I have stripped the thread on a Cooper S RH caliper bleed screw port. Can you use a helicoil to repair these successfully or is it best to simply replace the caliper?

If I replace the caliper I may as well do them both as the LH caliper is in need of a rebuild anyway. Has anyone fitted the Mini Spares type calipers, are they up to the job ok? They are a quarter of the price of the AP OEM ones - $336 vs $1390 for the pair. I believe MS got theirs manufactured during the time when AP Lockhheed temporarily stopped making them.

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Slide
1965 Mini Van (1360)
1970 Mk2 Cooper S (1310)
1978 Rover SD1 V8 (4.6)
1996 Land Rover Discovery V8 (4.0)

I and friends have fitted a few of the MS calipers without problems. The price of AP calipers is ridiculous now.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Hope this isn't too late:
My son has repaired a stripped bleed nipple port on a Brembo alloy caliper using a helicoil.
He also used some JB Weld to seal off the helicoil thread to alloy housing as a precaution.

Bleed nipple threads are difficult to repair because they have to be dead-on square to the conical sealing seat. You can get lucky, or you may find it leaks afterwards. There are two options. You can get a brake bleeder repair kit, Which has two parts, a replacement seat and a normal bleed nipple. The seat is like a sleeve, threaded on the outside and inside for the nipple to screw in. You drill out the existing bleed port and re-tap it to suit the outside thread on the replacement sleeve and screw it in (presumably with some kind of thread sealant).

The alternative trick is to helicoil the ripped out thread, then, if it isn't perfectly square and the bleed nipple won't seal, file the conical taper off the end of the bleed nipple and get it nice and flat, then fit a bearing ball in the hole and tighten up the bleed nipple. The round ball won't be so fussed about being slightly off-square and should seal against the conical seat.

Tim

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1951 Morris Commercial J Type Van
1955 BSA C11G
1961 Morris Mini Traveller
1969 Triumph TR6R
1977 Leyland Moke Californian