Refurbishing a Triumph T140V Rear Brake Caliper DIY Breakdown | Bonneville Desert Sled Build | 39

Refurbishing a Triumph T140V Rear Brake Caliper DIY Breakdown | Bonneville Desert Sled Build | 39 If you’ve been following along with the playlist you’ll know that a lot of time recently has gone into the engine, but in this episode I take a slight detour and turn my attention to one of the brake calipers. With the bike slowly moving towards becoming a running, riding, restomod desert sled, it feels like the right moment to start making sure that the important safety-critical components are in good order as well. #ad Here's what we used in this video (affiliate links). As an eBay Partner Network affiliate and Amazon Associate, we earn commissions from qualifying purchases: Break Piston Pliers: https://ebay.us/efWF8A Red rubber grease: https://ebay.us/gMMgjV Red Loctite threadlocker: https://ebay.us/XcCJ5k Girling Rear Master Cylinder Assembly 60-4401: https://ebay.us/DdFskT Girling Calliper T140, t150 60-4101: https://ebay.us/BfFuT9 Thanks for supporting the channel! The bike is a T140V that’s gradually being transformed into something a little different from standard. I don’t have a rigid picture in my head of exactly how it will look when it’s finished, but the overall direction is definitely desert sled inspired. With the occasional brighter day starting to appear, even in the middle of a damp and grey UK winter, it’s hard not to start thinking ahead to spring and summer and actually getting the bike out on the road. Originally I had planned to run a Girling caliper on the rear, but after offering it up I realised that I would have to remove some of the cooling fins for it to fit properly, and I’m not keen on cutting original parts if I can avoid it. That caliper may well end up on the front as part of a future twin disc setup, but for now I’ve decided to refurbish the best of the original calipers that came with the bike and use that on the rear. In this video I strip the caliper down completely to see what condition it’s really in. These are fairly simple calipers, but they do use opposing pistons, which was quite advanced for the time. I remove the pads, clips and bleed nipple, and then gently warm the caliper in the oven. Bringing the temperature up slightly makes a big difference when it comes to persuading old fasteners and pistons to move, especially after years of sitting. Using a bit of compressed air and plenty of caution, I ease the pistons out and check them for corrosion and pitting. Thankfully they clean up well, so there’s no need to replace them. The caliper halves are separated, everything is thoroughly degreased with white spirit, and the internal surfaces and seal grooves are carefully cleaned so the new seals will seat properly. Once the rebuild kit arrives, I warm the caliper bodies again and fit the new seals using red rubber grease, which helps everything slide into place without damage. The pistons have been chilled in the freezer to give a small clearance advantage, and they press back in smoothly by hand. The two halves are then reassembled with a new centre seal and torqued correctly, with a small amount of threadlocker for peace of mind. With the caliper rebuilt, new pads fitted and the hardware cleaned up, it’s ready to go back on the bike. It still needs hoses and plumbing in, but it’s satisfying to know that one more important component is now sorted and ready for service. I also touch on the workshop manual’s advice not to split the caliper halves, and why I’m comfortable doing so when the correct seals and torque settings are used. It’s something I’ve done many times before without issue, but it’s always worth mentioning for anyone tackling a similar job. The next step will either be sorting out brake lines front and rear, or heading back to the engine and starting work on the crankcases. Either way, progress is being made, and the bike is slowly moving closer to becoming a complete, usable machine once again. As always, I appreciate any feedback or suggestions—especially if you spot anything I could do differently next time. Feel free to leave a comment below, and if you find the video useful, please give it a like. There’s more to come as the desert sled build progresses, including plumbing in the rear brake line and fitting the caliper, so do subscribe to follow along with the project. For more helpful how-to guides and restoration project logs, visit our blog: https://www.spannerrash.com/