Still crazy ( about my Mini ) after all these years!!!! Well four anyway. In early 2005 while driving my Dodge Dakota back and forth to work and watching the gas get sucked out of the tank at an alarming rate I saw a strange shape in front of me on the highway. I'd never seen anything like it before. Then the commercials started on TV. I knew what I had to do, get my butt down to Downtown Mini in Orlando Florida that’s what. The only base model at the dealership was out and about with the service manager behind the wheel and they could not reach him. So I did what any reasonable man would do. I bought it sight unseen. Didn’t even know what color it was and I didn’t care. I don't live very far from Orlando but that drive home ( in my truck ) took an eternity. The next day I was there bright and early with my nose pressed against the glass....Chili Red...White top... no disrespect but Chili Red is the perfect color...really...and now four years later I'm just as happy with my Mini as the day I bought it. With both the warranty and service contract up its time to preen and pimp my Cooper and North American Motoring is now a big part of that effort. The how tos on oil changes and resetting the service indicator have been a great help. I can't thank you folks enough!!!! I'm replacing the Union Jack decal on the roof with a fresh one and the brake calipers will get a coat of red paint. I also want to replace my chrome mirror covers with Union Jack mirror covers so if anyone is interested in a trade let me know. As my preen and pimp progresses I'll post pictures and feel free to offer any suggestions, I'm always open to new ideas.

Sorry for such a long first post but I'm sure you understand.

BionicBack

 

Hey - keep me posted on the red caliper painting - what kit you decide to use, etc, etc.

I'll have a non-JCW Cooper S convertible coming soon (or so I hope) and I'll be looking to do that myself, too.

 

My first choice was G2 brake caliper paint from www.stage3motorsports.com

Stage 3 Motorsports G2 Brake Caliper Paint System - Red

as the price was reasonable but it all comes down to time which I don't have much of so I went with Dupli-color spray-on caliper paint from my local Advance Auto Parts store for about six bucks. This weekend I'm replacing the brake pads ( 61K miles ) and turning the rotors so thats when I'll spray the calipers and I'll post pictures when I'm done. The paint I used under the hood ( sorry, bonnet ) is red Valspar plastic paint #68104 which I picked up at Lowes. How much longer do you have to wait before your Cooper gets here?

BionicBack

 

Ha. Good question, wish I knew. I ordered almost 4 weeks ago and still don't have a VIN.

So, I guess since you're doing the rest of the brake job you will have the calipers completely off for the spray job. I saw another caliper paint system (brush on) that had instructions not requiring the full removal of the calipers. I liked that idea since I'm too afraid I would completely destroy something and then not be able to get it back together.

Interesting that you mention turning the rotors. I thought I read somewhere else that the MINI rotors were too thin for that? Most suggest completely replacing the rotors rather than trying to machine them. Maybe it's a model year difference?

 

I plan on taping everything off and leaving the calipers on. I don't really want to mess with bleeding the brakes afterward. Also I have solid, not vented, rotors so there should not be a problem. My rotor guy will let me know.

 

For what it's worth, I've used the G2 caliper paint on another car.

You can do it with the calipers on the car but you need to do a careful job of masking things off, and make sure you really clean the calipers before you start. It's not easy to get the awesome finish that they show on their website.

That said, I'm happy with the result as my 40-year-old calipers look a lot better than they did. I did it as part of a full brake rebuild so I had them off the car which made the painting part a little easier to deal with.

Brad