I went out and bought some red spray paint from an auto shop near where I live, not sure if it's victory red like my car, but figured it wouldn't matter if it's not exactly the same color. I have an 05 and my calipers have never been cleaned. There's lots of dirt/break dust on them as you can imagine, which I can forsee as being hell to clean. Any suggestions on cleaning products/methods I should use? Also, I didn't want to have to remove the caliper from the rotor, I was planning on spray painting them while on the rotors and just covering the immediate area. Any suggestions for a person who's a newbie with this sort of thing?

 

You can buy brake cleaner at autostores. That would be the best bet. You might also want to sand down your calipers with 400 grit sandpaper.

 

Might want to consider using a caliper paint -- or even an engine paint. These withstand up to 500 degrees.

If you use normal paint the heat may burn it, mar it, or make it look darker.

 

sorry for the lack of detail- I bought red caliper paint!

would that require removing the caliper? What is the purpose of sanding the caliper down, to smooth it out? Thanks for the advice! (I just bought the vinyl cobalt lettering that goes on the calipers from the grafix website.. I'm hoping it will look good!

 

You can clean the caliper with it still attached to the car. And the point of sanding the metal is to smooth it out and help give the paint a better surface to adhear to.

 

dont sand it, waste of time. clean it, dry it, paint it. the surface is rough enough that the paint will stick good

 

I just finished mine today. My car was only a year old, but with New england's winter my rear calipers were pretty dirty. With a wire brush, 320grit sand paper, and a can of brake cleaner I got them nice and shiny. I got 2 cans of paint and put about 4-5 coats on each caliper. They came out great.

I would recommend sanding them but thats up to you.

What do you guys think about clear coating the calipers after painting? Is there any point?

 

For calipers needing a repaint, they should be sanded correct? Sorry for the thread jack. Figured it was easier than creating a whole new topic for one small question.

 

yeah you should sand them if your gonna repaint them.

 

Alright thanks. Also any specific grit?

 

a lower grit sandpaper like 300-400 grit.

 

Clear will help level the paint and should make them look better. Mine are cleared and the vinyl is under the clear.

 

those look really nice man! I like the cobalt vinyl- ordered from grafix.com? I think the only part i'm worried about is getting paint on the rotors/the area around the calipers..I guess the best way to avoid that is by covering the entire area really carefully. I'll definately have to sand the calipers as well as use the brake cleaner.. my coblat is an 05 and the calipers have NEVER been cleaned.. I was looking at them today and they don't seem like they're rusty, except for maybe the front calipers having a bit of rust on them. Just a lot of dust and dirt.. which will probably end up taking the longest once I do paint my calipers. I'm looking forward to painting them though, in my opinion it's probably one of the best looking modifications you can do to your car at a cheap $ cost! thanks for all the advice posted guys, really appreciate it!

 

Its going to be tough not to mask of the rotor with the caliper still on, but you should be able to do it. Personally, I took my calipers off. I think its better that way, I didnt want to risk getting paint on the pads or caliper pistons, so I took the pads out, taped up the pistons and ebrake. Then I masked off the entire wheel well area. I have pictures Ill post up when I get a chance.

what did you use for clear? My paint is perfectly smooth, but its been a couple days since I paint it but if I touch it with a little pressure I can put my finger prints in it still. Will that eventually harden? Or would a clear coat help that?

 

Friend of mine who owns a body shop did them, so I can't answer directly. It depends on your weather (temp & Humidity), what paint you used, etc. But it will harden with time. It can take a long time to fully harden, like 30 days in the poorest conditions. Sorry if that doesn't help much.

Clear coat is paint without the pigments. Ultimately it will dry also, but the hardner blend depends again on the weather...

 

Yah thats what I thought. I think Im going to get plasti-kote clear coat for engines. Seems like that would be the best option because it is high temp resistant. Im going to wait until my new brembo decals get here so I can clear over those.

 

driver's side front rotor



sorry this is the driver's side front rotor.. the previous picture is the passenger side front rotor!



new mats



just recently installed k&n intake

this is why my account name is 'ohshitz' ..unfortunately someone reported it and it's been gone for about 2 years

 

yeah i did my calipers well the front ones and thats just spraying them thats it cause i was in a hurry lol, but im about to re do them and this time sand them down, what grit should i start off with? and last time i used the red caliper paint and it does work pretty good as long as you build paint up lol, but i think im going to sand it down next to make it a ton better!!! but so my questions are.. what grit sand paper should i use? whats the best way to make it look the best?