aldive
Elite In Memoriam
- Joined
- January 17, 2001
- Messages
- 24,667
- Reaction score
- 28
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1999 XLT
A project that has been simmering on the back burner for quite some time finally got my attention – painting the brake calipers.
After considerable research and questioning people with painted calipers, I decided to use Dupli Color Brake Caliper Paint ( http://www.duplicolor.com/products/caliper.html . This ceramic-based, brush-on paint is designed to withstand temperatures up to 500 degrees (intermittent).
I purchased my kit at Advanced Auto Parts for $17.06 including tax. I chose the red color ( personal preference ).
The kit includes everything you need to paint the brake calipers: Caliper Cleaner, Caliper Paint, stir stick, paint brush, masking tape and complete instruction book. The kit includes enough to paint four calipers.
I chose to do the front two calipers and then do the rears the following day.
The first step is to chock the rear wheels, jack up the truck and securely place jack stands. My air impact wrench made the wheel removal a snap.
I used an air blow gun to remove any brake dust and loose crud from the rotors. This was followed with a through blasting with Brake Parts Cleaner ( I placed a catch pan under the rotor to catch any dripping solvent ). Now the Caliper Cleaner ( supplied with the kit ) is sprayed all over the area to be painted; a small wire brush and an old toothbrush is used to thoroughly clean the caliper. The next step is the masking off the areas around the caliper that is not to be painted. The brake bleeder is masked as well.
The paint was thoroughly mixed and the caliper was then painted with the included brush, A second coat was applied after 30 minutes ( and must be applied within 1 hour or after 5 days [ per instructions ] ). This pain dries very fast.
I let the calipers dry for 6 hours and then reinstalled the wheels. I did not drive the truck for 12 hours.
Even though I have the stock tear drop wheels, the red paint on the calipers shows somewhat. The calipers would look much better through a more open wheel.
After considerable research and questioning people with painted calipers, I decided to use Dupli Color Brake Caliper Paint ( http://www.duplicolor.com/products/caliper.html . This ceramic-based, brush-on paint is designed to withstand temperatures up to 500 degrees (intermittent).
I purchased my kit at Advanced Auto Parts for $17.06 including tax. I chose the red color ( personal preference ).
The kit includes everything you need to paint the brake calipers: Caliper Cleaner, Caliper Paint, stir stick, paint brush, masking tape and complete instruction book. The kit includes enough to paint four calipers.
I chose to do the front two calipers and then do the rears the following day.
The first step is to chock the rear wheels, jack up the truck and securely place jack stands. My air impact wrench made the wheel removal a snap.
I used an air blow gun to remove any brake dust and loose crud from the rotors. This was followed with a through blasting with Brake Parts Cleaner ( I placed a catch pan under the rotor to catch any dripping solvent ). Now the Caliper Cleaner ( supplied with the kit ) is sprayed all over the area to be painted; a small wire brush and an old toothbrush is used to thoroughly clean the caliper. The next step is the masking off the areas around the caliper that is not to be painted. The brake bleeder is masked as well.
The paint was thoroughly mixed and the caliper was then painted with the included brush, A second coat was applied after 30 minutes ( and must be applied within 1 hour or after 5 days [ per instructions ] ). This pain dries very fast.
I let the calipers dry for 6 hours and then reinstalled the wheels. I did not drive the truck for 12 hours.
Even though I have the stock tear drop wheels, the red paint on the calipers shows somewhat. The calipers would look much better through a more open wheel.
It is a nice project to help keep your truck looking good... I can't stand rust (it just makes my skin crawl)... Prep work is the key to a long lasting quality job. I cleaned my calipers with brake cleaner, and then sandBlasted them to remove all rust (then washed them in dish soap).. The side benefit of sandblasting is that it etches the surface and gives the paint (or coating) your using something to grab hold off (sort of like velcro).. 
