Caliper painting
 

Has anyone tried using one of these off the shelf caliper painting kits? (like the one they sell in Pelican). Any reviews or recommendations? I'm curious if you need to strip or grind the existing paint off the caliper before applying the new paint. Is powder coating a better option? If so, can anyone tell me about how much that costs to have done, and a recommendation for a place to get it done in the Los Angeles area?

I have gone thru no less than 5 boxsters in the last 5 years and everyone of them was painted with the off the shelf ceramic caliper paint, stencils from ebay followed upped with some more off the shelf wheel clear-coat in a spray can from the automotive store.

Best part is if your ever need to touch up or repaint, the correct color is as close as the parts store.

If you powder coat, the only proper way is to tear down the caliper and put new seals afterwards.

+1 on the off the shelf caliper paint. I used the G2 stuff and sprayed it through my airbrush. I had to thin the paint a bit to get the right flow. It turned out great and seems more durable than the stock finish.
The key is to remove the calipers and take your time. You don't have to remove all the paint, just sand/smooth edges and chips. Clean them really we'll with denatured alcohol before spraying.

Meticulous surface preparation is everything. You can obviously do a better job if you remove the calipers from the car. A few cans of brake cleaner, a wire brush, and lots of rags should do the trick. Plug the holes with rubber stoppers and tape off the seals.

I used VHT caliper paint and it seems to be holding up well.

I agree, the automotive store method is much easier. I regret powdercoating.

Did mine last year, Dupli-Color brush on, and very happy with results.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1390231663.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1390231802.jpg

I did the same, brake cleaner, wire brush, some sand paper, clean, mask, VHT red, stickers from eBay, and then VHT clear.http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1390233238.jpg

Awesome comments, thanks! I'm going to try it.

And although you can carefully tape everything off I found it easier to just removing them and re-bleeding the brakes. this is on a Cayenne I did..

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-a...310_112248.jpg

Post a link to the caliper stickers that are mentioned if you find them on Ebay...

Here you go:

6 Porsche Prem High Performance Brake Caliper Decals | eBay

Thanks for posting!

porsche caliper stencils | eBay

I like the stencils better as you use paint instead of a sticker.

just make sure to use the correct size, as there are fanatics will point out that they are incorrect if too big or small. :ah:

Man, I have to try fitting some of those Cayenne calipers on my 986S. Wonder if they make pads for it in RS-14 or DS-11 compound.

Looks awesome. Did any of you go through the step of baking the calipers between coats? I wonder if that's really necessary. Also, if you use the Ebay decals, I assume applying the clear coat is a must.....or is it?

It is IMO. The calipers never leave the vehicle with the paint method so no baking.

Whoa, those Cayenne brakes look beefy!
I also found easier to remove the calipers.
http://www.comedorme.com/album/pcar/...efresh-050.JPG

Nice! Do you guys prefer the aerosol spray can methods/products, or are the paint can and brush products better? I saw a YouTube video that shows the use of an aerosol primer along with the Dupli-Color kit. Any experience with that?

///////////////////////

---------------------------