[Paul David Anthony]

Has anyone here painted their brake calipers themselves? I just finished re-painting my wheels and in the process I thought it would look even better with freshly painted calipers. I was just trying to get an idea of what was invloved...ie if it requires removing all 4 calipers and bleeding/flushing the brake system etc.

Just curious if anyone who might have done it could let me know how big a job it would be.

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[sasilverbullet]

Paul - Over at www.ppbb.com, a Boxster board, this discussion comes up almost daily. A LOT of Boxster owners have painted their calipers doing everything from a very cheap, quick job, to remove them and have them powder coated.



In my opinion the only ones that after a few years still liked what they did where the ones that removed them completely and had them powder coated...

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[Paul David Anthony]

SSB-

Thanks for the feedback. I dont think I am ready to go down the powder coating road but I also dont want to mess up the ones that I already have. Pargon sells a kit that I was checking out but if it doesnt hold up, I might just want to leave well enough alone.

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[flash]

i have not found anything other than powder coating that holds up for more than a few months - spray paint is too pourous, and the brake dust ends up discoloring it - keep in mind that i demand perfection, so it may be ok for somebody else



i am just about to pull mine and have them done because i saw a bubble on one of them - however, it might then be time to consider an entirely differnt setup...........



lol - here we go again

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[Paul David Anthony]

Flash,

First of all, it was nice to meet you in Hershey in April. You may remember my wife and I were sitting next to Manny at your dinner table.

That being said, I am sure that you would expect nothing less than perfection with anything car related. If the paint only lasted a few years, that I could deal with, but a few months seems a little short for me...

Unless someone else has had a different experience painting their calipers.

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[rustech]

The VHT paint (sold at auto stores) is specifically designed for calipers. It builds up just like powdercoat and becomes very durable. Mine has lasted over two years thus far. The only thing I wish I did was to spend more time on the prep work.

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[Darryl]

Rustech,



Thanks for that info...I've always wondered about the claims that VHT made and the other one - G2 caliper painting kits. True that a good prep job is key, but if it doesn't bubble off, I would think it would be a great "next best thing" to taking them off, refurbing/rebuilding, powder coating, and reassembling. I've seen various DIY websites where they weren't even removed from the car. Anyone have any knowledge of this?



http://www.eagleday.com/brcapaki.html



- Darryl

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[flash]

i've seen eric's calipers, and i commend him for the effort, as it is much more than i would attempt myself



that being said, while his has not bubbled off, and has stood up better than anything like that i have seen so far, it has "discolored" and always looks dust embedded (though i have to admit that mine are recently looking dirty too) - not sure if it was the prep or the paint - of course, he chose yellow, so everything shows very quickly - the finish is not glossy and "deep" like the OEM finish either - it has always been that way - no idea if there are smoother finishes or not, or if the problem is in the prep, or the nature of the yellow, or if it needed more sanding, or more paint or what - i suck at painting, so i am not the guy to answer that one



it looks better than if it were cracked and bubbled, but to me it still looks like a can job - i will have to talk with eric about this and see if there is something else that can be done to make it look like OEM

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[flash]

spoke to eric



looks like i never got to see them before he used a highly corrosive wheel cleaner on them which altered the surface of the paint



he also did not use a clear coat which would have protected the paint and added depth



i'm going to grab a can of this stuff and play with it and see how it works

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[rustech]

...and Bob, I have the most dusty brake pads in the world as you know. I can only keep my wheels and calipers clean for about 15 miles. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



The VHT really does resemble powdercoat. You'll see after you play with it.

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[Paul David Anthony]

Rus-

Really, you have 2 years on your painted calipers? That seems great. Any special source (other than auto stores) for the VHT paint? Paragon sells a kit for this job but I did not notice the type of paint included.

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[gryphon]

AutoZone carries VHT in my area, althought not the entire line.



Tom

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[Etnier]

I can't tell from the weblink: can the VHT be applied in-place?

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[rustech]

Autostores are the only place I know of that carry it.

I've probably had it on closer to 3 years now.

VHT, IIRC, is about ~$11 per can and I believe I used 1.5 cans.

It can be applied in any fashion a regular spray paint can be, even in place. The quality of the job might be effected however. Prep is very important for a long lasting job. I had taken all of my calipers off, cleaned them thoroughly with steal wool, and then painted.

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