painted calipers

[capnsavem]

hey everybody

im seriously contemplating painting my calipers... im just wondering (from people who have done this) how long does it usually take, and how long to cure before i can hit the road again? and did anyone run into any problems/hitches?

thanks guys

 

[DeanSweet]

I painted mine with the G2 caliper paint kit, took about 4 hours but that is with sanding, prepping and applying 3 light coats to cover the caliper, waited 24 hours before I put the wheels back on and drove it. Nope, painted the calipers about a year ago and they still shine like I just did them and thats saying allot considering I am from the Salt Happy middle part of the country.

PS as noted below, I put my car on stands so I could do all 4 at same time...

 

[aceP5]

well, when I was looking into painting them people said it took from 2 to 4 hours to do all 4. I think this may be true IF you have jackstands. I did not have any jackstands so I just did it one at a time. And instead of spraying them, I brushed them on with a brush, which also took a lot of time. So, bottom line, it took a long time, I just did one per day but I never really painted anything intricate like that before. I would think that it would take a long time if you spray paint as well, cause you have to tape everything off. I just took my time and washed the calipers more than I probably needed to and brushed on 4 coats waiting about 20-30 min between coats. If you can do 2 at a time it should go faster. Regarding curing, the paint i used said to let the last coat sit for an hour before re-installing the wheel. Just do it on a saturday/sunday and you should have it back on the road in no time.

 

[msubullyfan]

I painted mine with the G2 caliper paint kit, took about 4 hours but that is with sanding, prepping and applying 3 light coats to cover the caliper, waited 24 hours before I put the wheels back on and drove it. Nope, painted the calipers about a year ago and they still shine like I just did them and thats saying allot considering I am from the Salt Happy middle part of the country.

PS as noted below, I put my car on stands so I could do all 4 at same time...

G2 is fantastic! You should strongly consider using their paint to do the job -- I think it's the longest-lasting stuff you can use. Also, it's a brush paint, so you don't have to mask off your whole fender well to paint them.

As DeanSweet noted above, you'll almost have to put your car on stands and do all the sanding/prep work in advance. Once the G2 paint is mixed, you only have 5-6 hours before it solidifies into an enamel. That's why the paint lasts so well...

I would really recommend painting them. Also, while you have the wheels off, you might want to consider painting your wheel hubs with a high-temp engine paint. If your rotor hubs haven't rusted yet, they will eventually.

 

[Rummy]

Wouldn't it depend on how carefull you are?

Some dill hole at club3g.com painted his with his rims ON! :lol:

 

[capnsavem]

Wouldn't it depend on how carefull you are?

Some dill hole at club3g.com painted his with his rims ON! :lol:

you've got to be kidding me. wow. speechless.

 

[Astral]

hey everybody

im seriously contemplating painting my calipers... im just wondering (from people who have done this) how long does it usually take, and how long to cure before i can hit the road again? and did anyone run into any problems/hitches?

thanks guys

I painted my brakes (see pics) with Dupont MetalCast paint.

I used spray paint. It's a balance, I suppose: a ton of masking up front, and spraying paint on literally takes 30-45 seconds.

It took about 20-30 minutes for me to mask off the wheelwells, because I had small catalog pages instead of a big newspaper. Advice: get some big-ass newspapers, will make it much easier to mask off the entire wheelwell. Also put some masking tapes around the edges where the paint starts.

Spray-painted base paint for about 30 seconds, then wait 5 (maybe 10?) minutes before next coat, then another coat of base paint (looks silver). Then waited 30-40 minutes, then spray-painted two blue coats w/ 5-minute interval.

Waited about 1-1.5 hrs before getting back on the road. Total time: 3 hrs tops?

Overall, since I did it in a closed garage, I had little overspray. However, watch out if you are doing it outside on a windy day, watch out, paint is gonna start flying (that's when masking is really helpful). Pick a non-windy day

As far as it holding up, so far so good. I do wish that I sanded off the more visible parts of the caliper more, so they would look a little less rough.


Total cost: ~$12 at AutoZone.

 

[Rummy]

you've got to be kidding me. wow. speechless.

