Brake calipers - what colour?

[72911E]

What colour should your brake calipers be?

Is there any differnce between T, E and S? or on SWB and LWB cars?

Any photos you can post?

Thanks
Derek

[Neunelfer]

They are yellow zinc from the ATE factory. Some fade over time giving a clear or silverish appearance but every single ATE caliper I've torn down has been yellow zinc on the mating surfaces.

I had a NOS set tested, they are zinc.

The process they used seems to be a bit "quick" with about a 15-20 second dip in the dichromate for the yellow. If you decide to replicate an exact original finish, ask the plater to double plate them in clear and then do a quick wash in the yellow. Double plating in clear will reduce the contaminents reducing the speckled look in the yellow.

There is no difference between the cars and years or various makes for that matter (Alfa, Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW). All of the ATE calipers I've seen are this yellow.

Hope that helps.

P.S. We're now using black zinc on all of the fasteners. You can use black oxide or zinc but, the black zinc looks closest.

[Neunelfer]

Just to be clear... I assume with the question "Is there any differnce between T, E and S?" the poster was mainly asking about steel "M-Calipers".

I had a concerned PM regarding the color of S-Calipers. As we all know, S-Calipers are aluminum, the color and short description breaks down as follows:

S-Calipers:
* 69-72.8 = Clear Anodizing and 908 Casting
* 72.8-76+ = Dichromate sealant over clear and more of a 910 casting.

Steel M-Calipers or L-Calipers, etc. (front and rear):
* Yellow Zinc. All of them.

There is an exception regarding the early S-Calipers cast off the 908 casting. I have seen two "late" pairs now that had the greenish dichromate sealant. That said, as a rule, the 910 casting "style" S-Calipers (72.8 and on) have the dichromate sealant.

Hope that helps.

[Neunelfer]

Pictures are probably more helpful...

This is pair of steel calipers off a 65 356C. It represents the yellow "zinc" finish:


This is the early S-Caliper from the 908 casting:


This is a later "dichromate" S-Caliper with the 910 style nose:

[Soterik]

Thanks Eric,

Crystal clear!... or yellow green...

[72911E]

Thanks Eric, very helpful.

Cheers
Derek