Any tips for cleaning my caliper out?

Anyone have any handy tips for cleaning out my old caliper? I've sprayed the bajeezus out of it with cleaner but there's still a bunch of blackish deposits, mostly in the grooves for the seals, but some other places too. I don't want to score the thing and mess it up. Is it safe to use something like a wire brush in there to try scrape it clean? This is just about the last thing I need to get together before I can try to tune her up and get her running good, and I'd like to do it right.

 

Try a stiff plastic scraper - something like a supermarket loyalty card for example. Grab a handful - they can be easily cut into whatever shape you need.

 

a wire brush is not a good idea, too abrasive and will probably leave scratches. Try a plastic scouring pad along with brake cleaner first. Cut some smaller pieces and get in those grooves. An old toothbrush might help. patience and brake cleaner are you friends.

 

I took cotton swabs and just keep @ it.

I believe mr rick-o-matic suggested a paper clip fangled into some kind of pick/scraper till all foreighn matter was no longer visible.

 

I just make the Tool I need as I go along.

Wire coat hanger.
Lineman's wire-cutting pliers.
Sanding block with #-800 Sandpaper.

Cut yourself a section of the coat hanger.
Flatten the end with a hammer blow to the wire placed on the flat of your vice.
Sand-off any burr or excessively pointed spot after flattening-out the end.

Running the hammered-out end over the paper will also let you "Shape" the end ... Pointed, angled, beveled, square, sharp, dull ... whatever you need to get the "Growth" off the Caliper Seal groove surfaces.

The stuff growing on the cavity, deep inside the caliper -- you can burn.
Hit it with your torch and it turns into a dust-like substance that will come-off much faster than etching it off a micron at a time.

 

I used a dental pick under one of those magnifier lamps to get a good look as I picked!

 

I took a plastic putty knife/scaper and cut most of a side off leaving a 'tang' as wide as the groove... and I think you can figure out what I did from there! I also purchased a brake cylinder hone and worked that for a short time (lathered in brake fluid!!) Than I cleaned the bahjesus out of it with brake cleaner!! Good Luck!

 

Just how perfect does the inside of this thing need to be? While cleaning it, I've discovered that there are a few small pits in the sides. This is the second one of these I've had, and the prospect of finding a third, and possibly paying a lot more for it is disheartening.

 

The only parts of the caliper that are crucial are the seal and piston. The bowl is simply there to hold the fuild and force the piston out.