Prepping Brake Calipers For Concours

M

MBZ 500E

New member
So I have yet another questions and I hope this is the right place to post it.



After scrubbing my wheel wells and brake calipers I was left with a dilemma. My brakes pads look horrible, they have very light surface corrosion and uneven color. Worse yet they are very noticeable with my new wheels!:eek:



I have learned that the original color of the calipers was a flat/satin black. I've been searching websites (including Eastwood) but I haven't been able to find any satin black caliper paint. Does anyone know where I can find this?:nixweiss



I originally thought of using a high temp paint but I'm concerned that the brake dust will eat through it very quickly.
 
I'd almost swear I once saw an article/post here by BradB about painting brake calipers. But I've tried everything I can think of using the search engine, and get no results at all. Anybody else remember this or able to locate such info? :nixweiss
 
Flat black hi temp like BBQ paint will probably look pretty awful. Avoid that. I haven't checked myself yet but I am surprised that Eastwood doesn't have a Satin black.



Gloss black is easy to come by but you think this may be out of place? Remember, it's not that flashy and brakes are pretty small. It can be a subtle showmanship plus as well. Don't forget ease of maintenance. One thing about satins is they have more texture and will tend to hold dirt. I would seriously give gloss black a re-think. Just a thought.:nixweiss



My XK came with dull painted grey calipers from the factory. I painted them gloss grey. They were the right color but easy to maintain and had a great sparkle for the shows. They always looked much better that the car sitting next to me and nobody ever said "hey, that's not original!" ;)



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Brad,



That was my biggest concern with going with a standard gloss caliper paint. I assumed that since the car came from the factory with a flat black that points would be deducted if I went with a gloss black. If your certain judges won't deduct then I have a lead on a good brake caliper painting kit that I can use.



Eastwood does have a high temp satin black which I will be using on my exhaust, I just wasn't sure it's designed for the corrosive environment the brake dust creates. :nixweiss
 
I would be pretty confident that it would hold up. Especially if you are cleaning the wheels weekly. :up
 
Hamerite in the uk sell, gloss (smooth) , hamered and satin versions of all there paint. If you need satin black let me know. We all use it over here instead of expensive caliper paint. PM me if you want some shipping over
 
Rich,



Thank you for the generous offer!



I have spent some time these last couple of weeks looking for the paint and it turns out that Eastwood makes an OEM Look caliper paint. I originally only found it in grey but I called Eastwood and they pointed me to the web page with the right product. I'll post pics when I change out my brakes (next month or two).
 
Check out this site . Seems to be quality stuff. The other ways to do calipers are removing them from the car and having them powder coated. This may give a longer lasting result, albeit with quite a bit more hassle and $$. You could also paint with a high temp paint and slowly bake them in the oven-best done when the wife is out of town:D
 
I have just bought what is apparently the best caliper paint.



VHT 900 degree F paint.



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Will be painting my calipers this weekend and will be doing a step by step guide with pictures :cool: :)
 
guys, I have been dying to paint my calipers, the kits seem very reasonable. What I am not sure about is the best way to jack up my car and have access to all 4 calipers. Any suggestions without spending a ton of money, otherwise I will just go to a body shop and have them do it. Also thinking of possibly getting some caliper stickers (Lexus ones), I am assuming I would put these on after the paint and before the clearcoat.
 
What I am planning to do is using 2 Accord Jacks - jack up both sides at the same time and put axle stands underneath.



Spend a couple of hours doing the fronts and then a couple of hours doing the backs.



Btw - I will be putting a vinyl sticker on each front caliper. Will they be ok without any laquer over the top?



I have some normal honda lacquer but I doubt it will withstand high temps.
 
I've never heard of a high temp clearcoat, but it sounds interesting. This stickers you guys are planning on using are high temp?



I'm going to paint my calipers at the end of the year when I install new rotors, I'll post a few tips and tricks when I complete the process.





Nick,



Can't wait to see your step by step post should be very informative. :up
 
I do hope the stickers dont crumble away under the heat because they are very expensive for the pair :eek:



Got my digi cam loaded and ready to go so will be taking LOTs of pictures.



I'm also going to get the wheel wells 'show-ready' and polish and seal the backs of the wheels. Plenty of before and after pics :xyxthumbs
 
I have some caliper instructions from a IS300 site. Here's what they say about stickers.



"If you want to put on a caliper sticker, you have to wait until the paint completely dries before you put it on. Once you have the sticker on, I recommend a clear coat to spray over the caliper/sticker to seal it off and give it a glossy look (you can also get this at a local auto store)"
 
Cheers, yep I have some clear coat laquer but will it not be very temp resistant?



I'll prob give it a go anyway.



i'm going to do 3 coats on each caliper with 30 mins inbetween each. How long shall I wait after all the coats?
 
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