[Kaj Hallstrom]

I have been, as most of you know, in the process this winter of replacing brakes, rotors and pads in the front. I wanted to give the calibers a bit of a facelift. Have ordered paint for them and decals. Does anyone have experience in this field?........I have watched several youtube videos on the subject but I wonder if anyone could add their own experience.

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[flash]

well......you'll have to remove them first.  you really can't paint them in place.  the paint will come off shortly after application.  like anything, the key to success is proper prep

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[Ryan]

Most people prefer powder coating over rattle can paint as it is more durable and heat resistant. Are you changing the color or staying black? 

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[Waylander]

I have a Brand New Pair of M030 Calipers Made in 2013 still in the boxes, they are going up for sale soon

 

they are £1200 each here

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[Kaj Hallstrom]

I do NOT need to remove them before painting.....However, as mentioned, the prep work and masking is extremely important and time consuming. Masking off pads, rotors and the fluid valves plus the rest of the the car is essential. My plan of action is the do 2-3 light coats of paint (yellow, as red does not look good on a Amethyst body) In between each coat a 10-15 minute drying time. After last coat, a one hour drying time. Then black decals on.Now it's time for a spray, maybe two, of caliber clear coat. The one I have ordered can handle 900 degree F...........So what do you think.....Did I miss something?

 

OH...I missed the cleaning part. Off course the calibers need to be cleaned and brushed with a steel brush...that's a given.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKTM-kAnRdM

 

 

,,.........,and yes, she is coming over to assist

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[flash]

it is exasperating to have somebody ask for advice, and then have them ignore it, purely because they want to try to do something on the cheap, or they are not qualified or too lazy to do it the right way.  you asked.  i gave you a considered response, with the added benefit of over 30 years of doing this stuff, many of them PROFESSIONALLY.

 

i will try again, this time with some explanations and reasoning.

 

you will NOT get the brake dust and other contamination off of the calipers without removing them and having them blasted.  you just can't get in there to all of the surfaces.  also, the contaminants embed themselves in the caliper treatment.  painting over that stuff, as well as the existing paint and clear coat, will result in the paint coming off in short order.  in the over 30 years of restoring and preparing cars, i have tried EVERY magic cleaner, and every magic paint out there, in an effort to find an easier way.  my conclusion is that it won't work.

 

as mentioned by ryan, most people powder coat them.  this is because, unlike rattle can stuff, IT WORKS.  even if you do remove them and blast them, the rattle can stuff doesn't hold up for long.  the best i have seen so far is a little less than 2 years, with the right prep, and less than a year without.  how long is affected by how much it is driven, and how long brake dust is allowed to sit on the paint.  the more you drive it, the more heat is applied, which breaks down the paint.  brake dust also breaks down the paint.  brake fluid (like from every time you bleed the brakes - every 2-3 years) will immediately ruin the paint.  then, if you don't plan to drive the car much, and plan to clean the calipers every time you come home, you can probably get a couple of years out of it, assuming you remove ALL of the contaminants at the onset.

 

something else to consider regarding color, is that yellow paint will show brake dust extremely easily.  if you are planning to show the car again, plan on getting in there with a tooth brush at every show.

 

do what you want, but i reserve the right to say "i told you so" when the paint falls off.

 

and it's caliPer, not caliber

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[94SilverCab]

Being incredibly offensive and insulting is not a great way to get your point across.

 

Kaj is welcome to do to his car whatever the hell he wants.

 

Thank you for your participation.

 

Jay

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[Waylander]

Handbags at dawn???

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[tejon007]

http://www.pmbperformance.com/brake-calipers.html


In case you hadn't heard about this company...I hear they restore calibers too ...you'll like their service, except maybe your wallet...

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[flash]

jay - i agree with you.  however, i wasn't being offensive.  i stopped well short of offensive (i refer to the endless name calling of the "offender in chief" as an example).  i was being honest.  brutally perhaps, but honest nonetheless.  i really don't consider people's feelings when i respond to a direct query.  i don't worry about what somebody might feel.  i answer the question.  no punches pulled.  i don't think feelings belong in a car discussion.  nobody should imply otherwise.  cold hard facts and data are all that interest me these days.

