Caliper Paint - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

djomlas · 12-19-2006, 12:00 PM

price does seem too low, but if it is true, then thats a bargain and a half

Bob O · 12-19-2006, 03:27 PM

HMMMM back to the topic!!!!

I painted mine last year. I decided against the brush on stuff for a number of reasons and ended up using Duplicolor high temp paint. Mine were red and not yellow, but the procedure should be the same. OH.. and believe it or not.. the color is.........are you ready.......... Ford engine red!! An exact match to Porsche caliper red. I don't know about yellow, but given the large selection of colors duplicolor has, I'm sure you could find something to match. Anyway.. be SURE you clean them first.. clean them twice or you'll be disappointed in the results. I used brake cleaner spray and it did a terrific job. The brand probably isn't important. Mask off everything, spray at least two and probably three coats of color, apply decals, then two or three (at least) coats of clear. After a year of normal driving, and two DE's mine still look new........ok.. except for a couple of chips I got when changing the brake pads for the DE's. BUT, if you're careful, even changing brake pads won't chip them. Here are a few pictures

Bob

986Roadster · 12-19-2006, 03:37 PM

i would add a bit of red paint to the yellow, to get it closer to the real gt3 colour. i have my calipers painted in yellow gt3 paint. it's not the right yellow.

jeffsquire · 12-19-2006, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob O

HMMMM back to the topic!!!!

I
Bob

_______________________
Bob, thanks for your great post. Painting calipers is my next project. I"ll be sure to use your advice and photos for assistance if need be.

djomlas · 12-20-2006, 09:50 AM

that seems like more work than using a brush on.
when i did mine...the masking part took about a minute er wheel, minimum amount of masking since you are using a brush and not worying about overspray.
heres my b4 and after, and i also put new lugnuts on as well as colored centercaps. no clearcoat either...night and day difference in overall appearance

dcporsche99 · 12-20-2006, 10:16 AM

Thanks for the info! Nice work guys on your calipers! I am thoroughly impressed that you (Bob) didn't have to take the assembly apart. It looks easier than I thought. Were you able to access the back without taking them off? Any pitfalls to spraying vs. brush work? With spraying, it didn't look like you had any paint runs? And for the brushwork, I couldn't see any brush marks?

djomlas · 12-20-2006, 10:27 AM

i think that you will get good results with both.
at first i was afraid that you will be able to see brush marks, but there isnt any at all.
i put only 2 coats, i bet if you choose more you will get even better results.
i got the paint at autozone, its the caliper paint kit for like 15 bux, and i did 3 cars, so thats 4 calipers per car and i put 2 coats per caliper, and i still have most of the paint....i also think that if you get any chips, its easier to touch up the chip with a brush than to recoat the whole thing again with paint which means more masking and what not, and if the ship is visible trough the wheel, im sure you can even touch it up w/o taking the wheel off.

good luck and post the results, whichever way you decide to go with

dcporsche99 · 12-20-2006, 10:52 AM

Thanks for the info! Won't get around to it probably until the Spring. Might just do them simultaneously when I do my rotors. But, I will certainly let you know what happens when I do.

BTW, sorry BoxsterRS....I kinda' highjacked your thread here. Good luck with your calipers and please post your results when you're done, especially pics from your autoshow in P.R. Would definitely like to see how you do and what you decide on.

Bob O · 12-20-2006, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcporsche99

Thanks for the info! Nice work guys on your calipers! I am thoroughly impressed that you (Bob) didn't have to take the assembly apart. It looks easier than I thought. Were you able to access the back without taking them off? Any pitfalls to spraying vs. brush work? With spraying, it didn't look like you had any paint runs? And for the brushwork, I couldn't see any brush marks?

The masking didn't take THAT long. I just used newspapers and painter's tape so I wouldn't get residue on anything. But you do need to be careful and make sure everything you don't want red (or yellow) is covered. It's not necessary to take off the calipers. You can get to the back of them without removing them. That is, if you WANT to get to the back of them. Its only cosmetic so if you miss a little bit, it's not a big deal. I did the best I could and without taking them off to inspect them I don't know if I missed any places or not!

As far as runs.. just apply several light coats and you won't need to worry. Chips can be a problem down the road, whether you're using the brush method or the spray method. My plan is to use some brush-on product (testors?? ugh or I'll see if duplicolor makes a brush on red that matches) and see what it looks like. The chips are so small though, they're hardly noticable unless you're really looking, or changing the pads.

I decided to use the spray method only because several other posters on several other boards had complaints about it. But, if you're careful, I suppose you can get equally satisfying results using either method.

And in case you didn't know.. the decals are available at www.xenonmods.com
for something like $10.

Good luck with whichever you choose. Show us the results.

Bob