I am getting new rotors and I thought I may as well paint the calipers to make them a bit more attractive.



1st. Is the process of painting calipers recommended.

2nd. If it is ok to do, what is the best type of paint to use?

3rd. Is there anyone who has done this that would like to offer up any suggestions or tips?





Thanks!



Tripp

Right on! https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683894.gif



Thanks!

Powder coating looks nice and is durable. It is a little pricey though...

I used testors model paint applied by brush. It holds up great.

Also, the VHT paint from the parts stores works well, comes in several colors.. I think I used some DupliColor Caliper paint. I didn't read the How-To, but when i did mine, I de-greased the caliper with brake cleaning fluid, then scrubbed it with simple green, then scuffed it slightly with steel wool..

I should have primered at this point, but..

I sprayed, then sanded the Mazda logo down so it was shiney, then clearcoated the whole thing to protect the bare part from rust - works perfect and now it sprays clean with each car wash.

Did you have to use high temp clear coat?

Does anyone have any links to the DIY powder coating products out there? I've never seen or done this myself. How do you protect the inside of the caliper from getting powder coated? Do you use clearcoat over powder coating?

Finally, is it possible to have two seperate colors on a powder coated object? For instance, powder coating the caliper black, but coating the mazda logo on it white.

yea i painted my calipers with high heat paint from autozone ur supposed to like heat it or something to cure it i didnt really and its holding up pretty well i did it last summer





this is the best pic i could find

oh yea and also although the letters are a little blurry there, instead of painting the mazda letters white u could do what i did and take a metal file then some fine grit sant paper and polish them i like the way it comes out

I just got done painting mine. I will post pics as soon as I put em on my computer. I used some kit from a local import shop.

use brake cleaner, no need for simple green or water.



eastwood sells a nice self leveling paint you brush on



brush on=no masking or overspray

but if u spray u can do several thin layers and it will last longer. u can do layers with brushing but a lot less it might wind up shipping sooner

Ok, I have found 2 types of high heat auto paint. One says it is good up to 500degrees. The other is good to 1200 degrees. Is the 500 degree good enough? (That has a better color selection)

the product is sold by eastwood



they only sell the highest quality products, im sure its a good product



not too mention the key thing about it- its a 2 part paint that

relies on a chemical curing process, versus aerosol products that

technically never fully cure as they rely on air only.



I will always go for a chemical cure.

But for someone that's interested in a 'Hey, I'm bored' job, the 500 deg Hi-temp paint works great.

And yes, I used a high-temp clearcoat.

Rob noted that water and simple green are not necessary, but I found that the additional scrubbing actually lifted some

more grime from the painting surface.

MazdaMike said to use a 'metal file' to expose the Mazda logo in bare metal, I think that may be a bit agressive -

stick to sandpaper. You wouldn't want to over-file the corners of the raised logo or anything. If it's going too slow, plug in

the orbital sander or use a low grit paper. You can put some strips of masking tape around the Mazda logo to protect the

caliper, then just be careful not to burn through them with the sanding. If you move from a coarse paper to a finer

paper, you should be able to achieve a shiny finish. I decided that a chrome-polish was not necessary, and left the logo

a little rough - it has a brushed look now. Clear coat the whole thing to prevent rust and facilitate cleaning and you're done!



Oh, and just a note - try to avoid spraying the interior of the

caliper, especially the piston seals. While the parts are fairly durable, they can be damaged and then would require rebuilding.

i'm planning on painting fikse's calipers.....what color will go better, blue or black?

The blue won't even be close to matching - I liked the black look. They don't stand out, but when people notice them (especially with the polished raised MAZDA logo), they're always saying 'Hey, Look at that!'

Better than a stand-out part, in my opinion.

damn ur persuasive...... black it is

I recommend hitting the calipers with a wire brush, preferrably attached to a drill. Not too necessary with new calipers but for older calipers it's invaluable. I did that and ended up just clear coating them because the polished metal looked so good.



Also, I'll second the chemical cure thing. Aerosol...ugh.



Redwood

Brake cleaner, scotch brite, brake cleaner, The Caliper Paint (pep boys), tape off rubber stuff & brake line holes, Spray caliper. Did 3 different coats.



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