painting the brake calipers

[PIMPnifico]

I've been thinking about painting the stock brake calipers red. I was at Pep Boys the other day and I came across the paint to do it. has anyone done this yet. If so, how did it work out? any problems afterwards? Any info is appreciated

[BBISHOPPCM]

I did mine last year. I used DupliColor caliper paint to do the calipers, and DupliColor ceramic engine paint for the drums.

The caliper paint kit is very easy to work with; it includes a can of paint, brush, and brake cleaner (to remove any dirt, oils, etc). Just clean the calipers and brush the paint on. Will take about 2 coats.

For the rear drums, I removed them first, cleaned with brake cleaner, and painted them with the spray-on engine paint. The results were phenomenal!

One year later, the drums are still perfect and rust-free, and the calipers have some chips (I'll touch them up in the spring).

Good luck!

[reyes1212]

how did you remove the drums??!?!?I WANTED TO DO THIS A WHILE AGO AS WELL!

[bulld0g]

how did you remove the drums??!?!?I WANTED TO DO THIS A WHILE AGO AS WELL!

remove the wheel....pull the drum off... you may have to give it a love tap though

[KimberKenobi]

Oooh, I smell a tutorial opportunity, Brandon!

[reyes1212]

do it

[nxpoweredsr20]

i have used both duplicolor caliper spray paint and brush on paint.....just clean them up with some carb cleaner and the spray paint works great.....no problems!!

[reyes1212]

is there a way to add paint to the calipers to make it sort of glossy

[BBISHOPPCM]

The paint is in itself glossy, and stands out very well. My car is silver with SL alloys, the red calipers look, how you say, schweeeeeeet.

The newer the car, the easier the drums pull off. I'm not sure of the correct size, but you will have to toss a bolt into the drum near the hub; this pulls the drum free as you thread the bolt into the hole. If the car has over 50,000 miles on the original rear brakes, this task becomes more difficult, as the braking surface of the drum develops a "lip"

[reyes1212]

What do you mean when you say, "toss a bolt?"

[BBISHOPPCM]

Brake drums have at least one pre-drilled, pre-tapped hole near the hub. This hole is designed to receive a bolt (not sure of the correct length or thread pitch). When you thread a bolt into the hole, it bottoms out against the hub; by forcing the bolt into the hole further, it literally forces the drum away from the hub. This is a safe way to remove a stuck brake drum. While cranking down on the bolt, you will want to use a plastic-tipped mallet around the perimeter of the brake drum to aid in breaking it free.

[reyes1212]

and there's no other way of removing it?