Painting Brake Calipers...
#13
Originally Posted by Rob x-7' date='Jan 19 2004, 10:15 AM
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
eastwood sells a nice self leveling paint you brush on
brush on=no masking or overspray
#14
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)
#15
Originally Posted by MazdaMike' date='Jan 20 2004, 03:15 PM
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
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.
#16
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.
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.
#18
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.
Better than a stand-out part, in my opinion.
#19
Originally Posted by Sinful7' date='Jan 25 2004, 07:34 PM
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.
Better than a stand-out part, in my opinion.
#20
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
Also, I'll second the chemical cure thing. Aerosol...ugh.
Redwood