 

yes, anybody is free to do whatever they want with their car.  i have always agreed with that.  that does not mean though that when somebody asks for advice that we should not respond with open and honest advice, regardless of somebody's feelings.  that is the entire point of this site.  if the purpose was to be a group of mindless sycophants, one might as well go to the other site.

 
that being said, how about my side of the equation?  i also find it at least rude and possibly offensive for somebody to ask for advice and then ignore it out of hand, particularly when it is sage advice, based on years of experience. i offered that advice with the best of intentions.  however, like other times, it seems that it was not advice that was being asked for, but rather support for an ill-advised decision.  i don't think that is in the best interests of the community.  i don't think suggesting a repair that is half-baked is either.  i know that you want to retain members, but do you want to perpetuate bad ideas?

 

it's a thankless and difficult job treading the fine line between what is best for the community, and what is politically correct.  as the guy who sat in that chair here on this site for over a decade, i don't envy you the task, and we should all stop and take a moment to thank you for the work.

 

but again, everybody is entitled to do whatever they want.  i've said my piece.

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[Kaj Hallstrom]

Last year many people told me that I would not have a chance in winning a Concours's d' Elegance.......Being a stubborn Dane I worked on that car for weeks and finally won the "best of Show". Remember Flash, you did not recommend me doing the brakes in the beginning either. " Not a job for someone with no knowledge and not the right tools"....... Well they are done and working perfectly. I have done all the homework on the caliber painting and it will get done "my way".....If it fails you can declare yourself a winner...and if it works I will be the one smiling. Everything is possible if you put your mind into it. Nothing ventured...nothing gained!

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[ds968]

IMO - can't take posts personally and read into the "tone" of an email unless it's a specific and very clear affront and insult to you as a person ...as we've seen occasionally in the old days . Sugarcoating things s not one of Flash's greatest attributes ( talk about an affront , lol ) but just as he mentioned, it's nothing more than his ( anal retentive and perfectionist way ) presenting and sharing his experience and opinion on any given matter . Pushy and obsessive tone maybe, but not so sure it's insulting or offensive . Then again, I have very think skin , so maybe that's only my take on things . Just relax, and take the technical value of the message for what it may be worth , and ignore the perceived tone in which it's framed .

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[az968]

If I were painting I'd remove the calipers so I could be sure they are completely cleaned so the paint would stick evenly, but I've been called anal :-) Thats why i left my calipers alone. I would rather powder coat them as Ryan mentioned so only had to do them once. On a car as striking as Kaj's I'd be very meticulous.

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[Kaj Hallstrom]

Thanks for all your inputs Gentlemen. Yes the ideal way would be to remove the calibers completely and then restore them. Well we are beyond that point and will paint them on the rotor........ So the question was, has anyone done them this way?......That was the advice I was looking for in the beginning. As you can see my calibers are pretty clean to begin with.

 

 

 

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[az968]

Never painted calipers on a car but looking forward to your adventure to see if it could be done successfully. I know you'll give it a good shot.

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[Kaj Hallstrom]

Masking off is the key to success and doing it right. Very time consuming but so is removing the calipers and the hoses. I will post my progress.

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[flash]

first off, caliper is spelled with a P, not a B

 

second, knock yourself out, but i have done this before.  the paint won't stick.  you'll spend hours with a toothbrush and cans of brakleen, and in the end, have the paint flake off in a few months, leaving the caliper looking worse than when you started.  this is exactly why i never got around to doing my own.  i could have done whatever i wanted.  i have an unlimited budget for this kind of stuff, but did not want to go through the pain of the process of rebuilding the calipers, and have the car on jackstands for another 2 weeks.

 

if the paint isn't flaking off now, just clean them.  wait until the clearcoat flakes, and then do the job right.

 

the part i don't understand is why somebody would ask for advice, and then when arguably the leading expert on this site gives it, it is ignored.  i'd rather you didn't ask

 

sigh

 

with that, i am leaving this thread.

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[Kim]

I, for one, am glad about that.

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[ds968]

Flash, your advice wasn't " ignored " , Kaj simply chose to employ the alternative method of painting the calipers. Getting upset about someone not following your instructions is just silly / petty , IMO of course .. Also obsessing ( twice ) about the caliper spelling is equally silly , IMO again. :-) :-).

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[Waylander]

As us Brits would say,

 

Its just a Flash in the pan, Boom Boom

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