.... is it worth it to spend the 25 bucks or so for the deluxe kit, or is the simple C clamp sufficient?

I had to remember what those look like. After xxty decades doing brakes I had never seen a kit like that until my son brought one home from AZ 10 years ago to work on a friend's truck. C-clamps have served me fine, of course never more than a couple #'s cranking to coax things along. Brush and clean and lube TH outta the boot while it's extended eh.

If you feel better with a kit, why buy? Should be plenty of part houses willing to do a loan thing.

And open the bleeder when cranking - you don't want all that crap fluid backed up inside. Replace any hoses more than 15 years old. There's a million other hints if you search. And you'll spend more time packing the bearings than the brake parts take. And I used the new DOT 5.1 fluid. Not 5, but 5.1 'TsallIgot.

 

For 25$ I'd rather buy a kit if it's worth it as I have 4+ vehicles to do brakes on. If it was a hundred bucks, I'd think twice.

 

The kits that are being shown on the Amazon link you listed are for the 'Wind Back' piston design. Granted the tools will still work, but aren't necessary.

Similar to what 96 Black wrote, I just use a 3/8" piece of particle board against the piston, apply the C-Clamp, open the bleeder, and send the piston home.

No need to make anything more difficult or involved than what it needs to be.

 

/me puts juniorwatson down for 'C clamp' =D

 

c-clamp with one old pads has been serving me fine for decades.

Complete fluid change, new rubber brake hoses, clean lube sliders or replace if nasty.
I also always replace the little rubber bushings in calipers where pins slide. They're usually hard as a rock or chewed up. I'd bet 99% folks don't even know they're there.

The small details make the difference with brakes.
A lot of folks do it wrong. They just slap in pads.

 

I use a big C-clamp, and compress the piston with the caliper in place, using the caliper/disk stack to push the piston back. Then I start taking things apart. Once it is off, I can push the piston back further if I want/need to.

 

On these cars with disk rear, I only need a C Clamp for pushing the disk piston back in. I also open the bleeder with a hose attached to a bottle of fluid as to not push all that crud back into the system and instead out of the caliper. Then just top off with fresh fluid or let more bleed out of the MC and top off. The only other tools really needed are a good set of Torx or Allen sockets for the slide pins on most cars I service.

I do have a few special brake tools that get used very little anymore. If you have drum brakes, all you really need is a spring tool to remove/install springs and the screwdriver handle retainer ring tool. But even those you can get by without using if you're creative.

The last one I use once in a while on some foreign and domestics that requires the caliper piston be turned into the caliper is on of these I picked up for a few $ at harbor freight.....

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Performa...1&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112354589&wl11=online&wl12=22959132&wl13=&veh=sem

...but even it gets used very little and have managed with the tips of needle nose plyers before getting the block.

Special tools always make the job easier but sometimes it all comes down to Cost and amount of use vs creativity of using existing tools as a determining factor for me buying something.

 

Torx sockets

Saw these and wondered does torx only come in Metric sizes, and what do our B bodies require?

https://www.amazon.com/Capri-Tools-...SHDNFGHA7T7XQ9M9&pd_rd_w=lR3Jg&pd_rd_wg=DbIm2&psc=1&refRID=ME50SHDNFGHA7T7XQ9M9

 

Saw these and wondered does torx only come in Metric sizes, and what do our B bodies require?

https://www.amazon.com/Capri-Tools-...SHDNFGHA7T7XQ9M9&pd_rd_w=lR3Jg&pd_rd_wg=DbIm2&psc=1&refRID=ME50SHDNFGHA7T7XQ9M9

Our car's Slide Pins are Allen Head but I do have a Sleeve of Large Torx Bits like this and are usually number T-30, T-45, etc. and use these on some other cars I work on.

 

Ah, the Famous T45-47-50

Fairly representative of the issue:
http://www.impalassforum.com/vBulletin/4-interior/259699-broken-seat-belt-receiver.html

Aaaaannd your conversion chart:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torx

I know you dint ask, but since you're hyjacking your own thread notice Origin: China.