Steel Calipers - A comprehensive overview 20 years in the making
Restoring Your Classic Porsche’s Brake Calipers: The PMB Difference
At PMB, our passion for precision began 20 years ago, born from a simple realization: mass-market brake caliper remanufacturers were cutting corners, delivering subpar results that didn’t meet the standards of classic Porsche enthusiasts. While restoring our own 911RS and 914-6/GT, we refused to settle for poorly rebuilt calipers with mismatched hardware, misaligned pistons, and no protective coating. That frustration sparked a mission to perfect the art of brake caliper restoration, resulting in a process that delivers “better than new” calipers backed by an unmatched 10-year warranty. Here’s how PMB’s expertise transforms your classic Porsche’s brake calipers into reliable, high-performance components that honor its legacy.
The State of Your Classic Calipers
Classic Porsche calipers, often 50 or 60 years old, endure decades of wear, corrosion, and neglect. Whether they’re rusted, binding, or plagued by failing seals, these vital components are rarely the highlight of your wheel assembly—especially if your car has been sitting for years. Yet, at PMB, we’ve seen calipers in every condition imaginable, and it’s rare for an original set to be beyond saving. With our proven restoration process, we breathe new life into these components, ensuring they perform as well as (or better than) they did from the factory.
Our Meticulous Restoration Process
Every steel caliper that arrives at PMB—whether from our humble beginnings with the 914, a rare 906 vintage race car, or any classic Porsche from 1964 to 1989—receives the same uncompromising care. Here’s how we do it:
1. Detailed Inspection and Tracking
Upon arrival, we photograph each caliper to document its original condition, capturing even the smallest details. Every set is assigned a unique tracking code to ensure you receive your original calipers back, flawlessly restored. This meticulous approach eliminates mix-ups and guarantees precision.
2. Expert Teardown
Disassembling vintage Porsche calipers requires skill, patience, and specialized tools like Ribe socket bits. Our team carefully removes rusty pad pins, restores or replaces hardware with 100% factory-accurate reproductions, and extracts pistons using a proprietary hydraulic method that safely handles even the most stubborn cases. Unlike big-box rebuilders and home-based copycats who resort to generic fasteners, we preserve or restore original Ribe bolts, ensuring authenticity and functionality.
3. Precision Surface Preparation
The key to durable restoration lies in surface preparation—a step many rebuilders and DIYers skimp on. At PMB, we go beyond basic sandblasting. Our process involves pickling to clean the surface, media stripping to bare metal, and a mild acid bath to ensure a contaminant-free surface. This meticulous prep guarantees superior adhesion for the zinc plating, resulting in a finish that lasts decades, not weeks.
4. Superior Zinc Plating
Unlike the cadmium plating sometimes referenced in Porsche circles, classic Porsche calipers from ATE (the original supplier for models like the 356C and 944) were zinc-plated with a yellow dichromate finish for corrosion resistance. Zinc acts as a sacrificial coating, protecting the steel beneath from rust. At PMB, we brought plating in-house to maintain strict quality control. Our hand-plated process uses precise timing, current, and curing to achieve a robust, iridescent finish that matches and even surpasses factory standards. Both caliper bodies and hardware (black zinc) receive this premium treatment, ensuring lasting protection and a showroom-quality look.
5. Precision Rebuild
Reassembly is where PMB’s expertise shines. We use high-quality German-made seal kits to ensure longevity—unlike cheap seals that crack and decay prematurely. Pistons are re-polished, coated with high-temperature anti-rust protection, and clocked at the precise 20° angle for optimal performance.
Unlike some rebuilders who cut corners by removing critical knock-back pins (common in 356, early 911, and 914 calipers), we preserve these components to maintain factory functionality. Finally, we torque the restored original hardware to spec, ensuring every caliper meets our rigorous standards.
Big-box remanufacturers often prioritize cost over quality, using generic parts, inadequate plating, or improper assembly techniques that compromise performance and longevity. These shortcuts lead to inconsistent braking, premature wear, and frequent repairs. At PMB, our 20 years of expertise allow us to deliver calipers that perform better than new, with flawless finishes, reliable seals, and restored components designed to last another 50 years. Our process respects the engineering of your classic Porsche, ensuring safety, performance, and that ever-present pride of ownership.
The PMB Promise
With every set of calipers restored to perfection, we confidently back our work with a 10-year warranty—an industry-leading commitment to quality. Whether you’re carving corners in a 911, cruising in a 356, or showcasing your 914 at Cars and Coffee, PMB’s restored calipers deliver the stopping power and reliability your Porsche deserves.
Ready to experience the PMB difference? Fill out our shipping form and send us your calipers. Let our 20 years of expertise transform your brakes into a highlight of your classic Porsche.
