bluefish

I have to get the front rotors cut and pads put on... Not going to spend big bucks for the vented disc's yet. While they ( the break shop) have it all apart i wanted to paint the callipers RED like my car. Which brand of paint should i use, and is this a waste of time?? Anyone have pics of painted callipers??

The SE Limited Rims really let the callipers show, so why not show them off!! comments please..

Daniel B. Martin

You can do a Web search on "painted calipers" and get a slew of hits. Some of the pages have photos, some do not. Click on the thumbnails for an enlarged image.

http://www.2phast.com/calipers.htm
http://scott_winger.tripod.com/rimspage.html
http://207.236.3.190/kojih/upgrades/brakepaint.html
http://w3.one.net/~marc/mustang/calipers/

Surface preparation is a crucial element in any paint job. With calipers, sandblasting is probably the best "prep" but chemical cleaners and degreasers are probably adequate. Some owners used disk sanders or wire wheels mounted in an electric drill. It all depends on how much time you are willing to spend, and whether your goal is only color, or color plus polished smoothness.

ereet

I did this a while ago, and my two front calipers are great. The back ones seem a bit dingy, but that's probably just because it's winter time (I may have to repaint em though ...) I think Nathan has a set of Ruby Red Calipers, and they're really bright, that color would go well with your car.

As for doing the actual job, take the wheels off, get a wire brush and brake cleaner, and scrub em clean. Put a garbage bag over the entire shock/rotor area, and then cut a hole in it and put the caliper through the bag. Use tape if necessary, and seal off all the areas you don't want painted. I used primer, and then 3 coats of blue paint (I can't remember what it was called, but it was some cheap high-temperature caliper paint.) .. Some people are picky about what brand of paint you use, but I think the results are more in the preperation than the brand.

bluefish

Thanks for the comments, i should of looked in the search files before posting... lots of info and great photos....

I will wait till it gets warmer north of 45 degrees seams to be better then 32 and do them right...sanding and priming then paint and clear coat...

Thanks again

Peace

Nathan

iTrader: (28)

bluefish, check out my website for instuctions and for pictures of them. I painted my calipers red using FoliaTec caliper paint. I paid $50 Canadian for them and they are definitely worth it. I've had them painted for almost a year and they still look brand new. Foliatec caliper paint is applied with a paint brush where others come in spray cans. For a long lasting finish and look go for Foliatec. The paint is oil resistant and will never fade. I also get a lot of looks from other drivers.

Kashoggio

iTrader: (11)

hmm I painted my calipers on my old car with cheap pep boys car paint and they were great. I drove with them on for about a year and they look like new. I also hear that you might want to take part your calipers and do it like that becasue if you just paint over them they might become stuck, again this is what I only heard from a tech, i just painted mine and they were fine.

breaux124

iTrader: (1)

I'm going to be adding SS brake lines, so I might as well paint my calipers while they aren't attached to the car.
I have the deep evergreen color fourth gen maxima. Do you think black or silver would look the best? I'm in the process of getting gunmetal colored wheels.

bluefish

JMO but with that color combination i think BLACK GLOSS would look great...would make the silver of the rotors stand out more... JMO.

Thanks for the help... Will post some pics when done...

SINYMaxSE

iTrader: (1)

gunmetal rims? kewllllll! go with the silver that would look real nice (but probobly get dirty quick)

as for the caliper paint, it definitely is all about the prep. i did a poor prep job and it looks like crap, my friend did his but preped it alot better and his still look new. high temp paint is basically high temp paint. pepboys is just as good as any, just use the primer. i do believe there is a clear coat for it too.

theblue

j/k, I think that on your car I would go BLACK because they will stand out against the rims (not like silver that will make them hard to see)

If you want to stand out, I think that lime green would possibly look cool

ereet

that sounds pretty cool. I think the silver would look pretty cool, especially if you clear coated it. It might look like you got chromed calibers

That might be going a bit too far though, overly chroming things can be a bad thing. If you think so, go with the black.

breaux124

iTrader: (1)

Would white calipers look weird with gunmetal colored wheels? Or are silver and black better choices?

xHypex

iTrader: (1)

I painted my calipers black so that they would be colored but not too flashy. I used black gloss engine paint, but it's starting to come off somewhat. I also bought primer to use, but I've never seen anything such as high temp primer. Wouldn't the primer melting defeat the purpose of high temp paint :P Just curious because I plan on repainting my calipers when it's warmer.
-hype

ohboiya

iTrader: (3)

Nathan,

Where'd u get the Foliatec paint .. in Toronto?

Tkx!

UntouchableMX-5

Your painting broke? Maybe you shouln't have gone to Maaco.

J/K - BRAKES may be painted, but not BREAKS.

Painting your "break" pads is probably not a good idea. But painting your calipers won't hurt anything. Downside: painting your calipers retains heat - causing the brake fluid to boil quicker. That, and the fact that you look like a flaming Ricer. Of course, you probably don't race - except in the holiest of Stupid American races: the Drag Strip. In which case, take off the "breaks" because you obviously don't need them. If you also participate in the dragstrip, just take off the suspension. You won't need it. For those of us who appreciate true racing - the kind with "corners," (more than stupid Nascar's left hand only rule) we drive Miata's.

On a more serious note, if you want your calipers to look prettier, have them rebuilt and finished - then polish them once a week to keep them shiny.

UntouchableMX-5

If you really want to go ahead and do it. Go get some high temp engine paint from a auto Parts store... that stuff will never come off!