Buying Rebuilt 300zx Brake Calipers from Parts store. Iron or Aluminum?

[E7-S14]

as the title states.im going to be buying my Z brakes brand new. instead of used.

my question is for who has bought these from the parts stores.did you buy the 30mm aluminum or the 30mm iron?the alum. seem to be cheaper everywhere i look.this is between advanceauto parts and autozone btw.

and would the calipers come with all the pad mounting hardware?the 2 boltscrews, that pin at the back and the x brace thingy..*am i missing anything??**

i have already purchased the rotors and Pads.

thanks for any help

[AZ89two4Tsx]

When I bought my Q45 calipers new/remaned, they came with everything. All I had to do was bolt them on. So I would assume it would be the same for you.

Why were you considering the iron ones?

[E7-S14]

well.from what im reading..the 26mm aluminum calipers came in 1990 and earlier 300zx's.i have 30mm rotors so i need 30mm calipers.

im pretty sure from late 1990. they all went to 30mm tho.but im ordering 92 300zx calipers.and in 92 is when they went from alum. to iron.so ill have to order 3/92 and earlier calipers to get the aluminum ones right.

but i guess since the aluminum ones are cheaper.. and they're a tad wider. im going with those.

the iron ones absorb more heat.. vs the alum ones..thats why. i was considering the iron.but for my s14. i dont think ill have any problems with overheating them

[E7-S14]

ill be ordering the Aluminum calipers built before 3/1992.

so just go get this straight before i order 26mm by accident.

8/1990-3/1992 were all Aluminum 30mm calipers on ALL z's turbo and non turbo alike??

please someone confirm this for me before i order

[AZ89two4Tsx]

FROM http://importnut.net/300zxbrakeswap.htm I'm sure you've seen it though.

The following is a comparison of some different Z32 300ZX brake calipers.

The "26mm Aluminum" calipers were used ONLY on 1990 non-turbos. They used a 280mm x 26mm rotor.

The "30mm Aluminum" calipers were used on 1990 Twin-turbos and ALL 1991-1992.5 300ZX's (both turbo and non-turbo alike). They used a 280mm x 30mm rotor.

The "30mm Iron" calipers were used on ALL 1992.5-1996 300ZX's (both turbo and non-turbo alike). They also used the 280mm x 30mm rotor.

So unless you order 1990 non-turbo ones, you should be fine.

[E7-S14]

and also.there's a local Nissan performance shop that has a couple sets in stock.should i just buy new?or used?

or is it all price dependent?i usually see guys buying used ones all the time.

thanks for the conformation az89two4tsx.i was using that site as a reference earlier.. but 4got the link ha

[AZ89two4Tsx]

I would buy new if you could afford it.

I just ended up trading my used ones in and just using them as cores. I feel MUCH better about getting new ones. You never know how long used ones have been sitting, also the seals and such can dry out, rot, etc....

If you're worried about cost, have you thought about the q45 calipers? They're really close to the Z's in performance, much cheaper, and no huge need to swap the master cylinder.

Oh, one more thing. Make sure to get the mounting bolts for the calipers, the bolts that attach the caliper to the car. I went through hell to find those. If they're the same as the Q for the Z, J30 bolts will work too.

[OutToWinPAHC]

I have seen autozones brakes. Sometime you get a 26mm caliper with a 3 mil sparer in it. So don't accept them if this is the case.

I have Iron Calipers upfront, no biggie for me, they are worse for cooling, but are less likely to warp.

[Ghast]

This is all very good to know.

Glad i clicked the thread.

Thanks guys

[E7-S14]

I have seen autozones brakes. Sometime you get a 26mm caliper with a 3 mil sparer in it. So don't accept them if this is the case.

I have Iron Calipers upfront, no biggie for me, they are worse for cooling, but are less likely to warp.

jeez. so your saying autozones calipers are a No-No...eh...you think the alum. ones on my car will be susceptible to warpage?monthly track usage(drift) and occasional mountain usage??

dam. thought i had this all figured out ha

[OutToWinPAHC]

Nah not at all, maybe pads issues.

Nah dont count autozone out at all. Just open the box first.

[E7-S14]

ok so what is a 3 mil sparer and how do i catch it?

is it where you can see where 3mm was milled out of the caliper?

[OutToWinPAHC]

http://zilvia.net/f/chat/24971....html

[E7-S14]

the guys in that thread seem to be ok with the spacer in it.

but i think im going to just order 4/92+ Iron Calipers.so ill just tell them 93 300zx Caliper.

thanks for all the help guys

[AZ89two4Tsx]

Wait, why are you getting the iron?

Warping would be the very last thing I'd be worried about.

[homeslicej2]

^ditto, weight is what I would consider. If you are driving hard enough to warp stock alum 300zx calipers, then you need to upgrade to Willwood, Brembo, Stoptech, etc. Go with alum.
Modified by homeslicej2 at 8:18 PM 7/26/2009

[tEknoS13]

I bought 91 tt 300zx (30mm aluminum)from a Murrays auto parts. They where cheap and i gave them my oem 240sx calipers as core lol. Only thing thats sucks is you gotta watch for wheels.

[kouki-gymkhana]

I bought my 30mm calipers new from a parts chain and they did not come with the pad retaining hardware. It was a b**** to track down a hardware kit at the time and I ended up getting it from PDM racing in Canada. Even the dealers couldn't get it. Careful...

[tEknoS13]

^ This is true. My calipers did not come with any hardware. Unless you buy "loaded" calipers, which do come with some hardware. I had to get all the pins, springs, and that large t-spring at the top from courtesyparts.com