73StreetRace

Would you like to emulate the look of new sports car with shiny coloured brake calipers on your Vette ?
You can do it yourself and it's not that hard, just a little time consuming.
In fact, the longer you spend doing the job the better it will be.
Ideally you will have had the calipers removed from the car to enable you to do a proper job
but it is possible to do a reasonable job with them on the car if the wheel is removed to allow proper access.
That's what I did, because I didn't want to have to bleed my brakes again...
Having a layer of paint will actually make cleaning the calipers a lot easier.

I bought two of these FOLIATEC kits ( red colour ) :



http://www.foliatec.com/foliatec/BRA...1=3&p2=5&p3=48

They even sell metallic colours. One kit doesn't contain enough paint for four Corvette calipers if you want a thick two-layer coating.
All paints are heat proof up to 570°F ( 300°C ).

Many colours are available and can be mixed together to match the car colour if you want to.
The package contains 1 Spraycan Brake cleaner 400ml, 1 metal can brake caliper lacquer 150gr, 1 metal can special hardener 50gr.
Note that these paints are also suited for use in the engine area.

You'll also need one or more stirring stick, a few mixing pots ( no plastic ), a few flat finehaired brushes, masking tape, and of course steel brushes to clean surfaces and clean cotton cloth.

Brake caliper paint cannot be used for brake discs, brake pads or shoes.

The first job is cleaning off the caliper, if you have new calipers to go on then you have saved yourself a very messy and time consuming job. It took me only 30 minutes to clean each of them thoroughly, but they were only 3 years old and had new pistons, seals and pads.

Mix the paint(s). Add the can of hardener to the paint ( mixing relation is 3:1 ), but do not put in more than the amount you need for one step in the procedure :
The paint mixed with the hardener will begin to thicken after 1 hour. Leave it standing for 5-10 minutes and mix it again. Now apply the paint with a paintbrush in a thin, even coat. Avoid drop or tears.
Leave it dying for a short time of 15 minutes and apply a second coating. This one can be thicker. After approximately 2 hours the paint will be dry enough to remount your brake and wheels.
You shouldn't move your car for the next 24 hours to enable the paint to reach the final hardness.

After 24 hours ( or more ) take the car out and use the brakes more than usual to warm them up and bake on the paint (building up the heat slowly works best).

I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality and the high gloss effect the paint has.

Now, here are some pics of the results :

Sully1882

very nice, thanks for the pics too, I have the kit now just need to check a few other things off my "to do " list before this project!

jordan89

They look good.

jimvette999

Looks quite nice Those wheels are a bich to clean

captl27

look great, nice job

pauldana

very nice! i like:che ers:

73StreetRace

Thanks for the inputs.

I took some pictures of the rear calipers.
Not as easy as the front ones ( unsteerable rear wheels ! ) so it took me two hours to clean and paint just one thoroughly.





Rear wheel is back.



Sorry, but I was too tired to remove completely the car cover...

MN-Brent

I prefer the 2 stage caliper paint as well. It is much glossier and more durable over time. Looks great!!

Whats your review of those Yokohamas, if you dont mind?

B.

MotorHead

Very nice I used the same stuff or similar, that little can of paint goes a long way

The wheels and tires look great too and you are truly a brave man for owning wheels with that many spokes

MotorHead

I looked up those tires and they are H rated which is 130mph which is higher than the BFG's and come in all the sizes we like for our C3's in the 15 in range, they even have 295 / 50 / 15's

Might be the answer to those who seem to be having trouble finding the BFG's they want for their Vettes. I would like to hear an opinion on them too

psycho dad

Looks great! Yellow would look good too. I thought about painting mine, but no one would ever see them behind ralley wheels

73StreetRace

295/50/15 is what I have rear, and 235/60/15 front.
I had bought two sets of BFG ( same sizes ) before those, but now I really like the YOKOHAMA's. First, as you said, they are H rated, it's more reassuring.
But above all, IMO they have a better grip than the BFGs on dry asphalt.
Can't tell on wet pavement, not enough practice...
I'll likely buy the same YOKOHAMA tires when I have to replace mine.
Best pressure for performance / cornering : 32 PSI front, 30 PSI rear.

73StreetRace

You didn't see the aluminum rims of my father's Maserati Mexico ( 1968 / V8 / 4.2 liters / 4 x double-barrel Weber / 250HP / 250 km/h ) : 95 stainless steel spokes per wheel
Those are really hard to clean.

73StreetRace

Yes, that's what I wanted to do first, but I was afraid to try yellow because IMO this shade shows the dirt more than red does.
I already have a lot of work to clean the car paint... just a few miles and you can draw a figure in the dust on the rear fenders with your finger.
You see what I mean ?

rafalc

Im bringing this thread back from the dead...... what wheels are those? We may have the same ones I just cant figure out who makes them and what model they are.

Thanks