My Little red Wagon is sweet.....
What is your opinion on painting the brake calipers?
I think It will improve the look but realize how there is no return.

So what ya think?

 

My advice to you is do what you want with your own car. Painting brake calipers can have a nice effect if you have the right kind of wheels, but you also need to do more upkeep on them to keep them looking good.

 

If you do decide to go with paint....use the G2 brake epoxy system. Others you will end up having to re-do it within a year. I did my SS Trailblazer and they came out great. I've been considering doing the Clubman too. The Clubbie is dark silver and I was thinking of going the same color as the body. The key is to grind down the texture and get the calipers smooth...adds that extra detail.

Here's a pic of the finished fronts on my SS. I did the rears too and they all came out nice.

 

U sanded these down by hand? Impressive.

 

I used an 80 grit flap wheel on my 4 1/2" grinder. It made the job much easier. They had as much texture as the Mini calipers and I got all 4 smooth with about 30 minutes of "elbow grease".

 

Do mine for me, please??????

 

 

It's been just about a year since I painted mine silver to match the stock wheels. No upkeep so far. Just wash off when I wash the wheels. They still look great!

I'm sure some of the colors would require more upkeep though. Silver just changes shades of silver. I can see where red or yellow would show dust easily.

 

I've done some research and I have to agree RaceFace to get the G2 system. I'm going to do that myself.

I figure that I'll use a pressure washer to keep them clean in the future.

 

Would LOVE to see more pics..in this thread AND personal galleries..of those who've done this!

 

You won't even need to do that. Just wipe 'em down with a wet terrycloth towel with some dish soap on it and youre good to go. I went to ceramic pads so I don't have the brake dust issue anymore.

One more bit of advice regarding the G2. Metallic colors are hard to work with. If you look at my pics close, I did the caliper black and the brackets in silver. The silver was a nightmare!! Trying to keep the metallic mixed and uniform was a pain. I even put a couple of big ball bearings in the can and kept the can moving an it was still tough to get it even. It was also tough to get rid of the brush marks in the metallic. Since it is a catalyzed epoxy, once you mix it, you have a limited amount of time to work with it.....and once it hardens, you're done.

Solid colors are much easier to keep uniform and the brush marks just flow right out.

Just a bit of my own experience.

 

I think I will do Mine Red to Match the Chili Red.
I am kinda a little OCD can't go more than 4-5 days without a good wheel clean. My MA told me it was required to keep the Mini lookin good, and I'm too OCD to take a chance not to. (It does look sweet when it shines). I did quit using a Wheel cleaner. Since I waxed my wheels, they clean much easyier.
Even though the wheel cleaner gets the wheels clean reasonably easy, they seemed to gather break dust a lot faster. With a waxed wheel a quick wipe and your done.

Should I sand the Rough cast look off or just clean and paint?

 

Ya, some wheel cleaners can be harmful to your wheels. In terms of sanding or not sanding; do you want a smooth or rough look?

 

From my experience (and looking at the Clubman calipers this morning when I washed it), going after it with the flapwheel will make it look much better. There is molding flashing across the front (like my SS) that needs to go and buzzing down the texture only took about 30 minutes. I am a firm believer in the theory "take your time and do it right the first time".

What I would recommend is while you are tackling this project, install ceramic pads while you have it all taken apart. The calipers will need to be removed to paint them (but not completely)...so while they're off the rotors, pop new pads in too and you will also get rid of the brake dust issue.

Just a tad more advice from my experience.

 

I have a couple in my gallery. I did the hub too, but only the visible portion when the wheels are on.

 

Lookin sharp! And gorgeous wheels,too!

/keep hearing 'they call me MINIdrivr, and once upon a pair of wheels, hit the road, and I'm gone ah...what's my number...'

Scoot down the road, MINIdrivr!

 

Sorry, reduced size doesnt show the color a well as I had hoped