Technical Remember the old days of rebuilding?

Remember when rebuilding alternators, wheel cylinders, master cylinders and even brake calipers were standard fare ?

Heck part stores used to carry kits in stock even had the hones and replacement stones for them hanging on the wall !

Now the replacement parts are as cheap as the kits or cheaper than rebuild kits for wheel cylinders and brake calipers.

Alternators though on certain makes are probably cheaper to rebuild minus 100 plus an hour labor rates. Master cylinders probably fall into this category too.

My first caliper rebuild was a first yr disc brake vette, my first master cylinder was an old jeep. Alternator was a 63 vette, we were headed for arkansas last rod run show and out in bum-fu**-Egypt alternator gave out at 5:30 in the morning, sat in a drive way of a 3 horse town with 1 shop that opened at 9 a.m. he sold us a rebuild kit and bent us over good. We sat there with our basic tool box we brought along and rebuilt it.

Wonder how many modern "techs" could rebuild any of those items today? And do it successfully?

Again die-ing skills. My son was amazed when I told him I've rebuilt 100's of wheel cylinders, master cylinders and brake calipers. He never knew or heard of them being rebuildable. Young snotts today !!

This go's along with doing major tune-ups in the drive way with plugs, wires, points kits and distributor caps from the local parts, hardware, retail stores.

The days of doing it yourself is slowly dwindling, cars now days need a computer and a geek to work on them and most things are not rebuildable, repairable just replaceable. Shame really, as that taught alot of youngsters to be self reliant, myself included.

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We still have our students take apart master cylinders and calipers and wheel cylinders, they hone the wheel cylinders and put it all back together, the reality is most will never do it at work, not cost effective.

They also take apart starters and alternators for parts recognition and understanding of how they function.

I rebuild all of mine because I’m cheap and trust my own work.

 

I rebuilt my MC in my 61 econoline. A year later it started to leak...just bought a new one for 54 bux..makes more sense to replace than to rebuild..I also misplaced my honing thingy

 

I still try doing all the rebuilding of parts I can, I find a lot of times a real good cleaning and lubrication will work with old parts, especially switches, new are cheesy ****.
I have also found rebuild kits to be more expensive than replacement parts a lot of times, but then again it drives me insane when the new parts are ****ed right outta the box, happens way more often than it should .

 

I prefer rebuilding. The quality of some aftermarket can be appalling in some cases. Plus i like to check things and make sure they are ***embled correctly.

 

" but then again it drives me insane when the new parts are ****ed right outta the box, happens way more often than it should ."

That drives me nuts too. They rather have quan***y versus quality in this day of age. I save all my old copper washers from brake jobs that you are supposed to replace because the new ones are too skinny, they leak almost every time.

did a cv joint of course on an off topic vehicle that was my daily. it only cost $30 but the frustrations I went thu. Couldn't get the new one on, old one slips in and out just fine. I started measuring everything. It all seems to be the right size. Tried many times, get so far and that was it. couldn't figure it out. Cussing because I brought the cheapest one but when the vehicle has 275,000 on it you don't buy the most expensive parts to keep it going. Was on the verge to buy the more expensive joint and I just happened to notice a c clip was not a perfect c but was like a triangle shape. looked like it was supposed to be like that but out of hunch I took the c clip off the old and put it on the new one and it slipped right one like ****er.

I ordered a throttle cable and it took like 6 months to show up and when I got it the end is plastic. Old one is metal. Wonsdering how long it will last especially in wisconsin winters I ordered another one right away to carry as a spare seeing how long it took to get and it is something easy I can do on the street if that plastic end breaks off. the new one only took 5 days to get and that plastic end is now aluminum, at least it is better than plastic but still seem more acceptable to wearing out versus the steel end one.

I hate new parts, you just never know what you get. Yes, you can order the most expensive ones but then you feel like a fool when it turns out it is made by the same company that just slapped different stickers or different color on depending which one you ordered. ok, rant over but that felt good, thanks guys.

 

Comes down to labor cost, also availability of rebuild kits.

Take a look at your stuff, if you can a rebuild kit, buy it now.

 

I haven’t found a master and wheel cyl that was rebuildable on the last few builds. Replaced several with no issues and lots of miles.
Still will build an alt and a starter.
Might build a couple water pumps soon.

