They sure didn't owe you anything. I've replaced hoses from the late '50s and they were as hard as wood and the steel braid was corroded. Bending them usually resulted in breaking them.
Next question, do the calipers have a practical calendar life?
Depends on the environment. They're aluminum, and they're not sealed up like auto calipers, so they corrode when moisture and dirt and airborne pollutants get into them. Corrosion causes leakage and sticking. The O-rings take a set, since they're Buna N (neoprene), a material dating from WW2, and auto calipers use more modern seals made of more modern materials. Hangaring the airplane helps reduce the corrosion issue, but the O-rings still suffer.
Yup. The wrong fluid destroys the rubber stuff. For 12 years I was a foreman in a large brake rebuilding shop, mostly air stuff but some vacuum and some hydraulic. One of the biggest causes of failure in the hydraulics was using engine oil in the brake system. The seals in those are close to natural rubber, and the DOT3 fluid is a vegetable-based fluid, compatible with the seals. In the airplane, the seals are synthetics and the DOT3 fluids, containing alcohols, attack them. That DOT3 stuff will lift the paint off your car, too.
Funny. An A&P friend said to use oil. That sounded like a terrible idea to me.
FYI: As I recall for years Cleveland didn't call for any lube on the anchor bolts. Keep them clean and everything worked well. However, at some point they went with a dry lube recommendation which I believe is called out in the Cleveland CMM if you want specifics. I've only used a dry lube or nothing at all.
My Navion uses Cessna rudder pedals on the pilot side to work the toe brake STC. I've broken a couple of them over the years. The good news is that the master cyls only connect to one tang, so you can flop them left for right in a pinch.
I wouldn't do that. The only grease recommended in the piston bore is o-ring grease. Keep in mind added grease holds dirt and debris just like your anti-seize did. From a corrosion standpoint, I had good success by keeping the whole area clean especially if you operate in grass or other similar areas. For example, disassembling the caliper at every annual and clean things ups will go a long way in keeping corrosion at bay. I wouldn't sweat rainwater so much but if you think its a problem you could also make some wheel covers, etc. Regardless, corrosion needs an anode, cathode, and electrolyte to form so by simply keeping things clean you usually prevent all 3 from setting up shop. Just don't use a pressure washer.
If it isn't approved by the manufacturer of the brakes, don't do it. Hardening steel makes it more brittle and more likely to break. Many paint strippers are famous for hydrogen embrittlement of steel parts and are not approved for use on steel aircraft parts. Imagine stripping the paint off a set of Cessna gear legs and then later having one of them snap on landing.
I had shorter ones installed, they bulge less:
Dry moly doesn't seem to do much in terms of preventing corrosion. Rather than painting on a layer antiseize, I blotted some onto a paper towel and rubbed it into the surface of the metal, leaving it looking matte and dry. We'll see how that goes.
