Clean Brakes, Wheels, Wheelwells.....

[imported_Luster]

And a little paint dress-up too.

Since I just retired, this Trans Am won`t be driven in the winter anymore. But every year for the past 9 years, it has been driven daily... rain, sleet, salt, snow... you name it.

This is a cleanup/repaint of the wheelwells, wheels, brake calipers, rotors.

1. Set parking brake and set wheel chocks.



2. Jack up the car using the proper jack location and "safety jack" or jackstands.



3. This is the before shot of the front wheelwell. As you can see there is rust, dirt, wheelwells are filthy.



4. I start by "TireFoaming" everything. TireFoam has excellent cleaning power. I let it soak in for about 5 minutes, then wipe, re-apply and let dry. I even apply it to the painted surfaces in the wheelwells.





5. Once that is done, I use APC to clean up the calipers and rotors. Then I cover the wheelwells, springs, shocks, etc. with rags to prevent them from overspray. I use "DupliColor 1200* Engine Enamel - Aluminum". No sanding, I just "Mist" the rotors and calipers with several light coats. I used to mask off the pad contact area, but I found it to be moot once I backed out of my driveway. No heavy coating is necessary. It just cleans up the look of your brakes and rotors. Don`t you just hate the look of a perfectly detailed car with RUSTED, NASTY ROTORS AND CALIPERS!!!!! [/RANT OFF.]






6. Next Step: Clean up the wheels on the back side. Spray the wheels with water and spray with Purple Power and Mothers Wheel Cleaner... soak 2 minutes... scrub with a wheel brush... rinse with clear water....WOW!!!! Nice transformation!









7. After everything is nice and dry, rotate the tires and put the wheels back on, making sure to torque them to 110 ft/lb.











And..... As long as I had the car up in the air I decided to clean up the undercarriage a little also!!!!!! Love those FLOWMASTERS!!!!

[Jay@G.K]

great job..rusty hubs, calipers sure are a eye sore on a detailed car

[imported_Luster]

great job..rusty hubs, calipers sure are a eye sore on a detailed car

Yeah, I can hardly stand that... sometimes even on a BRAND NEW CAR, the rotor "hats" will be rusted.

[Old Pirate]

Thank you Bill for your write up and maybe this will help some newbies on doing their`s too.................Looks sharp!

[artofdetail]

i`ll definitely be doing this to my car when i pick up a new set of wheels.... my calipers are terrible

[imported_Luster]

Thank you Bill for your write up and maybe this will help some newbies on doing their`s too.................Looks sharp!

I`ve been painting my brakes since... ... can`t remember.... MANY years ago.

[imported_Pats300zx]

Bill...how long do you let the paint dry before putting the wheels back on???

[mrtonyn]

I was thinking doing the samething you did minus the wheel wells cleaning...but now I probably should do the same since it makes a difference.
I have only sprayed it with water and never thought about scrubbing it down...man you guys are anal.

[imported_Luster]

Bill...how long do you let the paint dry before putting the wheels back on???

Hey Pat... The DupliColor Aluminum dries in less than 5 minutes... I ususally spray 2 or 3 light coats on the calipers/rotors about 2 minutes apart, then clean the backside of the wheels. By the time I have the wheels dried with an Absorber, the paint is completely dry.

Some guys use "Brake Caliper Paint" and I believe it takes quite a bit longer to dry. But the 1200 degree paint wears like iron!!! Just a light misting once or twice a year.

[mrtonyn]

6. Next Step: Clean up the wheels on the back side. Spray the wheels with water and spray with Purple Power and Mothers Wheel Cleaner... soak 2 minutes... scrub with a wheel brush... rinse with clear water....WOW!!!! Nice transformation!

So you find that these two cleaners work better when sprayed on together and not one or the other seperately?
What is the concentration of the Purple Power?

[imported_Luster]

So you find that these two cleaners work better when sprayed on together and not one or the other seperately?
What is the concentration of the Purple Power?

I sprayed on the Purple Power first as a Pre-Soak, then scrubbed with the tire/wheel brush, rinse, then Mothers, scrub, rinse.

Kinda gives it the double-whammie! The Purple Power pre-soak was just to get off the Major Crud, the Mothers got it down to the chrome shine!

[John Henry]

Painting the rotors? That`s a new one on me. Looks great! Nice job and thanks for posting.

[imported_Luster]

Painting the rotors? That`s a new one on me. Looks great! Nice job and thanks for posting.

I`ve been doing it for 10 years. Really cleans up the appearance of that area and makes the wheels look better too!

Here`s another one: My `06 GTP:

[Motor09]

OT:

Hey MrtonyN , what type of dog is that??

[imported_Luster]

Good lookin` dog.