is there a way to tell if one is aluminum or if one is steel, just by pictures?

aluminum is a bit duller I find. steel is going to shine more.

There is no way to tell. Most aftermarket, especially rebuilds, are sandblasted and all have a dull finish.

I was wondering the same thing. I don't think you can tell by pictures, if you are only looking at parts store or vendors. Just best to ask I guess.

ok thanks cause i almost won a set last night lost by 2 dollars at the closing sec... there is another set going off tonight so well see what happens then.. thanks guys.

So you were the one that was about to spend an outrageous amount on a pair of calipers...

I was about to bid on those when they jumped from 42 to 76 in one refresh. After that it wasn't worth it. If you can find them at a local junkyard, I think they should be around $35-45 a side with brackets. $45 is pushing it for me though.

With the F-Body brakes you just have to know what they look like. All the F-Bodies between '98-02 have the aluminum dual piston calipers.

Typically when I'm searching ebay I'll look for "LS1 Caliper". Too bad most of the auctions are for decals or are priced too high.

I was thinking about the 12" upgrade. What are your opinions on going with some used ones 50k-100k miles+ or some new ones? Do you trust the used ones? I figure why not spend the little extra money and get new or close to new and make sure you have some brakes when you hit the pedal.

Calipers are calipers... They don't usually wear out and you can always rebuild them yourself if you wanted to. Couple of seals and dust covers are all that usually gets replaced on rebuilt ones.

You need an air compressor to pop the pistons out though.