 

I'd much rather resurrect a junk yard part than buy a billet gizmo. Unfortunately Can't find a good junkyard within driving distance of my new north Texas home (had 3 great yards on Union Ave when I lived in Bakersfield), and the good stuff is becoming quite rare. Parts on new cars is unusable junk mostly. Used to be able to rebuild a GM alternator in an hour or so with a $12 diode/bearing/brush kit from auto parts store. Alternator went out on our Astro van. Turns out they are welded together, unrebuildable.

I spent the entire morning of my wedding in '69 at a junk yard looking for parts!

 

Well at least you can still do a brake job on newer ****.... OH Wait. I guess you have to have a gizmo to connect to computer to retract rear brakes!!! UGH!!!

 

If I have a bad original electrical switch I always try to take them apart. Bend the crimps back and take the back off. Usually dirt, or hard grease is all that is wrong. Little emory paper on the contacts and some spray cleaner and good as new. The new switches and electrical parts are mostly ****.

 

You used to be able to rebuild a fuel pump.

Henry Ford used to send out bulletins explaining how to fix problem areas to previous customers.

Imagine three or four young men bent over the open "engine bay" of an EV parked in the side yard under a shade tree.
Never mind. Don't do that.

 

I could only find a pic of old dudes in the sun. But in the same vein.
I can say EV's aren't appropriate on this forum, I can't say they can't be hot rods. 1000+ HP on tap and straight to the torque peak at the flip of a switch. Ever ride in one, watch them at the drag strip ? Holy **** !
They can be hot rodders modifying, fixing and rebuilding their ****. Might be really good at soldering. Mike

 

Still try to rebuild, or at least use good original parts, as compared to just replacing. Original castings seem much better.
Once I put a wheel cylinder kit, available at local parts store, in a neighbor's Fairlane, but up here in rust country, the bleeder seized. Bled it with a large needle slipped in past the cup seal. Repaired a 10si alternator coming home from a show in Michigan. Regulator was cracked. Ran in to Meier's store, when they had some automobile parts(wipers, little kits), picked up alternator kit and nut driver/socket set. Grabbed a toothpick on way out, held the brushes back, replaced the broken regulator, and back together before the sun set on us.

 

I can still get a fuel pump rebuild kit for my Buick and have done some wheel cylinders recently. But, I honestly don’t miss rebuilding vette calipers. However, I did replace one with a rebuilt recently on my sons OT vette and it leaked again shortly after. We will see if the second one does better...

 

My go to guy that did alternators and starters went out of business a couple of years ago. His dad had started the business in the 1960’s, they worked together until his death and the son carried on another 10 years or so. He built several diesel starters and alternators for me as well as ones that were hard to get like the one on the old IH tractor I had. Last time I carried him a starter to build, he told me I could go to the parts house and buy a brand new import starter for about half what the rebuild kit cost. He said the old parts had gotten extremely hard to find, and this was pre Covid, so I can’t imagine how hard they would be to find now. I bought a Delco starter, made in Mexico, just like he said, cheaper than what the kit cost. I don’t know how they do it, cheap labor, cheap materials, whatever. It was still on the truck when I got rid of it several years later.

On the other hand, I’ve had factory installed brake stuff 20-30 years old that worked fine, never leaked, and bought factory replacement parts that leaked right out of the box. Did that on an odd vehicle a few years back, new wheel cylinders were hard to get for it, nobody made replacements at that time, had to get them from the dealer. Went to my local parts store and bought a set of cups and stuck in it, worked right with no leaks. The dealer parts looked the same, but wouldn’t seal. Too hard I guess.

 

If you want a good read on "doing your own work", get a copy of John Gerber's Outlaw Sprint Car Racer-

He details his career from working in the motor pool around WWI, through his exploits of building his own race car (combination of a Chevrolet 490 and Model T powerplant), racing (and maintaining the car) in the midwest, etc...

at one point, he mentions meeting up with either Alexander or Gallivan (can't remember) and purchasing the molds for a head and modifying it for his own needs

 

When I was 16 almost a thousand years ago I went into napa and got a bendix spring for my starter. he asked me if I was sure I only wanted the bendix and not the whole thing. bendix was fine for me and he brought it out and started explaining it was easier to replace the whole thing but was giving me instruction on how to do it. then when I told him to charge it to the family business then he realized who I was. he knew my dad and uncle quite well. After that time he never questioned me about buying seperate parts versus the whole unit.

