4x BMW E30 Brake Caliper [Restoration] - Gold Zinc Finish | BMW E30 325i Sport Restoration S2 E3
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Thanks to AutoDoc for sponsoring today's video! Check them out at the links below!
interstitials....
/ @autodocuk
Thanks to GLW Engineering for helping me blast and paint the chassis. Check them out here - www.glwenginee...
This week I restore all four of the brakes from the E30 to a factory gold zinc plated finish. This one got delayed due to post getting lost. Slowing getting sorted in Spain but still in the process.
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If you would like to send me something to restore, tools to use or anything to support Restore It, please email:
Restoreitchannel@gmail.com
Tools & equpitment used:
Quartz Lacquer - goo.gl/8PTVKM
Base Coat Paint - goo.gl/mWhufG
Rust Remover - goo.gl/13gopW
Moldex Full Face Mask - goo.gl/NNYGrv
FGL 5 Spray gun - goo.gl/Acg5rd
A.N.I. R150-T Mini Spray gun - goo.gl/cHTJS2
Colad Washable Overalls - goo.gl/3Css9E
Colad Mixing Cups - goo.gl/8DYmE8
Colad TurboMix Sticks - goo.gl/cYZfks
Colad Synthetic Paint Strainers - goo.gl/H79ZgL
Steel wire bits - geni.us/keyaD
Rotary Tool - geni.us/HGed
Concentrate Degreaser - geni.us/yUn9
Mannesmann Socket Set - geni.us/HCDZ
PROCESS:
Firstly I remove any brake pipes from the calipers. I then dismantled them completely. I then wash all of the pieces in the parts washer before plugging them with moldable plastic to protect against the blasting media in certain areas.
I then blast all of the parts excluding the pistons. Once all of the grease, oil, dirt, and rust has been removed, It's time to zinc plate the main pieces. It took me three days to plate and passivate all of the parts including dry time.
Whilst I was waiting for them to dry, I blasted the clips for the rear brakes and painted them in heat-proof black and clear coat. It was then time to put everything back together. I used a cool trick of putting the seal on the piston before installing it. This made life so much easier. The pistons should go in without any mechanical force.
WIth the pistons back in I added the sliders and pads before finishing them off with new rubbers and bleed valve covers. The restoration was complete.
Disclaimer: I am no professional. Especially when it comes to electrics. It's certainly an area I am looking to improve in. I am completely self-taught and have no previous trade experience. I would appreciate any feedback, advice or constructive criticism.
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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.
wasted so much time trying to do it like this guy shouldve checked the comments first
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!
Thank you Wilmer! A lot of people have suggested i cover it, but i also quite like it.
Yes, but spraying paint around...no sheeting or spray booth, (cardboard box will do.. hmmm
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
Thank you Jondra! You read my mind. All of this to come in the workshop videos!
Buy you a set of flare wrenches also, it will help you not strip out your hose connectors.
@@RestoreIt Could also consider a sheet of acrylic for the disassembly bench, even easier to clean, and easily replaced. Also extremely cheap.
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.
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.
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.
It must be so much nicer doing this work in the new shop/workspace.
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.
@@RestoreIt Only 20 percent?? Wow I can't wait to see what else you have planned!
Agreed
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.
Your plating solution also needs movement... this video might help you...ua-cam.com/video/Nmn94B5UUuU/v-deo.html
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!
@@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?
@@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.
@@KineticLatency thats why he left the seal in place till the finish.
Im always watching your videoes..
Please hurry up we need more videos in week:(
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.
@@RestoreIt Come to Germany when ur car is ready
@@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
@@RestoreIt Power plug should be protected more from liquid.
This is so satisfying!! Specially the zinc coating. Good job!
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.
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!!
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
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
This is gonna be the cleanest E30 on the planet when it's finished.
I am really excited to see the fully restored E30
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
And now the sky will fall because of it.
@noxxi knox Yes, that sky is so full of that nasty C02
@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.
@noxxi knox True that, cant be having the people smelling cow farts.
@noxxi knox They're all cars with electronic e-brakes. Ebrake digs into the rubber and gets stuck onto the picton.
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.
You should paint it red
It will give you extra 20 whp
dont you mean bhp??😂😂
And +25 bhp for yellow one
@@Niggabalzz wheel horsepower is more relevant than brake horsepowers, you can lose a lot of power between the engine and wheels.
@@CA-gy4qf i said BRAKE hp because he is restoring the BRAKES😂 come on man it was just a joke
@@Niggabalzz that one went way over my head I'll admit 😂
Nice one Steve!
The metal plating is gorgeous. Very good work.
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.
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
Wow. Just love your videos. I know nothing about cars but I can watch you all day!
