painting calipers question

[Mattsclio!]

i wanna paint my calipers,is it just a case of taking the wheel off and painting them or is it more difficult than that,like taking the brakes apart etc?cheers guys!

 

[Chris1.4RT]

Depends on how good a job you are looking for. Ideally you take the bits off, wire brush them and brake-cleaner them then paint and replace.

Or you could do a bit of a bodge job like myself. Still looks good enough.

All I did was wire brush them, wash them and paint the visible bits (while brakes still assembled).

I used Hammerite Smooth, silver. About £6 per small pot at B and Q.

 

[Mattsclio!]

sweet cheers mate, when you say wirebrush them, you mean?soz im thick!lol

 

[Chris1.4RT]

A wire brush is exactly that.

A brush with hard, sharp metal prongs rather than hairs.

If you go over the caliper with a wire brush like you would brushing your teeth (with a toothbrush mind!) you get rid of all the rust and crap. Most hardware stores should sell them for a few quid.

 

[spike]

i used brake-cleaner wire brush and soapy water to clean them up with brakes still assembled .
i also used Hammerite Smooth (red )put two coats of paint for deap color

job done

 

[mr.k 16v]

what does the finish look like.is it smooth?basicly what im sayin is that it dont look like a 3 year old has done the job.

 

[DennisV6]

Make sure you clean them well mate, otherwise the paint wont stick.

For a good job its all in the preperation really, If you want them took look good then after wire brushing give them a rub down with sandpaper to rough the surface up.

Just dont rush it.

You could get sh*t results if you do.

Hand painted by myself.

 

[GarethM]

no it wont look like a 3yr old has done it, if you paint them carefully.

 

[spike]

what does the finish look like.is it smooth?basicly what im sayin is that it dont look like a 3 year old has done the job.

if you clean them up well and take your time painting you should have a nice smooth finish

 

[Blue4Ever]

It's easy mate. If I can do it anyone can. Like said a wire brush (like pictured above is needed. I brushed each one for about 10-15 minutes. Be as hard as you like with the brush they are sturdy parts. It all depends how long you have got to do them. If you want them all done in a day (like me) Then just paint them after wire brushing. If you can afford to do one a day, then go mad with prep work, use brake cleaner sand paper and what have you but bear in mind you need this to dry before you can paint or the paint wont stick well and the finish will be poor. You need to mask up the whole brake disc, including the outside edges and you'll need some thin (about 1cm) strips of paper to put along the top of the disc where it goes behind the calliper (this will become clear when you actually do it). You also would be best covering the arches with newspaper and the surrounding pannels of the cars body. I didn't bother with the latter, you do get bits of overspray that will drift about and land on random parts of your car but they will come off after your first wash and if not, definately will with clay.

My tip would be to use the hammerite smooth spray (it's designed to be applied straight to rusty metal). It's quicker drying, meaning you can do more coats quicker (I did 4 coats on mine, to be on the safe side!) You also, in my opinion, get a better finish with the spray having seen some done by hand.

Another tip is while the wheel is off it gives you a good opportunity to give the arches and that a good clean, and also the inside of the wheels. If I was you I'd clean the wheels while waiting for coats to dry. Also if you can use a trolley jack it's obviously much better and safer and remember to loosen the nuts off both wheels before you jack up and then you can do two wheels at once saving time.

Here's my results.

 

[Guy]

am in the process of painting the calipers on the fto

ive just removed the disc and then painting all that i can see of the caliper. then putting new discs and pads back in.

should be ok, doing about 3 coats of hammerite smooth finish.

 

[Mattsclio!]

cheers for the help everyone,will start this next week!

 

[ant]

so how hard is it to remove the caliper?

 

[Guy]

easy

but rebleeding the brakes is the annoying bit.

 

[Guy]

easy

but rebleeding the brakes is the annoying bit.

 

[Guy]

easy

but rebleeding the brakes is the annoying bit.

 

[ant]

it must be!! echo..echo..echo

 

[Fred@BTM]

2 x 18mm bolts

 

[ant]

can i take them off without having to bleed the brakes tho?

[excuse my ignorance in this matter!]

 

[Guy]

you can remove them from there mounting.. but cant remove them from the arch area or owt.. can move them and rest them on an axle stand and paint them there, being careful not to wreck the flexies.

dont paint over the bleed nipple!!

 

[damo 182]

Yo, new guy here, just bought a silver 182 with tinted windows and am planning to paint the callipers but not sure what colour would look best. appreciate any advice, cheers.