Caliper/Drum Painting
05-22-2005, 06:20 AM
#41
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Location: Los Angeles
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thank you so much!!!! 
I am thinking of doing mine red as well... but just have not got the time to do it... but now with your right up... I think I might knock it down next weekend!!
I am thinking of doing mine red as well... but just have not got the time to do it... but now with your right up... I think I might knock it down next weekend!!
06-24-2005, 06:32 PM
#43
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Miami, FL
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good tech thread, pharynx
I would add this: Brush painting with modern brushes and paints not meant for self-leveling will make for brush marks. However! There is an oriental brush called the "hake" brush, which is so soft and fine as to make no brush marks.
Sidebar: before the era of sprayed paints (roughly 1924, when the Oakland automobile introduced the Dupont system of sprayed nitro lacquer), all fine finishes were brushed. There were no brush marks in fine finishes because the varnish-paints were based on linseed oil. The oil content lubricated the liquid compound and made for perfect leveling
Today, as then, only a linseed oil varnish like Benjamin Moore 404 makes for great looking brushed results.
--Painting rear brake drums decreases braking performance. Paint insulates the drum; it cannot pass off heat nearly so well as bare cast iron.
--If you have rims and must paint the rear drums for better appearance, a -thin coat of black paint is best.
Brake drums convert kinetic (rubbing) energy to HEAT. Any film over the brake drum acts just like a blanket, slowing the conduction of heat to the air. Of painted colors, black is least harmful to heat transfer because black is the most "emissive" color.
White and other light colors like yellow and silver are least emissive. The darker the color and the thinner the coat, the better for drum brakes.
Paint thickness or color on calipers matters hardly at all, relatively speaking.
I would add this: Brush painting with modern brushes and paints not meant for self-leveling will make for brush marks. However! There is an oriental brush called the "hake" brush, which is so soft and fine as to make no brush marks.
Sidebar: before the era of sprayed paints (roughly 1924, when the Oakland automobile introduced the Dupont system of sprayed nitro lacquer), all fine finishes were brushed. There were no brush marks in fine finishes because the varnish-paints were based on linseed oil. The oil content lubricated the liquid compound and made for perfect leveling
Today, as then, only a linseed oil varnish like Benjamin Moore 404 makes for great looking brushed results.
--Painting rear brake drums decreases braking performance. Paint insulates the drum; it cannot pass off heat nearly so well as bare cast iron.
--If you have rims and must paint the rear drums for better appearance, a -thin coat of black paint is best.
Brake drums convert kinetic (rubbing) energy to HEAT. Any film over the brake drum acts just like a blanket, slowing the conduction of heat to the air. Of painted colors, black is least harmful to heat transfer because black is the most "emissive" color.
White and other light colors like yellow and silver are least emissive. The darker the color and the thinner the coat, the better for drum brakes.
Paint thickness or color on calipers matters hardly at all, relatively speaking.
06-24-2005, 06:58 PM
#44
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Miami, FL
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Originally Posted by hotbox05
I used engine enamel sprayed it in a cup and then used a brush to apply , now I gotta find some engine enamel in a bronze color.
Darren, engine enamel is "acylic enamel", is all. Acrylic enamels have 500F heat resistance. This is -not to say- that all pigment colors will do well on high heat applications. However, the binder of the acrylic enamel paint -is- up to the task.
Duplicolor!
11-23-2005, 06:35 PM
#50
Originally Posted by cingham
why would paint your drums? seriously....its really not a "perfomance part"....
Why paint the front if your not gonna paint the back plus I know its not done so it's enough impulse for me to paint the rears regardless of the fact that they do help you stop still and ur e-brake works thru them so yeah some paint for them is ok too.
