Painting brake calipers
This one is really easy and to be honest I’m taking a quick break from the heavier articles to write this but it’s something I have been asked how to do a number of times by site visitors. If you have alloy wheels that are fairly open in design allowing you to easily see the brakes this is one of those little touches that just finish things off and show that you have given attention to detail. Calipers and drums can be painted and a good result can be achieved using any colour that goes with the car. You can colour coordinate with your car or use silver for almost any car. Whatever you do it will look better than standard corroded metal colour.
Cleaning
To start with you have to remove the wheel obviously and use a wire brush to remove any loose dust, dirt and rust from the caliper surfaces to be painted. Try and paint as much as possible of the caliper and remember not to paint the discs! Once you have wire brushed them clean, use sand paper to smooth the surfaces down as much as possible, brake calipers can get quite pitted with age so take your time and continue until you are happy with it. The surfaces don’t have to be perfect because the paint or spray tends to be quite thick in order to endure the heat of the brakes.
Degreasing
Once you have got the surfaces ready de-grease them thoroughly to remove any dust and leave to dry. For this I used a spray tin of de-greasant which I bought from a local motorist shop and is called "brake parts cleaner". It removes all the dirt and dust from the calipers. "White spirit" or paint remover or paint brush cleaner products available from DIY stores can also be used. Wipe the liquid over the caliper and leave to evaporate dry.
Masking
If the surfaces to be pained are quite intricate mask off any areas you don’t want to paint first. If you are using a spray you may prefer to dismantle and remove the caliper/drum first or at the very least mask off as above to prevent everything getting painted. Always make sure that moving parts such as pistons, rubber seals or bellows are covered and don't get painted. I use standard masking tape and old newspaper to cover large areas that need masking such as the shock absorbers.
Painting
For this I used a brand of durable outdoor paint that can be used in many applications and needs no primer (Hammerite smooth finish). Simply brush the paint on and leave to dry, repeat the coats until you are happy with the results and that’s it !! You can buy paints that are specifically for this purpose from car tuning shops and are heat proof and durable, i have heard mixed opinions of these products. They do work well but you can save money and get a cheaper multi-purpose diy paint for less cash and get the same result. Remember that the brake dust is deadly if you inhale it so be careful when preparing the calipers not to breathe any in. Be careful if you dismantel the brakes as well and make sure you know what you're doing beforehand, they're an extremely important safety item on your car ! If you're not sure exactly what you're doing then leave them assembled and paint them in place. That’s really all there is to it though, I reckon 1 hour should do the whole job ... sorted !
Pictures