# Painting Brake Calipers (without removing them)



## chrissymk3 (Jul 6, 2015)

Hey all,

Recently purchased a new car and the previous owner had painted the front a rear calipers red, looks good and ties in with the colour of the interior so i'm happy with them however... They are starting to show a bit of wear and tear so would like to spend a weekend cleaning them up and repainting them. Also going to give the wheels a good clean and seal too.

I've never done this before so I've just bought a trolley jack and two axle stands as i'm going to take both back wheels off, then both front wheels off so i'm doing 2 lots at the same time.

I didn't want to remove them from the car as i'm limited on tools but well aware that it might take me longer to do as it will be more fiddly...

Is this all I would need?

http://www.halfords.com/motoring-tr...paints/halfords-brake-caliper-paint-red-250ml

http://www.halfords.com/motoring-tr...-preparation/halfords-professional-wire-brush

http://www.halfords.com/motoring-tr.../fillers-preparation/halfords-1-2-paint-brush

Thanks all.


----------



## JMorty (Apr 25, 2011)

Looks like a good plan and a good list mate.

Should come up pretty well with all that.

Just mask as much as you can (ie the pads and discs) and it should come out nice.


----------



## chrissymk3 (Jul 6, 2015)

JMorty said:


> Looks like a good plan and a good list mate.
> 
> Should come up pretty well with all that.
> 
> Just mask as much as you can (ie the pads and discs) and it should come out nice.


Thanks mate and yeah cool i'll pick some masking take up too.

Bit off topic but just come across these haha!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141660813126?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Currently have 1.6 diesel zetec s and these are quite tempting as a nice little upgrade


----------



## Harry_p (Mar 18, 2015)

Personally, I'd be taking the pads out. Once you've got the car in the air and the wheels off its usually a pretty simple task to pop the pads out. Usually much quicker than tryig to mask around them!


----------



## steveo3002 (Jan 30, 2006)

shouldnt take more than a few mins to remove the caliper once the car is jacked up with its wheels off

im sure someone else with that car can tell you what tool is required


----------



## JMorty (Apr 25, 2011)

chrissymk3 said:


> Thanks mate and yeah cool i'll pick some masking take up too.
> 
> Bit off topic but just come across these haha!
> 
> ...


That's a good shout!

Upgrade! Also, you can refurb these while they are off. (Paint the callipers and bells)

As for the tools, have a recky with the wheels off. Should only be two 11mm spanners, or something close.

As for changing the brakes, you will need to bleed the system which would need a few more tools. Clamp, spanner etc.

Fairly easy job if you take your time, up to even a novice diy mech. Not saying you are, just stating the complexity level. :thumb:


----------



## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

I've done it both ways, taking the calliper off (leaving it attached) and painting in situ. Pro's can cons for both methods. Taking them off means it's a lot easier to cover up the disc and suspension when painting (especially if spraying) but has the added work of removing the callipers and carrier if you remove that as well.

The last time I hand painted my new callipers and the rear were taken off the calliper but still connected to the car. It was fairly straight forward but I was changing the discs and pads at the same time.

Untitled by Chris Jeffrey, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/rkLqY8
 by Chris Jeffrey, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/rkyQPu
 by Chris Jeffrey, on Flickr

I used paint from Brake Caliper Specialists to paint them. http://www.brake-caliper-painting.com

The wire brush and paint brush you linked are fine, I would also recommend a sanding block/sandpaper as there will be crevices you can get to with the brush and also some prepping wipes/IPA mix to clean the callipers before you start painting.

I did my fronts as well but I was upgrading my callipers so they were off the car completely. I had a wire wheel on an angle grinder to help with the cleaning too.

2015-04-11 15.17.40.jpg by Chris Jeffrey, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/s17Lea
 by Chris Jeffrey, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/s17MfZ
 by Chris Jeffrey, on Flickr


----------



## chrissymk3 (Jul 6, 2015)

Bloody hell wasn't expecting so many quick replies haha

Yeah I was thinking about removing the pads, going to do it when I have a weekend spare so I know I'm not going to be rushed


----------

