Caliper painting process

[ron]

I plan to paint those drab calipers on my silver vert. a Vette red color. I would like some suggestion/s on how to mask the raised CORVETTE logo on the caliper. Masking tape looks like a "labor of love". and I'm not sure if I want to simply paint over the letters then sand the excess paint off or to attempt to cover them with a removable substance (such as Vasoline) no wisecracks needed here- and simply wipe it off after painting. Also, what has been the better choice, brush or spray? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks


Ron

 

[bluecoupe]

If you only want red calipers then buy new Z06 calipers (or used or take-offs) and sell yours on ebay. IMHO Unless you want a different color besides red it's not worth the time and trouble to paint them youself.

 

[maxm]

I don´t agre with bluecoupe.....

Take the calipers of, do not disconekt the breakhose. Clean them and let them dry. Paint them with a bruch. Don´t bather painting the inside, you will not see it. Paint over the Corvette word. Wen the color is dry take it off with a knife or a screwdriver. It´s a 1 houer jobb and looks great.
Max

 

[Wamp]

mask them

Put masking tape over letters and cut around it with razor blade. I don't have the corvette lettering on mine but I did mask my rotors so I could paint the centers. I suggest the brush for calipers, it won't run as easy, two coats and they look sharp, will post pics later.

 

[Tripleblack51]

Ron,

A buddy of mine helped me paint my calipers about two years ago.

We:

1) Jacked up the car. (We did one side at a time)
By the way, you can buy a 5000 Lb jack at Wally World for
about $40.00
2) Removed the wheel
3) Masked/taped off the wheel well, rotor and the brake pad.
4) Sprayed the caliper with Rustoleum "Sunrise Red". We used a blow dryer to speed up the drying and gave each caliper three coats.
We spent several hours on the job, but it turned out great.
I would advise you to take your time.
5) Wait till the paint is good and dry then use sandpaper or a file and simply sand the paint off the "corvette" letters.

My calipers still look great!!

Good luck.

Pedro

 

[magredc5]

I brushed my calipers with the caliper paint I got from Ecklers.
I then sanded off the "Corvette" with my Makita 4" sander to a shiny finish.:cool

 

[ron]

painting calipers

Thanks to all for the advice. I wasn't sure if I sanded the Corvette letters after painting they might rust if they had a protective coating from the factory. It sounds as though all of you who responded had positive results, so I will give it a go in the next couple of weeks.

Ron

 

[Dragonslayer]

I did just the opposite. I painted the letters bright red and left the rest of the caliper alone. Looks pretty good. That's just my opiion.


:J :booty :Twist

 

[Golf Man]

Sun Rise Red Rust Oleum and a brush. It's a lot easier to use then hardened paint. I also painted the brackets with Aluminum color Rust Oleum. Sand the letters and then spray/brush on high temp. laquor to prevent rusting. I painted mine approx. 1 year ago and they still look great..........

 

[Owin]

I don't want to hi-jack this thread, but ...

what is the best way of cleaning the calipers. Just got a new car (Not a corvette :cry I hasten to add) which has red calipers. How do you guys and girls keep 'em clean and shiny?

 

[tah81]

I just painted my calipers last month. Used Rustoleum Safety Red and brushed it on. For the letters I painted over them but wiped it off before it dried with a rag damp with paint thinner. Worked great because the letters are raised high enough that it is easy to wipe them off. Used a black paint pen on the letters to give it a different look. Here is a picture although not as clear as I would like it but you can get the idea.

As for cleaning, normal car wash should work if you keep up on it. If they are grungy then using a degreaser/cleaner like Simple Green or Greased Lightening should work. I would stay away from brake cleaner as it may be too harsh.

 

[erenneckar]

An old painters trick... apply petrolum jelly to the part that you don't want painted. Then when your paint is dry, wipe away the jelly. Don't forget to wave!

 

[MM-C5]

Sprayed the caliper with Rustoleum "Sunrise Red".

I see a couple of you used Rustoleum, VS the epoxey. Looks like this would be a lot less expensive and could open the door for several colors.

What did you do for the prep clean and is there a need to buy heat resistant paint?

Thanks.

Tom

 

[lg78VETTE]

I have a78 silver anniversary and recently purchased a98torch red beauty.I am going to clean the wheels and detail including painting the claipers.Do the lug nuts have to be torqued and to what lbs?Is there anything else i should know about taking the wheels off and putting on?

 

[vettedream1]

I also used Rustoleum "sunrise Red" and after it dried just scrapped the letters with a razor blade and the paint came right off. Looks great with no problems. just make sure you prep the surface good and clean 1st with brake cleaner then with alcohol.

 

[tah81]

Lug nuts are set at 100 ft lbs. Best to tighten to 50, then 75, then 100 with the torque wrench. I cleaned my prior to painting by spraying with brake cleaner and then using a cleaner/degreaser with a toothbrush followed by rinsing with clean water. Time consuming but easy to do and beats paying someone else to do it. Tom.

 

[CSDMagred01]

I did my calipers and hubs over a year ago and they still look great. I used GM Mag Red touch up spray paint to match the car. I used a high temp silver undercoat then a 2 layer color top coat. I took a weekend to do it, masking off and cleaning the hubs and calipers. I also covered the rest of the car with plastic which was probably overkill, but I'm not real good with paint. I also painted over the lettering then scraped them with an exacto knife.

A neighbor with a black coupe saw the car, came over and told me he wanted to do his but was quoted $300 to paint his calipers red at a local body shop. I told him we could do it fast and cheap.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/devitocs/Corvette/Front_brakes.jpg

 

[bluecoupe]

That looks awesome.