I want to get my calipers painted, but i dont want to paint them myself because they dont always come out looking great. I have heard of people having their calipers powdercoated. Is this possible? Whats the best way to professionaly color your calipers?

 

I used G2 Caliper Paint. It comes in a whole variety of colors and is pretty inexpensive. I did them in place on the car with just removing the wheels with two coats and have a nice high gloss finish. I would recommend G2. For an added effect, you can add JVC Graphics. The come in "NISSAN" for the front and "350Z" for the rear. Mine are painted black with silver graphics. Looks pretty sweet. I don't have any pics here, but I will try to post some tomorrow.

 

Sorry, JVD Graphics. You can do a search for that name on this forum to order.

 

so you painted your calipers on your car? what about overspray? how did you get all of the caliper painted? pics if you get achance would be great........i really want to paint mine as well but dont want to pull them from the car if i dont have to. id like to hear how you did it!

-justin

 

Definately get the G2 paint from tirerack.com, $40 shipped.

Very easy to do, I was able to put 3 coats on all 4 calipers.

The good part is you don't have to take them off. You paint them while there still on the rotor. But you need to mask everything else with masking tape and newspaper or whatever else you have to mask with.

It took me about 3 hours to do, I just removed all 4 wheels, cleaned the calipers with the supllied brake cleaner, mixed the paint and started painted. The only think I did extra was buy better brushes. The one they give is not that good. GL!

 

Web site for JVC Graphics? Be much appreciated!

Major

 

myz8a4re,

You paint them with a brush. It isn't an aerosol. There is an aerosol degreaser that comes with the kit so you can clean the calipers prior to painting. It took me about three hours as well. Clean the calipers, mask everything off, then paint them. I did three coats. Came out very nice. The only thing about this paint is its a two part mix, like most paints, but you only have a few hours to use it. There's no "letting it sit, and adding coats later". It will set up and harden. By the time you finish going around the car the first time, it will be set up enough to start the second coat. I think you will be happy with it.

For the JVD Graphics: PM the name "JVD Graphics" on this forum and he will reply with the instrustions to order. If you have a paypal account, its pretty quick. It only took a few days and I had mine in the mail.

Good Luck.

 

painted calipers look great but sometimes come out looking alittle bumpy. I was wondering if there is any other way to have the calipers colored so they look perfect.

 

I have a nice smooth finish that looks every bit as good as my friends calipers from Stop Tech. If you don't like them, you can always trip it back off and it wouldn't cost you much. I've worked with powder coating many times in the past but I am not sure whether it would hold up to the temperatures generated by the friction. Look at it this way: Its worth 3 or 4 hours of your time and $40.00 out of your pocket to see if you like it rather then spending $4500.00 for a big brake kit. Just my $.02.

 

To answer your questions directly, YES - powder coating is an option to finishing calipers. It is definitely more expensive to do so because of the labor involved to completely disassemble the caliper so it will go into the oven to bake the powder. All rubber and separate pieces need to be stripped off the caliper before powder coating. Sliding surfaces and mating surfaces to the pads and hardware (including hole bores) must be masked off. The finish of the powdercoat is no better or worse than using the G2 paint in my opinion. Your concerns about calipers "not looking great" mostly hinge on the quality of the surface of the caliper before painting. Brembo and Porsche calipers are usually smooth and nicely finished. Most OEM calipers have the as-cast, rough finish on them and they will look 'bumpy' after painting unless you go to the extra expense and trouble of grinding them smooth before using G2 paint or powder coating. Proper preparation of the caliper surface pays off in the finished caliper no matter what brand caliper you choose to finish! Using paint or powder coating both yield show finishes when done properly. Durability is about the same, as extended use at the track will impart brake temperatures that will 'burn off' or discolor caliper finishes no matter whether painted or powder coated.
HTH and GL on whatever method you choose. I would personally suggest as tommy does and try painting using the G2 system yourself. It is considerably less expensive, though involving a lot of prep work and time to do right!

 

great info everyone, thanx. i didnt realize at 1st that it was applied with a brush, now it makes sense....im going to order this G2 kit & give it a whirl.........are these JVD decals special in any way to handle heat or just regular vinyl graphics?

thanx,
-justin

 

The JVD Graphics are heat resistent. He said they had been tested, so they will stand up to wear and washes.

Here are some images of the front and rear calipers with the wheels installed:

 

rear:

 

Sorry, those labels are reversed. NISSAN is on the front and 350Z are on the rear. Its too early to be doing this...

I think, if I can remember correctly, the graphics come in white, black, red or silver. He may have expended that by now.

Good Luck

 

I also painted with the G2 kit. It works great!
Very high gloss finish... i had a lil bumps.. but can't really tell unless you are 5 inches from it...

I did break my back cleaning all those caliper...

didn't know about the JVD graphics... now it will be complete!

thanks for the info!!!

 

do you guys think that if you prime the calipers really well that maybe they won't appear as bumpy?

Or is the primer gonna burn off with the friction?

 

Literally just finished painting mine 30 minutes ago. Took me about four hours...but I'm ****. I used VHT brake caliper, drum and rotor paint. It's rated up to 900 F and is a spray. Auto Zone carries it and so do many other auto shops. One can will get you 3+ coats on all four and costs about $4.00...not $40.00!

I think the "bumpy" you refer to is already in the casting of the stock calipers. I took the time to clean, sand, and clean again with everyday brake cleaner, and the "bumps" are in the metal...not the finish.

 

I just saw the VHT on the net a few seconds ago.

Can you post some pics of the finished product?

I'm installing my cross drilled rotors, new pads, and painting the calipers all in one shot.

I just want to make sure that the paint is nice and glossy like the ferrari ones.

I hope it looks good.

 

These are mine with the VHT paint from Duplicolor. Good up to 1200F and the more heat the better as the paint cures at the higher temperatures. Check the pictures for how mine came out.

 

only thing I would differ with you about is disassembly. The rubber parts don't have to come off, as they are subjected to heat that can be much higher than the 400 degree curing temperature when you are on the racetrack. I didn't totally disassemble my brembos when I powdercoated them, just masked off the rubber portions.