Well, ive been thinking of doing it for... about a year now, but its not since i got my wilwood that i really started to want to do it... right now, i have wilwood black calipers up front, and very very dirty plain calipers in the back, should I paint the back black to match the front? and keep up the 3 color theme that i have going, or should I introduce the Red element (i was originally going to paint them red, because i had red seats before)

so.... should I go black or red, also, any pointers people have would be greatly appreciated.. im not so sure if the wilwood calipers can be painted, i guess todd from TCE or anyone who has painted their wilwoods can tell me

thanks, here's a sideshot of my car as it stands:

you cant see the rear calipers very well in this picture, but you get the idea...

thanks for any input!

on a related subject, im defenite about sanding down the rust on my hub and painting it black, anyone who have done it want to give me some step by step rundown on what to do?

 

I think red would stand out like a sore thumb IMO. I painted mine red, but mines EB/W with Stars and Stripes on top.

That's my 2 cents.....Les

 

I just ordered a StopTech BBK with black calipers. I too have the grimy rears, so I'll go ahead and paint those black,too.
Any thoughts on the longest lasting caliper paint?
Thanks!
Jim

 

I painted mine red because red is faster of course

Painting them is easy. I sprayed mine which turned out great but you need to do a lot of prep. Try the brush on that you can get from the mini vendors.

LongBoard

 

I think I got mine from Wal-Mart or some such place. It's a brush on, fast dry, tough as nails paint by Dupli-Color. Has ceramic in it. Kit comes complete with brush, tape and of course paint and I think a spray can of cleaner. You don't even need to take the calipers off. Just bust off the wheel, clean calipers real good, mask, and paint. Makes for a nice Saturday morning. Whilst they're drying, put a coat of wax on the MINI.

...Les

 

match the fronts.... are those 17s?

 

I thought black was the new red!
Jim

 

Lime green would be yummy.

 

black or silver is my vote

 

OOOH!! The color of my first car...1969 Fiat 850 Spider
Mom called it "Turtle barf Green".
Jim

 

I painted the hubs to match my DS body color. Could have been black or silver I suppose. I used that clear liquid that neutralizes rust--you get it from hardware stores, but it's not that jelly stuff. It turns rust black. Then use steel wool and apply paint. Easy.
cheers, phil

 

hm.. then black it is! think ill probably have enough brake caliper paint to do my hubs too...

 

I think the caliper color is stipulated by the rest of the car's colors.
Like my PS with dark wheels needed red.

 

I'm thinking about painting my calipers silver, or black.

 

I think I would actually do red on your car. They would stand out so much on your black and silver car. Its kind of like mine

 

But my calipers are so damn small.

 

I have stock calipers too

 

Remove all of the rust from the rotor hat with a wire wheel, wire brush, etc. Thoroughly degrease and dry the hat. Mask off the friction surface and spray the hat with a couple of light coats of a high-temperature spray paint. Avoid getting paint on the top of the hat where the wheel meets it; uneven application of paint in this area could possibly lead to wheel vibration. If you get any overspray onto the friction surface, don't worry. The paint will wear away the first time you depress the brake pedal.

I used Dupli-Color Engine Enamel, satin black, to paint the hats on my BMW 328i's rotors. A spray can costs something like $5 at Wal-Mart. As I was upgrading all four corners to larger brakes at the same time, I had the new calipers and carriers powdercoated in a gloss black.

Powdercoating is tougher and more chemical resistant than caliper paint. Caliper paint, on the other hand, is easier to apply, and there's little downtime since you don't have to remove the calipers from the car or disassemble them as you would prior to powdercoating.

 

I used Duplicolor caliper paint. They still look perfect and it's been at least 1K miles. I masked off and sprayed the rotors with hi-temp BBQ grill paint. It's flat black, but not totally matte, so there's enough gloss so that dust won't stick so easily. The worst part was the steel wool I used to clean the rotors-PITA!

 

I want to paint mine green to match my BRG. Anyone use a brush on type paint? Also, any tips on what not to get paint on, on the calipers? Mine are stock. Is there a recommended cleaner to use?

 

The Duplicolor i used was brush on. It goes on really easily--doesn't gum up at all. The kit came with cleaner, but I went thru that and half a can of Brakleen. Use with good ventilation, the brake cleaner is NASTY stuff!

Ken

 

I used G2 paint. It's the brush on type. It's quite good. You can find it cheap on eBay. You should buy 2 or three cans of brake cleaner depending on how old and mucked up your calipers are. You'll need a hard bristle brush to get all the dirt off. You don't want the paint to stick to the dirt, you want it to stick to the caliper. The brake cleaner is wicked and toxic so good ventilation is a must.

If you take off the calipers it will be easier to paint them but remember: you only need to paint the exterior and visible parts of the calipers.

When you paint, you need to add this thermal protectant to the paint to make it withstand the heat it will be subjected to. Once added this will cause the paint to harder by itself in about 2 hours or so. So if you plan on leisurely pursuing the paint job, buy 2 kits or split the paint in two canisters. There is enough in 1 kit for all 4 calipers.


Hope that helps.

 

Thanks guys.

Where are you buying these kits? Walmart? Or are they only available on ebay?

 

Duplicolor I got from Advanced Auto Parts (a local auto parts place).

 

I did red. Its looks the best and would really accent you MINI. I used a kit from Orilley Auto Parts that was about $12. I did 11, count 'em 11 coats. The more the better! Good luck!