NOT kidding! And the guy is a MOD of that board! (loser)

 

[capnsavem]

thanks everybody, this is all useful info. special thanks to DeanSweet for the pics... the G2 system sounds like the way to go.
(doughpoke

 

[capnsavem]

NOT kidding! And the guy is a MOD of that board! (loser)

bwwaahahaha!!! remind me not to go to that site! (lol2)

 

[Rummy]

bwwaahahaha!!! remind me not to go to that site! (lol2)

Biggest bunch of morons on the net.

 

[capnsavem]

thanks Astral. i think im gonna stick with the G2 brushed on paint system. im deathly afraid of overspray! but i see the balance you talked about.. either way 3-4 hours.

 

[Astral]

thanks Astral. i think im gonna stick with the G2 brushed on paint system. im deathly afraid of overspray! but i see the balance you talked about.. either way 3-4 hours.

The only thing is I keep seeing people w/ G2 paint say that they waited 24 hrs before they put the wheels back on. I could never wait that long, too much downtime.

 

[capnsavem]

The only thing is I keep seeing people w/ G2 paint say that they waited 24 hrs before they put the wheels back on. I could never wait that long, too much downtime.

right on.. i see your point... i'll just have to have my girlfriend/shauffer drive me around for a day....

 

[msubullyfan]

thanks Astral. i think im gonna stick with the G2 brushed on paint system. im deathly afraid of overspray! but i see the balance you talked about.. either way 3-4 hours.

I think that G2 is the way to go. Make sure you check on eBay when you're checking prices. I saved about $10 bucks buying it there. They have just about any color you want.

 

[JOS3]

i think if you are psycho it will take 4 hours.

it took us 2 hours (captain krm p5 helped me) and we did 1 wheel at a time. we took the wheel off, sanded the caliper good. used a gargbage bag to mask the areas around the caliper (rotor, axle, etc...) and used newspaper to mask the side of the car and the wheel well. we applied about 3-4 layers of paint. when we were done painting, we put the wheel right back on.

before anyone starts bitching or flaming me about getting paint everywhere, it is fine to do this. the caliper NEVER comes in contact with the wheel (unless you are a moron) meaning that paint should not get on your wheels. also, the paint i used was dry to the touch after about 5 minutes. we did each wheel, one by one, and it took about 2 hours. when we were done, i let the car sit for about 5-6 hours (even though i didnt have to, but i was hanging out at his house) before i drove it home.

i used VHT red caliper paint (rated at 900 degrees) from autozone ($7), 180 grit sandpaper ($2), and garbage bags/newspaper (free, courtesy of ken). so it only costed me about $9 total. they still look great and there are no signs of chipping.

as long as you dont paint them on a windy day, there should be no overspray. just be sure to mask areas you dont want painted. some people will give you detailed, 4 hour instructions. it isnt that serious and the way i did it worked just as well.

as far as the g2 paint system, i have no experience with it. it sounds like it is supposed to be very good, but if it takes a long time to dry, then it is a waste of time imo.......

 

[capnsavem]

(cool) right on guys.. thanks for the help

 

[DeanSweet]

I admit it, I am psycho... but I have seen what vht looks like after 14 months of Ohio weather and to say the least its not pretty. As I walked the guy over to my car he made a comment on how I must of just painted mine recently? I am sure the VHT stuff works well if you prep the caliper first and lay some serious coats of paint down but I have serious doubts that it is the same league as G2 or similar products.

Hey capnsavm - post some pictures after you get them done!

 

[1 PHAT 5]

I've used VHT paint before and never had a problem. I told someone before that it takes more time to take the tires off and jack the car up and down than it does to paint. Should take about 2 hours by yourself even if you take your time. This isn't brain surgery afterall.

I have always used 3 things and my brakes look good for years. Like any paint, if you don't clean it and even wax it, it won't stay looking pretty forever. Weather can do damage too.
Pretty much sand the calipers , clean them, I use BBQ paint ( works well due being able to handle high temps and it leave a rough surface for the paint to adhere to. Then use any color paint you want, 2-3 coats, then 2-3 coats of clear. Then I put the wheels on and go for a quick drive to heat the brakes on, In effect it bakes them to the calipers. Holds up well to chips.

I have been doing this for years and never had a problem.

 

[protegeV]

does the G2 come in other colors like black, silver, or gunmetal...sounds like good stuff to paint my rotor hubs with.