My buddy works for my uncle in the shop as head mechanic for the construction equipment. We are getting older and don't bend so well anymore so the office/bosses hired him supposedly this master mechanic that was younger. first day on the job he asked my buddy what was on the agenda. first thing was to change tires on the dump truck with these new ones. He never did that, he thought we were nuts, we were suppose to spend more money to have a tire company come out and do it, that is what they did at his old company. then we learn he knows nothing about fixing seals, gaskets taking anything apart, diagnosing problems, timing, nothing. all he knows is taking off parts and putting new one on as a unit and hope it fixes the problem and he was supposedly a well recommended master mechanic. he was gone after 2 days.

 

Plenty of stuff is rebuilt by hand these days.

It is just not done in the US.

What do you think your wheel cylinder would cost if the labor charge was $30/hr, instead of $1.80/day?

 

I agree finding good quality rebuild kit parts is a hit and miss these days too which only complicate the situation.

Quality in anything over the counter be it kits or parts has become somewhat shameful over the last couple yrs and it seems only to be getting worse.

Don't know if it's the parts their using, the personal building the parts or just corporate greed cutting corners.


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I used to work at the Grand Auto distribution center in Oakland. there was the core department and also the return department for rebuilt items in one big spot. you would be amazed at the number of "new rebuilt" master cylinders, carbs, wheel cylinders, water pumps, on and on that were returned as defective. Grand Auto carried lousy rebuilt parts from Cardone. you roll the dice when you buy already rebuilt parts on the cheap.

 

You do realize that most rebuild kits now days, if you can find them are outsourced overseas. Same so to speak **** parts no matter what. If you're working in your garage and you like doing it that's fine. But there is no way as a shop owner these days I would waste my time and money rebuilding a part for a customer's car. You rebuild it you warranty it. Nine times out of ten it will be the rebuild kit that will fail you and the kit is not warrantied, it will always be considered installer error. Install a remanded or new part the warranty will cover the replacement if needed and if a shop installed it at least part of the R&I labor. It's been that way for decades. So why would a current tech need to know how to do it. It would be the same for current body men to know how to metal finish and lead work.

 

Time for you and I, it would appear, has not p***ed at the same rate as it has for others.

 

I have not done any sincere searching, but I do have an aluminum SBC Edelbrock water pump that I'd like to rebuild. Who would be a source for a rebuild kit. I'd think seals, bearings and a gasket is what it would amount to?

Lynn

 

I work at a Chevrolet dealership, and at the current shop labor rate, it would definitely cost the customer more for the techs to rebuild things like starters and alternators than replace them.

 

Whatever.

 

I started noticing this in the ‘80s sometime. It was a Sunday and Napa wasn’t open, went to Kragen for a MC kit. A rebuilt MC was 5 or 6 dollars cheaper than a kit.

 

What brand pump?
Wonder if an oe kit works?
If there is one.

 

The pump to block gasket would be a no brainer, but unless you can come up with a cross reference for the bearings or seals your only recourse would be Edelbrock and since they are no longer owned by Edelbrock they are most likely going to be like many companies like Mallory, MSD and such and not offer service parts. They want you to order new pumps not stock and catalogue parts. Good luck maybe someone on Ebay might have something. It is where I had to go for parts for a couple of my Mallory distributers. Larry

 

Cardone stuff is scary, sometimes i feel all they do is wash the used core, shoot some paint on it and put it in a new box, but my understanding is they and 1 other company are the only ones doing rebuilt parts.

I have customers come in and ask if they buy a rebuilt Cardone "X" part would we install it, I immediately tell them no, especially rebuilt steering gears and racks.

One aspect of rebuilding that I've always appreciated is the learning experience on how something works and operates.

The downside is some American companies are getting as bad as overseas parts too.

Buying a part with "made in the USA" doesn't have the same meaning it had 15 or so years ago......

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