caliper paint? Do or Don't? [Merged 8-8] painting calipers brake brakes

[LaN-]

title pretty much says it

due to winter the DSM is all covered up and on the side of the house SO i was thinking about painting my calipers red or something but i wanted to hear from ppl that have done it

Does the paint hold up?

is it a bitch?

what exactly needs to be done?

Thanks

[98RedDragon]

it can be a bitch.. if your calipers are rusty. i used the duplicolor red caliper kit ($15?) it worked great, the first thing i did was use a wire brush and get any debris off along with the can of cleaner it comes with, then i put about 2-3 coats of the paint on each caliper, its held up really good, no chipping or flaking. it just takes a while.

[fatafall]

I recently painted my fronts, havent gotten to the rears yet. I used a wire brush to clean them up real good after removing them and pulling out the pads. I left them attached to the brake lines so I wouldnt have to worry about bleeding them. I used a clothes hanger up around the strut to hold the caliper while I painted. I used universal black 500 degree paint on mine. I think the only red calipers should be aftermarket ones (like in a big brake kit) but thats just my opinion. Black looks really good IMO. Its not a bad project, doesnt take too long, but make sure you clean them really good before painting, to prevent rusting. Good luck with it, youll be pleased with the results. Some before and after pics would be cool too.

[LaN-]

thanks guys

i was thinking black to but i wanted to throw in some contrast on the car

i dont know waht color yet mabye i'll chop it

[Gleason]

my dad used a wirebrush on a grinder machnie thing, so the wire brush was spinning pretty fast and took a decent amount on rust off the calipers.

then painted them with gloss black dupacolor type paint and its holding up fine and looks pretty decent for a half assed 20 minute paint job.

[95redturboawd]

Sorry to bring back an incredibly old topic but I just wanted to point out that using a wire brush seems to work pretty good as well if you don't have a sandblaster like myself.

[MASMORE]

This depends on the color scheme your going for, Me personally I have a Black and white scheme going, so mine remained black wheels black but center wheel cap white.

[jayiszraw]

alright im looking to paint my brake calipers red and was wondering what grit sand paper would be ok to use? do they need to be primered i already know i need high heat paint

[98GSXtreme07]

If you go to Autozone or the likes I believe they actually sell a caliper kit that comes with everything you need to paint them.

This may help you.

AutoZone.com | Shopping | Accessories | Product Detail - Duplicolor Red Caliper Paint Ceramic Kit

As far as the sand paper goes, I would go with maybe a 100 grit or close to it and than use a 360-400 grit. I'm sure someone else will come on and give their opinions.

[ryan90]

When i did mine I sprayed a butt load of brake parts cleaner, wiped real good, wire brushed most of it and lightly sanded with 80 grit. Wasn't trying to smooth anything, goal was to knock any brake dust or dirt off and scuff the metal up.

I didn't go any finer because the enamel comes out pretty smooth if you paint it on evenly. I also painted mine in a small hurry so they arn't perfect.... but you cannot tell unless you are on the ground looking down at the calipers looking.

Ryan Lee Durham's Photos - Eclipse Build | Facebook

iso setting didn't auto adjust as supposed to so it's not the best pic but yea. you can tell it worked for me lol.

[98GSXtreme07]

Yep, main thing you want to do is get as much dirt and grim off. Use a lot of brake parts cleaner.

[snowborder714]

I'd suggest using a dremel if you can. It'll make the job much easier and you can get into all the little nooks and crannies

[jayiszraw]

Originally Posted by snowborder714

I'd suggest using a dremel if you can. It'll make the job much easier and you can get into all the little nooks and crannies

whats dremel?

[snowborder714]

Originally Posted by jayiszraw

whats dremel?

Are you serious?!?

It's a great tool!!
Dremel.com

[jayiszraw]

Originally Posted by snowborder714

Are you serious?!?

It's a great tool!!
Dremel.com

o i know what that is i never new what it was called so i should use a dremel to sand it down?

[snowborder714]

If you have one, it'll be a lot easier than sand paper. I used one of the metal tips and ground everything off. Just go slow and you'll be fine.

[jayiszraw]

Originally Posted by snowborder714

If you have one, it'll be a lot easier than sand paper. I used one of the metal tips and ground everything off. Just go slow and you'll be fine.

thanks for the help which dremel would you recomend for this project? about how much do they go for?

[snowborder714]

I believe this is the one I have:
300 Series Variable Speed Rotary Tool / Model: 300 Series

Or I'd choose this one:
Digital Rotary Tool / Model: 3981-01

Here's a link to Amazon for the first one:
300 Series

The thing I like about both of them is they're simple and have a variable speed (vs. one or two speed). This comes in handy a lot. And even though it may seem a little expensive, you can't even imagine how many uses this thing has. I've used it so much and for various projects around the house.

[knochgoon24]

They make wire brush tips for on the dremels. It works like a charm. Buy a few though because you'll wear through them.

[ryan90]

If i could thing of 3 tools any one person MUST have (but wouldn't think they needed) they would be

Breaker Bar, Butane or other torch, and a Dremel

I used the wire brush head and sanded by hand. IF you sand with the dremel barrels you might run the risk of making low spots. You just want to scuff it up not remove any material really.

The brush on paint at advanced is good if you are uber worried about overspray on you, your car, or other things around you. But it makes brush stroke marks and you get messy. However, the spray type you can do too much and get runs, and you'll get overspray.... your choice really. I used two cans, one red and one black(i painted my hubs black) of 1000* enamel paint, ran 12$ vs. the 20$ kit for just red.