Painting brake caliper

[Donald]

Goldline Brakes uses a polymer coating to paint or coat calipers. Is that something a shade tree mechanic can do?

When people paint or powder coat or epoxy coat brake calipers do they avoid the area where the SS clips go as you don't want any added thickness of the paint or coating layer there?

 

[Vercingetorix]

https://por15.com/products/caliper-...-QUugH9b8v0LLy2LmEG5Uz5zHb4EvRH6CN_uIWJvo1Gq1

 

[KrisZ]

Normal enamel paint has always worked great for me. And yes, you don't paint over the machined surfaces, only the rough cast iron portions

 

[Kestas]

I painted the calipers on my 71 Cutlass 35 years ago with primer and Rustoleum paint. It's still holding up very well.

 

[dfarr67]

VHT caliper paint, I'm starting to use it for everything.

 

[Donald]

VHT caliper paint, I'm starting to use it for everything.

Now the question is what color? My F250 is not a Porsche.

 

[dfarr67]

Now the question is what color? My F250 is not a Porsche.

Always black.....

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

White so you can see the leaks or issues better

 

[D1dad]

https://por15.com/products/caliper-...-QUugH9b8v0LLy2LmEG5Uz5zHb4EvRH6CN_uIWJvo1Gq1

I just bought a can of this paint off amazon, not the whole kit. Wire brushed, sprayed with brake cleaner and brushed it on. No clearcoat, nothing, and yes I painted everything, even where the clips set. 4 yrs later and it still looks good. Next brake job I may do some touch up but it doesn’t really need it badly.

 

[Carmudgeon]

Silver. A bit of pop, without the suggestion of trying to be something they're not.

Also like a factory-fresh caliper that better resists brake dust, and won't darken over time.

I've used the Rustoleum product, after a rebuild, with good results, but it seems they've discontinued the silver.

As with any paint job, good prep yields the best results.

 

[Carlostrece]

Years ago... I rattle can painted the publicly seen (non friction) areas of my Jeep's brake pads bright red using high temp enamel engine paint. It might have been Duplicolor brand. It looked good and held up fine.

It'd probably also work on calipers.

 

[dfarr67]

Last year I rebuilt a set of old Toyota calipers, cleaned best I could manually then left them overnight submerged in some rust treatment- very impressed.

 

[VWRand]

I use one called G2 Caliper Paint.

It is a two component epoxy that brushes on. Cant see the brush marks once it dries. Only issue is that as a two component, you have to use it all in one application, so can't go back and touch it up the next day. You can buy it at Tire Rack

https://g2usa.com/

 

[blkwtr]

I've never painted my brake calipers and don't understand the purpose of doing so. My RCF came with orange colored calipers so I guess some people would like a different color.

 

[KrisZ]

I've never painted my brake calipers and don't understand the purpose of doing so. My RCF came with orange colored calipers so I guess some people would like a different color.

It’s to prevent them rust and have the calipers looking more presentable through the aluminum wheel spokes.
Places that don’t see regular snow and salt on the roads can have bare carpets looking new for years, but when salt is involved, the calipers will start rusting after just one winter.

 

[Donald]

I use one called G2 Caliper Paint.

It is a two component epoxy that brushes on. Cant see the brush marks once it dries. Only issue is that as a two component, you have to use it all in one application, so can't go back and touch it up the next day. You can buy it at Tire Rack

https://g2usa.com/

So if I want to do one caliper one day and the other caliper a day later?

 

[Donald]

Last year I rebuilt a set of old Toyota calipers, cleaned best I could manually then left them overnight submerged in some rust treatment- very impressed.

EvapoRust?

 

[repairman54]

I use silver wheel rattle can paint for the OEM look. I'm not auto crossing to get the caliper hot enough to need expensive caliper paint.
Cardboard to block overspray when doing tire rotation touch ups.

 

[Donald]

Some of the caliper paint is getting up there in cost. Close to $70. That's for 4 calipers worth of paint. At least they say enough for 4 calipers.

Personally I would do them one by one as I change pads. Although for any axle I would change them hours or a day apart.

Not going to put a vehicle on jack stands just to pull all the calipers and paint.

I use silver wheel rattle can paint for the OEM look. I'm not auto crossing to get the caliper hot enough to need expensive caliper paint.
Cardboard to block overspray when doing tire rotation touch ups.

Same paint used to paint rusty "steely" rims to look like alloy rims. Come on. We know you do!

 

[KevinMalone]

I use silver wheel rattle can paint for the OEM look. I'm not auto crossing to get the caliper hot enough to need expensive caliper paint.
Cardboard to block overspray when doing tire rotation touch ups.

How long has it been? I painted calipers with VHT Engine Enamel (550F) before and they started flaking off after a few years.

If someone only wants basic colors like silver or black, I've had very good success with Rustoleum High Heat paint that is intended for BBQs (1200F). VHT Caliper paint is 900F for comparison

https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/specialty/high-heat-spray

I can't be arsed the paint calipers anymore though. And it's no fun putting the anti-rattle clips back on without scratching the paint.