01-11-2006, 06:35 PM
#53
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 13
painted my calipers
first of all wanted to say thanks to pharynx for posting the tutorial and giving me the idea... i stopped by autozone and saw the paint kit he was talking about. i also saw a can of similarly colored red paint and decided that i'd be more confident with my painting skills with the spraypaint.
it took a good few hours (three coats per caliper, and about 20 minutes between coats) to do all four, but for a first go i think i did a pretty good job. i can see some places where i missed and some areas that are uneven so i'm definaely going to repaint in a day or two.
i think that it definately improved the look of my car and i don't regret doing it. i know it's not the same as buying special performance calipers that come in powder-coated red metal. actually i was worred that the calipers would look cheap or they would come out crappy when i was done, but i really think that they look good and i'm glad i did it.
here are some pics of my job so far... oh, and of my new rims! :-)
btw this is my first picture post so sorry in advance if i mess up!
it took a good few hours (three coats per caliper, and about 20 minutes between coats) to do all four, but for a first go i think i did a pretty good job. i can see some places where i missed and some areas that are uneven so i'm definaely going to repaint in a day or two.
i think that it definately improved the look of my car and i don't regret doing it. i know it's not the same as buying special performance calipers that come in powder-coated red metal. actually i was worred that the calipers would look cheap or they would come out crappy when i was done, but i really think that they look good and i'm glad i did it.
here are some pics of my job so far... oh, and of my new rims! :-)
btw this is my first picture post so sorry in advance if i mess up!
03-11-2006, 12:50 AM
#55
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Scikotics
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Location: East St. Paul
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Looks good. I have had mine painted for 2 years now. Only problem is, after winter I have to re-do it. The sand and salt basically chips 50% of it off.
My drums and calipers have no rust though, so it not only looks good, but it protects the life of your brakes
My drums and calipers have no rust though, so it not only looks good, but it protects the life of your brakes
04-04-2006, 12:41 PM
#56
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Posts: 502
I'm planning on painting my calipers today. I bought the Duplicolor kit and it says right on the box under the WARNING section "DO NOT paint discs DRUMS brake pads or shoes. Now i was going to paint the drums regardless of all the chatter back and forth on here but now.....
The thing is i like my brakes and i want them to work. A little rust on my drums doesn't worry me since i learned they are cast iron. Iron is very strong and has a high melting point so a little rust aint gonna hurt em. Instead of painting them, which i didn't think looked that cool to begin with just doesn't make any sense now. I'm painting the calipers black so it should be obvious that i'm not trying to draw attention to my them, let alone the drums. I just want a slightly cleaner look if done right, goes un-noticed. I hate looking at those ugly calipers. Does anyone know where to find some good drilled/slotted rotors? Does anyone have a final word on painting drums?
The thing is i like my brakes and i want them to work. A little rust on my drums doesn't worry me since i learned they are cast iron. Iron is very strong and has a high melting point so a little rust aint gonna hurt em. Instead of painting them, which i didn't think looked that cool to begin with just doesn't make any sense now. I'm painting the calipers black so it should be obvious that i'm not trying to draw attention to my them, let alone the drums. I just want a slightly cleaner look if done right, goes un-noticed. I hate looking at those ugly calipers. Does anyone know where to find some good drilled/slotted rotors? Does anyone have a final word on painting drums?
06-11-2006, 09:47 PM
#58
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Scikotics
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I got rid of the red, it was on there for almost 2 years. But, I just found it to be too flashy, and kinda ricey....So they are black now.
Heres the pics:
This first one is Last fall, when they were red.
Heres the pics:
This first one is Last fall, when they were red.
07-09-2006, 02:35 AM
#60
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 140
Too Cool!
I just happened to scan this tutorial this morning. This afternoon I just happened to spot a Dupli-Color Caliper Paint Kit on sale for $6. I came home and in a couple of hours I had pretty red calipers (only). I went a little more subdued. I only painted the calipers and not the brackets. The box is only two weeks old so clean up wasn't a big issue. I nice spot of color without being terribly conspicuous. 4 coats and plenty of paint left for touch up down the road.
