brakes Powdercoat calipers?

[2Red69s]

I bought some rebuilt calipers and they came in seemingly without any cad plating. I have an acquaintance who offered to powdercoat them for me (I'm thinking gold or silver).

Is it a bad idea...will the seals be damaged by the oven heat?

Thanks in advance for all the shared wisdom.

[tim385]

Usually you powder coat before the seals are done.

[josh72ooh2]

IF the seals are done, you can probably hit them with some Caliper paint. POR15 makes some caliper specific paint.

[spets]

I don't think there will be an issue with the seals. Powdercoating isn't very hot, usually what, 300, 400 degrees? brakes under racing conditions can easily reach higher temps than that.

[NickVyse]

it only takes a few minutes to take all the rubber off a freshly rebuilt caliper so why risk it, but I'd be more concerned about a thick layer of powder coat retaining heat. But that might be a load of codswallop.

[Ian]

I've wondered recently about what type of paint might be appropriate for calipers. I just replaced pads and rotors on my daily driver, and 5 years of salty winter driving has left the calipers and mounting bracket with a nice coat of rusty, flaky metal. I was concerned about a paint that could resist the heat, but i think you are right about not wanting to retain heat as well.

Any suggestions for caliper paint? This is for preservation, not bling, so color isn't important.

[OopsClunkThud]

There is a flat black powder coating that is designed to help with heat dissipation.

[josh72ooh2]

Comes in a variety of colors:

http://www.por15.com/CALIPER-PAINTING-KIT/productinfo/CKB/

[nbcbird]

Besides curing at around 390 degrees for about 10 minutes, powder coating also involves a VERY rigorous of process cleaning and etching for proper adhesion of the paint. Why would one possibly compromise the operation of a part that their life might depend upon is beyond me. Please take the calipers apart. How to seal the inner barrels in the etching process (for proper piston tolerance) is another issue.

[FunElan]

Besides curing at around 390 degrees for about 10 minutes, powder coating also involves a VERY rigorous of process cleaning and etching for proper adhesion of the paint. Why would one possibly compromise the operation of a part that their life might depend upon is beyond me. Please take the calipers apart. How to seal the inner barrels in the etching process (for proper piston tolerance) is another issue.

This is why he's asking. Not everyone is aware of what happens in the powdercoating process.

-Matt

[SteveJ]

I went the cheap route on my M3 calipers and used hi-temp silver semi-flat spray paint. I already had the calipers fully disassembled. I wasn't going for a popping red caliper or even a glossy black one. I just wanted to 'preserve & protect' the metal surfaces. They are going to be covered with road grime and brake dust when the car goes back on the road. If the paint holds up enough so I can hose off the grime and dust, all the better. If it flakes off, oh well. I'll be out $8 and a few hours of evening time.

As for the heat issue, I think the grime and dust would retain as much if not more heat than a coat of paint. Sure, if it was a 1/4" thick, but a thin coat? Maybe more than bare metal would, but how much more?

Remember, form follows function. Don't sacrifice function for pretty calipers.

[spets]

G2 caliper paint works great. It is a paint-on epoxy paint, comes in multiple colors.

I have painted my Honda S2000 calipers with G2 paint, and it has survived multiple track days at high temperatures without breaking down or chipping.

[02for2]

+1 on G2 - have used it on several vehicles with excellent results. One is 8 y.o. and shows no signs of deterioration.

Cheers!

[bills2002]

G2...yes!

[2Red69s]

Thanks for all the advice.

I was surprised when I took them out of the boxes and they were raw metal, and I just wanted to protect them with something so rust wouldn't become an issue later on.

I knew powdercoating was questionable, but considered that the even/slow heating aspect (as compared to going from cold to very hot under hi load braking) might not be an issue for the seals....

The G2 sounds like the way to go.