Brake Caliper Paint Project

[lprince]

Hey All,

Planning on painting my brake calipers. I got them painted red last year and they look dull now.

Im basically wondering what I would need to get this job done.

e.g sandpaper, paint etc...

I'm especially concerned about which brand of paint to use, any suggestions based on good brands you know?

any help is appreciated thanks everyone!

[GWN]

I'd get a caliper paint kit (I have the G2 one, just waiting for some steady good weather).

From what I know, Duplicolor has a kit for around $35, and G2 has one for $50ish. Peter at nextmod can order in both I think.

Oh and they come with everything you need (cleaner, paint, brush, etc)

[mazdabetty]

Just clean them really well and spray paint them! No need to sand again.

I used VHT Caliper Paint from Canadian tire in True Red. Easy peasy, less than 20 mins

[dentinger]

I used VHT Caliper Paint from Canadian tire in True Red. Easy peasy, less than 20 mins

i used this too. turned out better than expected.
i did mine during my brake install, so it was a bit easier.

basically, clean the calipers off really well with the supplied brake clean (its pretty heavy duty!). i used a wire wheel to get in the corners, but its not really needed.
other than that, just start painting. i did all 4, waited for it to dry, then did them all over again.

the paint was kinda thin, so it took 3 or 4 coats. but i still had alot of paint left over.

[lprince]

Sounds great!

I've heard alot of bad reviews about duplicolour and VHT......but seems like you guys had some good experiences with those brands. G2 is what everyone is boosting about...but I heard that once you mix the G2, you have such a short time to paint all calipers if not it gets dry real fast...


With VHT fro Canadian tire, is one spray can enough for all 4 wheels to do 3-4 coats each?


How long should i wait between coats?

[dentinger]

its paint on, not spray on. so its a little neater.

i tihnk the can said 20 minutes or something. which is why i said i did all 4, waited a bit, then did the next coat.

[mazdabetty]

I used the spray paint, one can was enough for all 4.

[Default User]

Duplicolour Caliper kit is limited to 5 colors (red, black, yellow, blue, silver) and is about $25 for the kit at Crappy Tire
the G2 Caliper kit has about 10-15 colors to pick from. (including pink, purple, green, orange, etc)

IIRC both kits come with a spray can of caliper cleaner, roll of masking tape, paint, stir stick and application brush.

If your car is older (pre-2006 or older) you may want to stop at Dollarama and pick up a hard bristle BBQ brush or toothbrush to work away se of the rust and gre build-up.
Also - it's faster to jack up all 4 corners and remove the wheels.

For the DC kit - you have to apply each coat in 25-30 minute intervals.
If you do all 4 at the same time, by the time you get around each corner - you'll have a good 5 minute smoke break before you can start the next coat.


BTW - You should check out seschemedia for the caliper decals and Nextmod for the Hawk pads since this would be an ideal time to install them

[lprince]

I see, I should be starting the paint job very soon I will keep you guys posted with some pics!!

[crystal8484]

I used high heat engine enamel spray paint and they're monster green + CLEAR COAT. Although I didn't do it myself. Needs some touching up because of winter but the brightness is still there 100% once I cleaned the winter grime/brake dust off.

Anything with a high heat rating is fine for the calipers, and you've got quite a few different colours to choose from in those flavours.

[stevenma188]

I used the Duplicolor kit on my car. I cleaned my calipers with steel wool, as well as the included brake cleaner. My buddy and I painted our cars together, so it worked out perfectly that by the time we painted all 8 calipers, it was time to do the 2nd coat. For the price, you can't go wrong with the Duplicolor kit, even if you need to do a touch-up every year or so. Painting both cars, we used maybe 1/3 of the kit.

[p-o-g-i]

Does this help any?

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/sh...ht=project+kia

[Nextmod]

if you are interested in a paint kit, feel free to come by =)

[BMWWW]

i used this too. turned out better than expected.
i did mine during my brake install, so it was a bit easier.

basically, clean the calipers off really well with the supplied brake clean (its pretty heavy duty!). i used a wire wheel to get in the corners, but its not really needed.
other than that, just start painting. i did all 4, waited for it to dry, then did them all over again.

the paint was kinda thin, so it took 3 or 4 coats. but i still had alot of paint left over.

You absolutely want to use a steel brush + brake cleaner (multiple times as well) to clean off the calipers. Better yet, grind it down with a drill or dremel (for the larger surface areas anyways).

I did mine 2 winters ago (I think) and there are only marginal chips on mine (Duplicolor Black). And I had to ghetto mine, and paint 2 layers, and carefully put the rim back on. I wouldn't suggest it, but I've taken/put on rims on my car many times, and am very precise. No nicks at all! <-- at my stupidity.

[SSmoked]

i wana do my calipers that copper gold the subbies and g35's have. not sure wheter i want to powder coat or g2 caliper paint them. what would it run me to powerder coat em??? i think caliper paint is like 50$

[RArora10]

Thinking about trying this project. For those of you who have done this, did you remove all 4 wheels at once and keep the entire car on jack stands while you painted? I'm worried about stand placement and the car slipping. On the other hand, it sounds like one wheel at a time would take forever.

[mazdabetty]

Thinking about trying this project. For those of you who have done this, did you remove all 4 wheels at once and keep the entire car on jack stands while you painted? I'm worried about stand placement and the car slipping. On the other hand, it sounds like one wheel at a time would take forever.

No don't leave it on the jack, you should be supporting the car with cement blocks preferably.. and spraypaint doesnt take too long, buy a can of black too in case you get a little bit in the wheel wells.

[cwp_sedan]

No don't leave it on the jack, you should be supporting the car with cement blocks preferably.. and spraypaint doesnt take too long, buy a can of black too in case you get a little bit in the wheel wells.

Jack stands will also work.

[m_bisson]

If you place the jack stands in the right spot you could run full tilt into the car and not have it move an inch. No worries

[stevenma188]

I painted mine on jackstands. worked fine.