Painted the calipers

[Jngrbrdman]

Mod #3 is completed. I did HIDs on Saturday and then on Monday I installed my bug shield and painted the calipers. Next on the list... Tint!



I couldn't stand looking at the calipers the way they were. Here is this smooth and sexy car with these crusty calipers... They looked like a piece of cast iron that has been left on the bottom of the ocean for a few decades. I had to paint them.



Before:

After:

I used standard Dupi-Color high temp gloss black spray paint. I sprayed the paint into half a soda bottle and then brushed it on the calipers. I learned my lesson with thinking I could mask the car and protect it from overspray a long time ago... While the wheels were off I figured I'd clean them up and slap a layer of UPP on them. I'm curious how it holds up to the brake dust and crud that gets on the inside of the wheel. I'm pretty happy with the way they look now. Much better than crusty factory grey.

 

[unclearty]

Amazing how such a simple thing can make them look so much better. I like the black..subtle.

 

[holland_patrick]

Humm I think I might get the drak gray metaling and try that on mine if not black is cool.

 

[Glossequation]

I did this on my '96 Cobra (sold last year ) with high temp duplicolor in semi-gloss black. Cleaned them up nicely without going overboard. It definitely is a nice subtle look.

 

[holland_patrick]

did you paint all of them or just the frounts

 

[Jngrbrdman]

I painted them all. I'll get a picture of them when I get a chance to see my car in the sun. I leave for work before it is up and leave for home after it is down. lol They just blend in with the shadows. That is why I chose black. I don't need them standing out really.

 

[Mad iX]

First time I've seen black, and I think it looks great.

I've been thinking about painting my calipers just to get rid of that ugly grey look but red was too flashy.

Using a brush is a great idea too. Nice.

 

[Jngrbrdman]

Now all David needs to do is make an AUTOPIA template and I can airbrush it on the side.

 

[Pats300zx]

Looks fantastic..Compliments the car nicely...:xyxthumbs

 

[audio1der]

Do you have any larger front 1/4 shots (still showing the calipers, obviously)? Just wondernig.

Great idea, regardless of colour. Mine are black as well, but I was thinking of CC'ing them this year for a bit more punch.

(Brush the black, spray the clear)

 

[OJ_GTI]

I bought a black dupli-color kit last weekend for my calipers too. On other cars I'd used spray paint and sprayed into a cup like you and I was planning on buying the same thing again. The dupli-color kit I bought though is a tin of paint (not spray), a brush, masking tape and a can of brake cleaner.



Gotta wait until it warms up though as it says it shouldn't be used below 70 deg. Perfect for when I switch over from my winter tires.

 

[Jngrbrdman]

I'll get some better pictures when I get a chance. Hopefully it will be a nice weekend and I can go do that.



It was definitely not 70 degrees when I did mine. I'll bet those calipers got up to 70 degrees before I got to the stop sign the next morning though. The temperature thing is because paint doesn't dry very well in the cold. Waiting until you have to take off your wheels anyway is a good idea though.

 

[holland_patrick]

i'm sorry to keep bothing you but did you take the brakes off to paint them or just were careful not to get paint anywhere it wasn't ment to go.

 

[Jngrbrdman]

I left them on. Taking them off would have been more professional of me, but I went the easy route and left them on to save time. I was using the small 1" foam brushes that I picked up 10 for a dollar at a local craft store. Its really pretty easy to not get paint where it shouldn't be. Just remember to put a towel under the caliper so you don't get paint drips on your driveway.

 

[TortoiseAWD]

Another tip, especially if using a two-part paint system such as G2 or Foliatec: Make sure the container you mix the paint in is solvent-resistant. A buddy of mine used a plain disposable plastic cup to mix the paint and hardener in . . . when he was done painting and tried to pick up the container, the bottom of the cup stayed on the garage floor. The red paint that had been in the cup also stayed on the garage floor.



I've had a G2 kit for over a year and just haven't gotten around to painting my calipers. I'll have to take care of that this spring when the summer tires go back on the WRX.



Tort

 

[Jngrbrdman]

I used half a 16 ounce Mountain Dew Bottle. It worked out perfectly. I resprayed paint into it 3 times and the bottom never melted out. In fact, I left some paint in the bottom and when I kicked it this morning it still had a bottom on it. Normaly I would use a Pepsi can that I cut the top off of, but this worked out just as well.