splintrcel
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I have chrome rims on my 2001 Eddie Bauer Expedition which really draw attention due to the shine they can give off. If you look past the rims you see a massive rusty chunk of steel that is the brake caliper. I decided i would make the rims look way nicer by accenting it with red brake calipers. To do this you have to carefully prepare the calipers so you can make them look better than new. This is a involved project potentially so give your self ample time to work on it. I spent many hours working on this project but the pay out I think is worth it. Here is how I did it:
Step One:
Buy Caliper Paint. I used the paint on ceramic red paint from Duplicolor. It comes in a $15 kit and includes paint, a cleaning spray, a brush, and a mix stick. Paint on will prob work the best and takes no masking unlike a spray based paint.
Step Two:
Remove the wheels and label them so you can put them back in the same spot they came from.
Step Three:
Remove the calipers completely from the vehicle. You will need metric sockets and Torx sockets to do this. Lay down plastic before removing the calipers because you will need to drain the brake fluid. I removed the brake line from the caliper so the fluid would drain faster. I let it drip into a oil drip pan but what ever you find will do. It takes a bit for all the fluid to get out so be patient. The front caliper is a two piece assembly so remove both components completely from the vehicle. The rear calipers are just a single piece. Remove them also.
Step Four:
You will need to completely strip the S#$% off of the brake calipers. Depending on how bad your brakes are you may want to soak them in none other than good old Coke before trying anything. Coke contains a light acid in it which eats away all the rust and crap that is on the caliper. I used this for my front two calipers because they are so large. Let them soak for a few hours in the Coke until you can see the black paint they were originally colored (I was surprised to discover this). Once you have most of the rust and dust off of them you still need to strip the caliper down to the metal. I used a sand blaster to accomplish this. Plug the slider pin holes as well as the hole for where the brake line attaches. I did not remove anything from the caliper when i did this.
IMG_0138.jpg picture by splintrcel - Photobucket
For major crap removal i used 90 grit Aluminum Oxide blast media at 60 PSI and stayed away from hitting the o-ring seals too much. Sand blasting is safe for the o-rings as long as you don't pound on them. I say this because i have sand blasted for awhile working on military parts for the aerospace field. After i got most of the crap i went to Glass Bead media at 40 PSI to clean the areas around the o-rings and slider boots. Here is what the result looks like.
IMG_0135.jpg picture by splintrcel - Photobucket
Be careful when blasting with higher grit stuff because you do not want to pit the metal. This shouldn't happen but if there is some stubborn rust re soak the caliper in coke for another couple hours and try again. After i finished blasting i went to clean up the surfaces that are really visible. As it turns out the brush on paint really can fill in gaps well and may not be necessary. If your ambitious I used a 90 and 120 grit sanding disk on a 90 degree air grinder. I removed the bumps from the casting almost completely. The paint will fill it in. Here is what it looks like when it is done.
IMG_0136.jpg picture by splintrcel - Photobucket
For a side by side comparison to see what your work is turning into i took this pic.
IMG_0137.jpg picture by splintrcel - Photobucket
As you can see i have not removed the piston or the sliders. The media should not harm the seals or boots but if you don't feel comfortable leaving them in just mask off the holes and go at it. If you don't have a sand blaster, go find one. If you can't find one, i would recommend you soak the calipers in coke for a couple hours until all the rust and crap is off and try using a wire brush on a drill. This isn't quite as good as a blaster in my opinion but the real goal is to remove all the oxidation any way you can. The caliper needs to be clean in order to paint. Your paint job will look as good as the amount of time you put into it. Cleaning and surface prep is the most important part!!! After you are done with surface prep you need to clean it with a cleaning chemical. DO NOT USE BRAKE CLEANER. Tetrachloroethylene will destroy rubber. Use only alcohol or acetone for this. The paint kit does come with a cleaner which is safe to use.
Step Five:
Paint on the ceramic paint. You may use what ever paint you want but it needs to be temperature resistant. I used brush on because it can hide a lot more imperfections. It will take three coats to make your calipers a nice solid red. Leave at least 30 min to dry after each coat. I set all my calipers in a line and went down the line painting each one and by the time i finished the last one the first one was ready to go. I painted the last coat the day after the second coat which worked out pretty well because the paint had some time to set. If you put on too much paint at once it will begin to crinkle up. Take your time and be neat about it. It is a work of art believe it or not. At least I think it is LOL. I didn't mask anything but feel free to mask holes. DO NOT PAINT THREADS!!! The paint will clog them so don't paint them unless you want to chase the threads after your done.
IMG_0141.jpg picture by splintrcel - Photobucket
http://s1149.photobucket.com/albums/o592/splintrcel/?action=view¤t=IMG_0143.jpg
http://s1149.photobucket.com/albums/o592/splintrcel/?action=view¤t=IMG_0145.jpg
http://s1149.photobucket.com/albums/o592/splintrcel/?action=view¤t=IMG_0147.jpg
http://s1149.photobucket.com/albums/o592/splintrcel/?action=view¤t=IMG_0148.jpg
Putting car back together is optional
Any questions or need for clarification please feel free to message me with any details you want!!!
