Painting the brake calipers

[michaelmd]

I have seen some gorgeous red Brembo brake calipers on Tire Rack's website and wonder if getting some caliper paint for my existing Brembos would have good results. Has anyone here painted their calipers and also had good results with the quality?
Thanks,
Michael

[lotusguy]

Michael,

Rather than painting mine, I powdercoated them and they came out great. The powdercoating is much more impervious to dirt, grime and brake dust than any paint and comes in just about any color you can imagine.

Of course, I had them stripped when I did this as I also rebuilt them, may not be an option in your case. Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE (w/ gold powdercoated calipers all around to match the gold/silver two-tone BBS wheels)

[unity1]

I've painted mine. Looks good and didn’t take that long. Powder coating would be a better long-term option but a lot more hassle. You could get all four done in a day first time and probably significantly less if they do need doing every year and you keep them clean.

Take a look at suspension cleanup on my site to see the results.

Steve
89 Turbo
www.unity1.co.uk/Lotus

[kylie]

Hi there I used Gold POR15 high temp paint. Will last for ages. Done mine quite a few months ago and still looks good as new. As with painting any surface, it should be very clean to start with. I used a degreaser to get all the grime off, then used acetone to to take out surface moisture and hidden dirt. Finally hand painted it all, not having to mask off.

[michaelmd]

Thanks everyone!

unity1, Your site is excellent! Alot of information on how to do all sorts of stuff to my car. I look forward to doing the rear lights on mine but i will probably get the 1-piece from Claudius so I don't have to cut anything (including any fingers!)

kylie, those calipers look very nice. Did a good job on that. Your website is also beautiful. I actually could just go there to relax after a hectic day at the hospital. I hope you are doing well with your painting career.

lotusguy, thanks for the powdercoating information. never even considered that. I want as good of a finish as possible and powdercoating may be the route.

Once I get this done I will post some pictures of the calipers and also of my car.
Thanks again,

Have a good day!
Mike

[lotusguy]

Mike,

I did the powder coating myself with a kit my brother-in-law got from Porter-Cable for $65 incl. the transformer and paint gun.

The key is to get the surface prep done well. We masked off any orifices (on the caliper of course) and blasted them in a sandblasting cabinet using a carbide medium. Next, I cleaned them thoroughly using a vacuum and lots of Prep-Sol to remove any residue or oxidation. Then I fired them in the oven to flash off any remaining solvent or impurities.

Once cool, we shot them with the powdercoat and baked them again in the oven. They came out looking great and several people have commented how professional a job this simple, inexpensive D.I.Y. kit did. A couple friends even went out and bought the kit based upon my results. Of course, getting them done professionally won't be that expensive either, but my B-I-L had the kit, so what the heck. Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE

[dasspoot]

Any suggestions on masking the AP Racing lettering on the V8 calipers?
Thanks

[lotusguy]

dasspoot said:

Any suggestions on masking the AP Racing lettering on the V8 calipers? Thanks

For painting or powdercoating?

[PatHeald]

I have just had the cam covers and the three pieces of the plenum chamber powder coated as the original orangey red wrinkle finish was coming off.

A local powder coating firm applied a perfect match and I had the parts back in less than 24 hours.

I was charged £30 for the powder coating.

Very cheap, very durable and an excellent finish in a perfect colour match.

I opted out of the wrinkle finish, which could have been achieved, because I wanted the parts turned round more quickly.

It has absolutely transformed the appearance of the engine bay.

Powder coating is definitely worth considering.

Pat.

[southenddc]

any photos Pat?

[PatHeald]

Not yet, but a mate with a digital camera will hopefully come to the rescue tomorrow...

Pat.