Front Brake Caliper Identification, Which side? Options

[FlatSix]

I've just got my late ('76) front brake calipers back from being rebuilt but I don't know which is the left (drivers) side and which is the right (passenger) side.

I can see a difference in that one of the bleed screws is recessed, does this go to the top or the bottom?

Picture attached.

Please can all respondents agree, I don't need anymore confusion!

[Eric_Shea]

Wrong pistons. Cheap Chinese seal kits (original ATE kits don't have the dust boot clips on the outside, they're integrated in the dust boot).

Pistons should have the knockback mechanisms in them that "knock" the piston "back" out toward the rotor. This keeps a higher pedal. The cup style pistons are for "booster circuit" cars. Boosters keep a residual 2-3 psi on the system hence not needing the "knockback" mechanism.

Regarding the seal kits; your dust boots should fall apart within the first year. Sorry to be a Danny Downer, that's just what you get with cheap rebuilds. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

To answer your original question; we treat the recessed bleeder as the top bleeder and align our pistons accordingly (your pistons are, at best, aligned improperly). That would mean the caliper on the left is the right side caliper and the caliper on the right is the left side. As mentioned, they can be universal but the pistons should be positioned properly. If you use those, it's probably best to blow the pistons out and position them properly. The image Bruce posted above is one I added the green line on to show people how to orient the pistons properly without a fancy tool. Pay attention to the notch in the piston and the line representing the meridian line of the pad cavity. While you're at it... trust me, get the proper ATE seal kits. They're around $24.00 each and it will be money well spent. The cheap ones do not have anti-ozonates in the rubber and they will crack, fail and disintegrate in a few short "months".

I'll let 30 post copy-cat guy who uses cheap Chinese seal kits and Home Depot fasteners weigh in below...