thebadguy Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Has anyone gone to a pro to have calipers painted or powder coated? Price?Looks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportwagon Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 do it yourself! my 2 cents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallispec Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 agreed, do it yourself and save the money. http://www.spillihp.com/danny/legacy/brakes.jpg 5 bucks worth of paint and at most - 2-3 hours of your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Why would you go to a professional? They are stock brakes. There isn't a whole lot of reason to go through the expense of having anybody else paint them. Besides... a pro would require that you bring him the calipers without them being attached to the car. I don't know that stock brakes are worth the time and effort in doing that just to have a pro poof can them for you. If you have the time and know how to get your calipers off, then just paint them yourself. They really won't look any better if a pro did it. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dark_rex Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 don't do it at all (imo). it looks civic/ric0r to have stock calipers painted. the only exception i think, is this one. http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15767&highlight=caliper+paint Silver/Gray paint doesn't look like you're trying to pass of your 2 piston OE calipers as somethign they aren't (ie: Brembo), and it'll keep it clean and prevent rusting. dR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWortham Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 You can paint them yourself and have them turn out great AND last a long time if you prep it right and use an epoxy-based kit instead of the average Duplicolor paint. Unlike Duplicolor, epoxy-based caliper painting kits come with a hardening agent. The epoxy goes on very thick and sticks to the caliper much better than paint. I've used the brush-on G2 caliper paint kit with very good success. And it should last without fading, or flaking off. Duplicolor does a decent job too, it just doesn't stick quite as well and doesn't have the same heat capacity. The best/most durable option would be powdercoating but you'd have to take them off the car, and disassemble the calipers. So you'll be without your car for awhile. It's actually more work for you (unless you want to trust a powdercoating shop w/ the disassembly/assembly of the calipers), and it'll cost you more to get the powdercoating done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dark_rex Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 the heat shouldn't be too much of an issue. the caliper itself will never get as hot as the pads/rotors. after a hard driving/braking ride, you should be able to touch the calipers just fine. if anyhting, they'll still be cool to the touch. dR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest *Jedimaster* Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Diy Ftw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWortham Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I've measured the calipers with my IR thermometer after a drive. You might be right that the rotors get hotter. But when I measured them the calipers were actually hotter (about 160 degrees vs 140 degrees at the rotors). So the calipers seem to retain more heat. With enough hard braking I don't know how hot they'd get, but you definitely won't want to touch them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallispec Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I used the ceramic engine paint -- so far no fading or flaking (after numerous autocrosses even) anyhow, i bet the rotor gets hotter, however due to more surface area it probably cools off much faster. The caliper retains that heat longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dark_rex Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I've measured the calipers with my IR thermometer after a drive. You might be right that the rotors get hotter. But when I measured them the calipers were actually hotter (about 160 degrees vs 140 degrees at the rotors). So the calipers seem to retain more heat. With enough hard braking I don't know how hot they'd get, but you definitely won't want to touch them. are you sure you weren't touching the back of the pad, and not the caliper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWortham Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Yes, well I wasn't touching anything. IR thermometers are non-contact... but I measured at different points at very close range on the bulk of the caliper itself. And it varied a little bit but was all hotter than the hottest part of the rotors. The other difference is the venting in the rotors probably does a good job of cooling the rotors quickly. The calipers are just a big bulky block of iron, so they're going to take awhile to cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dark_rex Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 cool. missed the IR part. lol dR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlabs Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Yeah just DIY... did it myself this past weekend, in fact. Used the cheaper Duplicolor stuff (btw... get an extra brush or two - you'll need it ) It's not hard, just jack up one side at a time (or all, if you're so inclined) and paint 'em. Took me 6+ hours (3 hrs over two days) because I was taking my time and did multiple coats. Forgot but I saw this originally on another brake caliper painting thread, but get yourself some caliper decals. Gives it a nice "oem" type of look rather than the DIY look. Search for "subaru caliper decal" on ebay - that's where I got mine. -=- Livin life at 140 BPM -=- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Which looks better: This- http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/158-5892_IMG.jpg Or this- http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/158-5893_IMG.jpg You can't tell me they don't look good painted black considering how crappy they look not painted at all. Ricey would be painting them yellow or green or something like that. Silver and black (IMO) are the only truely safe colors and red is usually safe, although I don't know why you would want to do anything to stock calipers other than make them blend in and disappear. They aren't so great that I really want to draw attention to them. I like the subtle look of black. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/wheel.gif _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWortham Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 ^ The black looks great. Just like mine. http://www.gldomain.com/elantra/TibBrakesInstall/PaintedCalipers20004_zoom_564px.JPG Red also looks good with some color combinations. Since the LGT has fairly large 4 wheel discs, I think the brakes can deserve the attention depending on the color of your car. Matching the body color can be interesting too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebadguy Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 Anything looks better than stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.T.Subie Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 ^ The black looks great. Just like mine. http://www.gldomain.com/elantra/TibBrakesInstall/PaintedCalipers20004_zoom_564px.JPG Red also looks good with some color combinations. Since the LGT has fairly large 4 wheel discs, I think the brakes can deserve the attention depending on the color of your car. Matching the body color can be interesting too...Which Excel wheels are these? Denial is your best friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 don't do it at all (imo). it looks civic/ric0r to have stock calipers painted. the only exception i think, is this one. http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15767&highlight=caliper+paint Silver/Gray paint doesn't look like you're trying to pass of your 2 piston OE calipers as somethign they aren't (ie: Brembo), and it'll keep it clean and prevent rusting. dR I am probably going to paint mine silver or black just to keep the rust off of them.. or I might just get 4-pistons in the future. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWortham Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Which Excel wheels are these? Exel TZ-7. But don't be tempted... I wasn't too impressed with them. The finish eventually started flaking off around the lugs and I bent one of them. Plus the only seller, WheelMax, is the devil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leggtnut Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Blue w/ black calipers looks just ausome. I was thinking of since i am getting silver to paint them silver and then stensel on SUBARU in black or plue on them. Ben (2014 Outback SAP w/ eyesite, 2014 Tribeca Limited, 2006 LGT limited sedan) Subaru Ambassador PNW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 I am probably going to paint mine silver or black just to keep the rust off of them.. or I might just get 4-pistons in the future. Tha calipers are not going to rust, they are some sort of alloy, look at the unpainted ones above, not a trace of rust. I have 40,000 miles on mine, through two winters, salt covered roads, and still no corrosion. I agree that they look real crappy, but they won't rust. Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.T.Subie Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Exel TZ-7. But don't be tempted... I wasn't too impressed with them. The finish eventually started flaking off around the lugs and I bent one of them. Plus the only seller, WheelMax, is the devil.Bad to hear,but thanks because I've been shopping around on Wheelmax. Denial is your best friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Tha calipers are not going to rust, they are some sort of alloy, look at the unpainted ones above, not a trace of rust. I have 40,000 miles on mine, through two winters, salt covered roads, and still no corrosion. I agree that they look real crappy, but they won't rust. http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/5641/img00049ca.jpg explain my "red dirt" the caliper will have some oxidation 41,000 miles here.. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dark_rex Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Tha calipers are not going to rust, they are some sort of alloy, look at the unpainted ones above, not a trace of rust. I have 40,000 miles on mine, through two winters, salt covered roads, and still no corrosion. I agree that they look real crappy, but they won't rust. my past two cars must have had non "some sort of alloy" then, because they rusted. my last car was a WRX, so i doubt there is some huge difference in alloys used by FHI. the black does look good. I'll now endorse silver, black and gray. dR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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