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?

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I just noticed that the caliper connecting lines are painted on my car. I'd like to have those be a bare metal look, but how to strip the paint off them? New ones cost $50 each.

Remove them and use a wire wheel on your bench grinder.

Hi
I did mine a few years back and did a how to on our UK BoXa.net forum heres a link:-
http://www.boxa.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=47899&page=3
I painted mine, but as said the preperation is the most important, this is what mine turned out like:-
http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/p...alipers011.jpg
http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/p...alipers009.jpg
loads more photos on the link.
Guvs.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1392829698.jpg
Well I went through the process and here are the results. It was a lot of work. Scrubbing, buffing, sanding to get the old surface prepped and ready to accept the paint. I went with the G2 kit. Followed the instructions to the letter, and made every attempt to be careful and thorough. Also went with the Ebay decals. My honest impression overall: not exactly blown away. They will look good from a distance, especially against the backdrop of a new set of rotors, but up close the brush strokes are clearly visible, and the paint didn't "lie down" to the extent advertised. I even went with a sponge brush for the final coat to ensure smoother finish. Also, the decal adhesive is clearly visible beneath the printing. Again, after following the instructions to the letter. If I had to do it over again, I think I'd go with stencils. Don't think I'd go with powder coating as I've heard too many opinions to the contrary.

I used the decals and they look fine, no outline or adhesive showing, BUT, I spray painted the calipers with VHT, let them cure for a couple of days, then applied the decals and let them dry for a couple of days, and then applied a few coats of clear VHT. I thought they turned out really well.

I read enough reviews of the G2 stuff ahead of time that I was pretty sure that brush strokes were going to be a problem, which is why I didn't go that route.

So, now you've done the prep, you could wet sand the calipers to get a flat color with no brush strokes, re-apply fresh decals, spray on some clear coat, and you would most likely be happy with the end result.

I used the VHT method and couldn't be happier. The decals IMO came out great, I don't see any adhesive. Also used a clear coat.

Appreciate the feed back, thank you. One question about the decals: the instructions said to wet the caliper surface and the front/back of the decal itself with a dilute hand soap and water solution. Then, use a small squeegee (that wasn't supplied) to press out the underlying water and position the decal. Did you guys follow this procedure? I'm hoping the cloudiness will dissipate over time; otherwise I'm going to peel them off and do a stencil. Final note, the G2 kit specifically says not to use a spray on clear coat as it could be incompatible with the epoxy based paint, so I didn't. I'm now questioning that directive as well. In the end, I'm sure they will be fine and look nice.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1392851069.jpg

I just used water - no soap. If you want to shoot them with clear, spray some in the cap first and use a brush to dab it on a spot on the backside of the calipers (where it won't show) to see if it reacts badly before you spray the whole thing. When you do spray it, go with several very light coats and that will also reduce the chances of the clear lifting the red.