Step One:
Buy Caliper Paint. I used the paint on ceramic red paint from Duplicolor. It comes in a $15 kit and includes paint, a cleaning spray, a brush, and a mix stick. Paint on will prob work the best and takes no masking unlike a spray based paint.
Step Two:
Remove the wheels and label them so you can put them back in the same spot they came from.
Step Three:
Remove the calipers completely from the vehicle. You will need metric sockets and Torx sockets to do this. Lay down plastic before removing the calipers because you will need to drain the brake fluid. I removed the brake line from the caliper so the fluid would drain faster. I let it drip into a oil drip pan but what ever you find will do. It takes a bit for all the fluid to get out so be patient. The front caliper is a two piece assembly so remove both components completely from the vehicle. The rear calipers are just a single piece. Remove them also.
Step Four:
You will need to completely strip the S#$% off of the brake calipers. Depending on how bad your brakes are you may want to soak them in none other than good old Coke before trying anything. Coke contains a light acid in it which eats away all the rust and crap that is on the caliper. I used this for my front two calipers because they are so large. Let them soak for a few hours in the Coke until you can see the black paint they were originally colored (I was surprised to discover this). Once you have most of the rust and dust off of them you still need to strip the caliper down to the metal. I used a sand blaster to accomplish this. Plug the slider pin holes as well as the hole for where the brake line attaches. I did not remove anything from the caliper when i did this.
IMG_0138.jpg picture by splintrcel - Photobucket
For major crap removal i used 90 grit Aluminum Oxide blast media at 60 PSI and stayed away from hitting the o-ring seals too much. Sand blasting is safe for the o-rings as long as you don't pound on them. I say this because i have sand blasted for awhile working on military parts for the aerospace field. After i got most of the crap i went to Glass Bead media at 40 PSI to clean the areas around the o-rings and slider boots. Here is what the result looks like.
IMG_0135.jpg picture by splintrcel - Photobucket
Be careful when blasting with higher grit stuff because you do not want to pit the metal. This shouldn't happen but if there is some stubborn rust re soak the caliper in coke for another couple hours and try again. After i finished blasting i went to clean up the surfaces that are really visible. As it turns out the brush on paint really can fill in gaps well and may not be necessary. If your ambitious I used a 90 and 120 grit sanding disk on a 90 degree air grinder. I removed the bumps from the casting almost completely. The paint will fill it in. Here is what it looks like when it is done.
IMG_0136.jpg picture by splintrcel - Photobucket
For a side by side comparison to see what your work is turning into i took this pic.
IMG_0137.jpg picture by splintrcel - Photobucket
As you can see i have not removed the piston or the sliders. The media should not harm the seals or boots but if you don't feel comfortable leaving them in just mask off the holes and go at it. If you don't have a sand blaster, go find one. If you can't find one, i would recommend you soak the calipers in coke for a couple hours until all the rust and crap is off and try using a wire brush on a drill. This isn't quite as good as a blaster in my opinion but the real goal is to remove all the oxidation any way you can. The caliper needs to be clean in order to paint. Your paint job will look as good as the amount of time you put into it. Cleaning and surface prep is the most important part!!! After you are done with surface prep you need to clean it with a cleaning chemical. DO NOT USE BRAKE CLEANER. Tetrachloroethylene will destroy rubber. Use only alcohol or acetone for this. The paint kit does come with a cleaner which is safe to use.
Step Five:
Paint on the ceramic paint. You may use what ever paint you want but it needs to be temperature resistant. I used brush on because it can hide a lot more imperfections. It will take three coats to make your calipers a nice solid red. Leave at least 30 min to dry after each coat. I set all my calipers in a line and went down the line painting each one and by the time i finished the last one the first one was ready to go. I painted the last coat the day after the second coat which worked out pretty well because the paint had some time to set. If you put on too much paint at once it will begin to crinkle up. Take your time and be neat about it. It is a work of art believe it or not. At least I think it is LOL. I didn't mask anything but feel free to mask holes. DO NOT PAINT THREADS!!! The paint will clog them so don't paint them unless you want to chase the threads after your done.
IMG_0141.jpg picture by splintrcel - Photobucket
http://s1149.photobucket.com/albums/o592/splintrcel/?action=view¤t=IMG_0143.jpg
http://s1149.photobucket.com/albums/o592/splintrcel/?action=view¤t=IMG_0145.jpg
http://s1149.photobucket.com/albums/o592/splintrcel/?action=view¤t=IMG_0147.jpg
http://s1149.photobucket.com/albums/o592/splintrcel/?action=view¤t=IMG_0148.jpg
Putting car back together is optional
Any questions or need for clarification please feel free to message me with any details you want!!!
Last edited:
