluid or something to that effect.   I know the prior owner, and unfortunately, I could totally see them dumping ATF into the master cylinder if brake fluid was not readily available.  Whatever the mystery fluid was that had been used, however, I'm sure it was enough to finish taking out the last of the retention ability of the seals in the OEM calipers.  :(

The new calipers are supposed to be here by Monday.  Hopefully I can get through the swaps with little grief and get the brake pressure back!!

I have used DOT 5 (silicone brake fluid) since I rebuilt my calipers back in the late 70s when they became pitted. While I was able to salvage the rear calipers with some mild honing, the front calipers were beyond salvaging. I replaced them with stainless steel lined calipers. While there are some known disadvantages for silicone brake fluid, I've never experienced them.  Positive aspects of silicone brake fluid are that it does not harm your paint, it's not hygroscopic, and it has a higher boiling point than DOT 3.

I used lip seals since O-ring seals were not available back then but I would be open to a discussion of why O-ring seals are considered better.

Edit: Forgot to mention that I have read in the past that Chinese-sourced calipers are notably bad.

1973 L-82 4 spd

Hello, In my opinion,  ANYTHING that is an export from the chinese, and that includes R.O.C. Auto, Should be left on the container in the port. 

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O-ring seals are not better than lip seals unless you are racing your car.

These guys know what they are talking about.

http://www.duntovmotors.com/tech-calipers.php

http://www.duntovmotors.com/tech-caliper-seal.php

Lots of good info on their website.

Not knowing all the information just presented in the Duntov Motors technical notes, I always figured the lip seals would be better because of the design which would tend to seal tighter as the pressure was increased.

I guess we would have never had the leaking caliper problem if the outer seal had been watertight.  🤔

1973 L-82 4 spd

Hi, I replaced all my calipers & master cylinder with stainless steel from Lone Star Caliper.

Lone Star has a lifetime replacement warranty.

I have had the L/S front leak twice along with the master recently going bad.

I called the sales office where I purchased them from and they sent replacements along with return shipping label.

Other than my labor & time there was no other cost.

Hope this helps

Alex

Happy Holidays

Where was the leak occurring?

1973 L-82 4 spd

Leaking from one of the 4 pistons, the master was not holding pressure when brakes were applied.

Depending on the depth of the rust pits in the bores of the calipers, it may be time to replace the caliper with one that has stainless steel liners. If the pits aren't too deep, it is possible to hone it and still maintain piston seal.

1973 L-82 4 spd