BiggieLex400 Posted October 26, 2005 Posted October 26, 2005 Ok so I've searched the posts and couldn't find any info on painting the break calipers. Does anyone have any info on this? I know the brembo pads that are red cost serious $$$ and I've seen some break calipers painted and they look good. And advise from those who have done it before....does it look good? Is is difficult? Here's an example of one painted on a BM:
p3style Posted October 26, 2005 Posted October 26, 2005 I've done it - looks awesome. Cost me $20 at a local shop that even carried the heat resistent caliper paint. Otherwise you can do it urself - just make sure you use a plastic bag (or equivalent) to tape up the surrounding areas so the paint only gets on the calipers. I guess if you really want to do them right - take the calipers off and then paint them. Lextasy.com sells the caliper paint if you need it.
bartkat Posted October 27, 2005 Posted October 27, 2005 Probably need to search on "brake" instead of "break".
trj Posted October 27, 2005 Posted October 27, 2005 I've done it 2 times and it is easy. Cleaning the calipers prior to painting is the key.
DaGuNit Posted October 27, 2005 Posted October 27, 2005 Hey, I am glad this topic came up cuz I was thinking of doing this but I didn't have a clue what color to go since my ride is silver. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I am gonna sit down here soon on my vacation and do the grill and the calipers. Again, I would really appreciate some suggestions on color. TIA here is my ride
bartkat Posted October 27, 2005 Posted October 27, 2005 My IS was IBP and I did the calipers in silver with black Lexus logo stickers. I thought it looked good, but not too flashy.
Neo Posted October 27, 2005 Posted October 27, 2005 My only caveat to color choice is to stay away from flashy colors (yellow, blue, and especially red) if you are painting the OEM calipers. The GS calipers are 2 pistons and although pretty good, they are not in the big brakes (Brembo, AP Racing, StopTech, Endless, ...) league. The stand out colors, like red, should be reserved for true big brakes. Painting calipers give the car an extra something and can be nice. It only gets questionable when the brakes are trying to be something it is not. Now, this is only my opinion and anyone can obviously do whatever they want to their own car. ;) :D As for actually painting it, you can do the spray paint method or the brush on method. The kits that are brush on usually require the paint to get used right away one it has been opened. This means you need to give yourself enough time to do the project. The spray paint does not have such requirements but there is always the issue or overspray particles in the air. Just make sure you are in a ventilated area and the car is well covered whereever no paint is being sprayed. The optimal way is to remove the caliper but this takes a lot more work. You will have to basically do an install (brake bleeding and all) once the work is done. If you cannot do this, you can try to reach as much as you can. Once the wheels are on, most of the back side is really not that visible. If you are planning on caliper stickers, the best way I've found is to put on several color coats (more to do with the spray method). Make sure you follow the directions on painting multi coats because you have to make sure each coat is dry enough for the next coat. Do not rush. Once this layer is done, apply the sticker. Then apply multiple layers of clear coat. This coat can be as glossy as you like depending on the spray type you get. The clear coat not only gives the color a little punch, but it "seals" in the sticker too. I am sure I forgot something but this should be a good starting point. Good luck with it.
BiggieLex400 Posted October 27, 2005 Author Posted October 27, 2005 Probably need to search on "brake" instead of "break". ← Spelling has never been a gift for me...
BiggieLex400 Posted October 27, 2005 Author Posted October 27, 2005 Thanks for the advise....I ordered the paint a while ago and just needed to see some comments on how it looked and how easy it was. Do you think I can get away with using the OEM factory Jack that comes with my GS to lift the car and remove the wheel? If so is it possible to do in 1 day? thanks again I appreciate it
bartkat Posted October 27, 2005 Posted October 27, 2005 Thanks for the advise....I ordered the paint a while ago and just needed to see some comments on how it looked and how easy it was. Do you think I can get away with using the OEM factory Jack that comes with my GS to lift the car and remove the wheel? If so is it possible to do in 1 day? thanks again I appreciate it ← Personally I wouldn't do that, as the tire changing jack is not really stable enough to trust. You can get a hydraulic jack and a pair of jack stands for around $30, and that's much safer, plus you can have two wheels off at the same time.
SKperformance Posted October 27, 2005 Posted October 27, 2005 You need to have all 4 wheels off the ground with 4 jack stands and keeping the jack in place for security. That is the only way to do all 4 completly . Spray paints looks awful. Get the g2 from tire rack or folia tec or don't bother . It takes a good amount of work to clean a caliper to make the spray stuff stick or it flakes off.
BiggieLex400 Posted October 27, 2005 Author Posted October 27, 2005 Thankx man I appreciate the advi. I was wondering how they did it without the paint drying in the bowl. I already bought the paint by brush kind and I thought that would be a pain in the !Removed! but worthwhile in the longrun. Good things only come from hard work!!!
bartkat Posted October 27, 2005 Posted October 27, 2005 Thankx man I appreciate the advi. I was wondering how they did it without the paint drying in the bowl. I already bought the paint by brush kind and I thought that would be a pain in the !Removed! but worthwhile in the longrun. Good things only come from hard work!!! ← G2 does a really good job. Mine looked good after 2 1/2 years when I traded in my car. If you think it might set up too soon, just mix half of the material and do two wheels. Then when you are ready, mix the other half.
Neo Posted October 27, 2005 Posted October 27, 2005 Thankx man I appreciate the advi. I was wondering how they did it without the paint drying in the bowl. I already bought the paint by brush kind and I thought that would be a pain in the !Removed! but worthwhile in the longrun. Good things only come from hard work!!! ← G2 does a really good job. Mine looked good after 2 1/2 years when I traded in my car. If you think it might set up too soon, just mix half of the material and do two wheels. Then when you are ready, mix the other half. ← This is what I'd do too if you cannot get all 4 wheels off the ground. As for brush vs spray, both are equally good and can be equally bad. I've heard stories both ways. I sprayed my rears and it is still holding up after 2+ years.
SKperformance Posted October 27, 2005 Posted October 27, 2005 Getting the right mix of both the epoxy resin and colour is hard as people i have know tried half and galf and the colours always come out different than they are suposed to.
Neo Posted October 27, 2005 Posted October 27, 2005 Getting the right mix of both the epoxy resin and colour is hard as people i have know tried half and galf and the colours always come out different than they are suposed to. ← This is one place where the spray has an advantage. ;) :D
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