So I am replacing all 4 calipers with reman units. Should I paint them or not. Does it look goofy on stock brakes? Here is my 17" wheel setup. If so what color?
TX Opie it is an 87 and thanks for the kind words on my car. I like that idea on powder coating. I did some google research on that and the outcome would look really cool. Was thinking of keeping a darker color (shows less dirt). I kind of like the looks of this color combo. Super Chrome and what ever that red is. This color is just for the calipers and not for the rims. The rims are staying as is. I called a local powder shop and it would be about $175 for just one stock color that they have available and he said that to go the route that was suggested would be around $450 or so. I think keeping it below $200 is more my range. Can it be done as you thought for that price? .
Regards, David
[This message has been edited by TheDave (edited 03-05-2015).]
I painted mine just to keep the steel (or is it iron?) parts from developing surface rust. I've seen some remans which turned rusty in a shockingly quick time, but that probably depends on who rebuilt them and what kind of rust preventative they got, if any.
Mine have the stock GT 15" wheels so the painted calipers are only barely visible. Its an '88 if it matters.
I painted mine just to keep the steel (or is it iron?) parts from developing surface rust. I've seen some remans which turned rusty in a shockingly quick time, but that probably depends on who rebuilt them and what kind of rust preventative they got, if any.
Mine have the stock GT 15" wheels so the painted calipers are only barely visible. Its an '88 if it matters.
The stock calipers should be aluminum, so rust isn't really an issue, though they can get the oxidized layer after a while and start looking nasty. Paint really helps with that.
Just do black, or even just a high temp clear, if you're worried about them standing out too much with stock brakes. A non-gloss black will keep them low key.
Will powder coating hold up on brake calipers? I know special caliper paint is usually ceramic based and can handle up to 1200 degrees or so. Powder coating is just plastic, and melts at 300 degrees.
I don't trust reman units and have had many defective ones. You run the risk of being out of warranty if you paint them. That is the main concern I have.
I bought the cheapest red metal paint (a knockoff of Rustoleum) that I could find at either Home Depot or Rona, and it's been fine for five years on the aluminum calipers on my '84 (and '86 GT). A year ago I used the same paint on the steel calipers of my '88 Formula... same measure of success. No rust. All I did to prepare the calipers for paint was to apply acetone with an old toothbrush and wipe them down. It's not spray paint, it was brushed on (two coats). Maybe that's the secret.
Someone "warned" me that this paint wouldn't stand up to the heat generated by the brakes. Four years of autocross with the '84 and one year of autocross with the '88 have proven otherwise.
It's called Armor Coat, and the (just under) 1L can at Canadian Tire is currently priced at $8.99... quite a bit cheaper I believe than other rust paints. No primer is necessary, and it's held up very well. I used "Fire Red" on the calipers, and after painting 12 of them, I still have half a can of paint left.
Will powder coating hold up on brake calipers? I know special caliper paint is usually ceramic based and can handle up to 1200 degrees or so. Powder coating is just plastic, and melts at 300 degrees.
Powder coating is just finely ground powder. There are powders for high temp applications, even on headers. http://hp-powdercoatings.com/
Unless your driving competitively, your calipers dont get hot enough for high heat paint. I painted mine for years with Krylon or Rustoleum spray cans and lasted just fine for several years. I did one set on one of my Corvettes with Caliper Paint, and it didnt last any better and was much more of a hassle to do. They needed like 10 coats to cover, where spray can did it easily in one or two.
I used hi-temp paint in a can and brushed it on the calipers with an artist brush. I did it with the wheels nd brakes on the car. It has beenabout 5 years ago. I touch them up every so often. Worked great.
Unless your driving competitively, your calipers dont get hot enough for high heat paint. I painted mine for years with Krylon or Rustoleum spray cans and lasted just fine for several years. I did one set on one of my Corvettes with Caliper Paint, and it didnt last any better and was much more of a hassle to do. They needed like 10 coats to cover, where spray can did it easily in one or two.
You mean the brush-on caliper paint kit? Yeah, that is crap. Avoid that.
The VHT High Temp Caliper Paint in a spray can works well though. I haven't painted any calipers with it yet, but I've painted an intake and a valve cover using it, and it works great. Just needs a couple of coats like any normal spray.
And for the calipers getting hot, yeah, the calipers themselves aren't going to get too terribly hot, even if you track the car. The rotors and pads are where the heat is, and the pads don't have a decent contact patch with the caliper body to heat them up. If your calipers are hitting 1200F, you will need to be worrying more about being able to stop, than whether the paint or powdercoat is going to burn off, since the fluid will basically be vaporized inside the calipers at that point.
My motorhome has some problems on long, twisty, hilly back roads. The power brakes booster is operated from the power steering pump. It get a workout on one of those roads and the master cylinder overheats causing the front brakes to be a little erratic. Im going to put an aftermarket trans cooler in the steering hose line that I hope fixes it. I already wrapped the master cylinder with heat wrap. Its fine on highways or city drives.
My motorhome has some problems on long, twisty, hilly back roads. The power brakes booster is operated from the power steering pump. It get a workout on one of those roads and the master cylinder overheats causing the front brakes to be a little erratic. Im going to put an aftermarket trans cooler in the steering hose line that I hope fixes it. I already wrapped the master cylinder with heat wrap. Its fine on highways or city drives.
I've had motorhomes pull off the interstate and merge in front of me before, and their brakes were so hot I could smell them. Had to let one know a few months ago, because I don't think the people inside it knew their brakes were overheating.
This happens to me when I even barely use the brakes at all. I use the gears a lot to control speed too. It seems to be caused more from the constant steering than using the brakes. The calipers dont get overly hot, its the master cylinder. First time it did it, the fluid in the MC was even boiling and overflowed when I took off the cap. Its a truck P30 chassis and dealers tell me its not unusual with the type of booster. I can go 500 miles on the freeway, or across the city on surface streets with no problem at all.
This happens to me when I even barely use the brakes at all. I use the gears a lot to control speed too. It seems to be caused more from the constant steering than using the brakes. The calipers dont get overly hot, its the master cylinder. First time it did it, the fluid in the MC was even boiling and overflowed when I took off the cap. Its a truck P30 chassis and dealers tell me its not unusual with the type of booster. I can go 500 miles on the freeway, or across the city on surface streets with no problem at all.
something is very very wrong if a hydra boost is getting so hot that the master is getting that hot.. find another dealer, cause that one eck..
Here is my stock brakes painted on an '86 GT. Sorry I don't have the best shot of them. The wheels are older 15" ASA JS7s running the stock Fiero GT tire sizes.
What I did instead of painting the entire caliper was just paint the "face" of it. Since unless you're REALLY up on it you can't really see much behind the caliper anyway, it made sense just to mask as deep as I needed to go, then spray away. I cleaned the outer face of the caliper really well with a scrub brush and then put five coats of DupliColor Red Caliper Paint.
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It's not spray paint, it was brushed on (two coats). Maybe that's the secret.