Zinc plating gives incredible results!
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
I liked the idea of outing the pressure blaster hose in the bead cabinet, I'll have to try that.
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.
Phenomenal restoration
Time to christen the new workshop with an E30 restoration video!
Oh hell yes! So many more to come :)
Restore It can’t wait to see them!
I can't wait to see your brand new BMW
They had excellent condition.
This channel is so addictive. Nice work. Cannot wait to see this car completed!
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!
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!
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.
Чувак, ты лучший! Просто красавчик! Терпения тебе !
これはどう？ あなたはそれを読むことができますか？
Сам кайфую просто,золотые руки ,так мотивирует !
Blyat !
Мороз Николаевич лайк тебе
Awesome as usual! Can’t wait to see the car rolling. 👍🏻
Thanks ZMO999! It wont be long!
Brilliant restoration as always.
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.
YOU ARE SIMPLY A BRILLIANT PERSON.... 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
BMW Company Proud of you
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.
Amazing! I love your work and you inspire me to restore my truck!... greetings from Argentina!
Thanks Yaikerz! Good to hear!
Your new shop is very nice.
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 :)
Děkuji za video, vysoce kvalitní obraz fotoaparátu. Good job!
Looking good! Back to spec with a little bit of elbow grease!
Nice job man. They came out good. I hate breaks at the best of times, you made it look easy :) nice!
Thanks dude. It certainly was not easy haha.
That's a great result.
Keep on keepin on. Your inspireing me to do this with my car
Great work ! 👍🏻
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.
The caliper also looks good in bare metal..nice work.
Yea until it trusts
Rusts
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.
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.
Sweet finished product!
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 :)
Excellent job. Poor bench got dirty. Have you thought about thin layer of sheet metal on the surface.
Richard Powell sheet metal and a rubber mat
Very nice work. Excellent results.
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
Wow that playing came out great!
A real show stopper
Brilliant, absolutely fine ... my Led Zeppelin of restoring videos ...
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.
where do get them piston kits around 8Euro only?
16.11 the main project of restoration have sneak peek.... very good job my friend.
Loved seeing the plating. Worried about reusing pitted pistons even after refinishing.
just in time for my birthday
thanks :)
Happy birthday Justin :D
thanks
keep up with the quality because it's always a joy to watch your vids
Excellent job
lovely
back to brand new status
great detailed handiwork, patience, craftsmanship
thanks for taking the time to put this together
Hello, Very good restoration. For my painted taste they will be better. I love your channel greetings from Argentina
New bench, nice.
really addicted to your videos man , keep going
New workshop love and them calipers are shot
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
Cheers for the tip Kezzaa!
Woow excellent 👍 very good 👍
Great video, excellent work. The finished product looks awesome. Keep up the good videos 😀.
Nice job
Great job mash'Allah
Cooper grease is very harsh on rubber, and therefore should not be used on the back of brakepads, as it will come in contact with the dust boot around the piston. Fine to use on the ends of the brakepads, which i noticed you didnt grease at all. Also i think it will be better to completely assemble the brakes once the caliper bracket is bolted to the car. Great video
nice work
Never heard of polydough before... looks interesting.
Peace of art ! Wow
Thanks man!
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.
Lol
They look amazing! Awesome!
You really took the hard way to pull those apart
Tip.
Spray a light coat of oil on all zinc plated parts. It stops them from oxidizing which they will buddy. love the videos
Thanks Sat. Appreciate the advice.
wow very good job
Good to see those new benches get a coat of grime!
They turned out great. That being said, I would have recommended replacing both the guidepins and anti-rattle clips. The clips are cheap and both the pins, and the clips are safety items. I replace the clips every time I do pads on my car.
Very Nice Job Bro Those Came Out Factory New
Great work
It costs £50 here in N.ireland to get a set of callipers done , best results are achieved when the metal is sandblasted then vapour blasted first . Some job for a home set up . 👌
Can't wait for the next shop update video! I love your videos!
Good job , respect 👍💪
Awesome video, looks like you enjoyed this project. Just a couple thoughts for future, similar projects. I'd recommend the use of gloves whenever dealing with bare metals. The natural oils of your skin will soak into the metal and cause consistenncy and durability issues.
Never seize isn't suited for this application, as it will harden over with a skin and collect dust/debri; contamination that will undoubtedly lead to corrosion. I would use a brake specific lubricant, and apply it the contact surfaces of the caliper/piston, not the pad. This way you can spray the brake parts with compressed air every few months and they should clean right up.
One thing for sure, the car should definitely have better braking feel after the rebuild!
Slick result!
So as epic as this is. What’s next for the channel once this is all said and done? What can we look forward to in the future?
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
well done young man!