How and how to paint calipers and brake drums in a garage
Content
With the mass appearance of cast wheels with a large pattern, the actuating brake mechanisms previously hidden from the eyes became noticeable, which means they can be considered a design element of the exterior. Manufacturers of general purpose vehicles do not pay much attention to the appearance of brake calipers, but heavy-duty brakes installed as a tuning procedure are almost always brightly colored. It could not pass by the trends of automotive fashion.
What is the purpose of painting calipers and brake drums
There is no special need for painting the calipers. They will serve their time anyway, and a layer of paint will not be able to lengthen or shorten their life in any way. Therefore, the reasons for which a decorative coating is created on them are purely subjective.
But the car, in addition to its utilitarian purpose, is also obliged to please its owner. If it weren't necessary, the roads would be filled with monotonous plastic cars that can be cheaply stamped out of recycled beverage containers.
So it still makes sense:
- the fashion for coloring calipers went with the advent of expensive sports cars, on which special very powerful and carefully designed brake mechanisms were installed, this became a sign that the car was able to quickly and always effectively slow down;
- for many, the fact that the more powerful the brakes, the faster the car may seem like a paradox, but this is exactly the case, and every driver wants to look fast, while the engine is not visible under the hood, and the brake calipers are open to everyone;
- there is a certain aesthetics in this, especially if the color of the calipers is in harmony with the color of the body;
- the external attractiveness of the car affects its price in the secondary market, though not always, some signs of tuning can scare away.
In addition, painting the calipers will be very inexpensive, you can always do it yourself.
How to choose heat resistant paint
Heat resistance is a basic requirement for brake paint. The energy released during deceleration from a high speed is so large and the braking time is short that the braking power, defined as the ratio of energy to time, is many times greater than the engine power. In this case, all the kinetic energy of a heavy machine goes exclusively into heat.
The discs and the surface of the pads during fast driving and frequent braking can heat up to a thousand degrees, this can be clearly seen by their glow in the dark. Due to heat dissipation, the temperature of the calipers is much lower, but several hundred degrees can be expected here.
Ordinary paint will burn instantly, so you can only cover calipers with heat-resistant paint, and since it’s hard to think of another use for it in a car, labels of such products directly indicate its purpose for brakes. When properly applied, it does not burn, does not fade and retains its decorative properties for a long time.
There are many manufacturers of such paint, it is made by almost all chemical concerns that produce repair materials for bodies. And not only paint, but the whole range of consumables required by proprietary technology.
How to paint calipers with your own hands
The choice of a specific painting method depends on the desire to remove parts by performing assembly and disassembly operations. You can do without this, although the quality will inevitably suffer.
In any case, before starting work, you need to buy everything you need. There is no particular point in collecting all the consumables and tools on the list, nowadays there is a complete set for sale, which takes into account all the little things, such as metal brushes, rags and masking tape.
Car painting process
You will only have to remove the wheels. Without their dismantling, nothing will work for sure.
But everything else is just enough to protect:
- with a metal brush, all surfaces intended for painting are thoroughly cleaned to pure metal, leaving dirt, soot and rust is unacceptable, the paint will immediately rise and all work will be in vain, if a poorly prepared part on the body holds the paint for some time, then on the calipers all this will live to the first heating;
- a clean surface is treated with a degreasing agent and dried with an industrial hair dryer;
- all excess is pasted over with paper on masking tape, colored brake hoses will look somewhat ridiculous;
- a heat-resistant primer is applied with a spray gun or balloon according to the technology in the kit instructions and dried for the specified time;
- the number of layers of primer also depends on the manufacturer's recommendations, sometimes these are even different compositions, etching acid primer and finishing primer;
- paint is applied over the primer, in extreme cases it can even be done with a brush, there small errors are not as noticeable as on the body, but better with a gun or a cylinder.
After painting, it is necessary to withstand even the dried coating for at least a day in order to avoid the appearance of bubbles when heated from braking. Carefully remove the pasted protection, otherwise the remnants will simply light up and ruin all the work.
Painting with removal of parts
If you spend time removing the caliper parts from the car, the result will be much better:
- when working on dismantled parts, cleaning with rotating metal brushes can be applied, which is faster and more efficient;
- parts will be painted on all sides, including hard-to-reach;
- no need to waste time gluing, and the risk of splashing paint on unnecessary details disappears;
- it is easier to meet the requirements of the technology, some compositions require hot drying at a certain temperature;
- it is much more convenient to paint the removed parts, which means the result will improve.
Minor errors are also easier to fix when the part is not under the machine, but in a well-lit and accessible area.
Features of using the spray gun and spray can
It is unlikely that anyone would think of painting body parts from a spray can now, so the necessary decorative effect cannot be provided, and good body paint is not supplied in spray cans. Supports are another matter. Here, a high surface class is not needed, the casting relief is still not going anywhere, it is not required to putty the cast-iron body.
The spray can will give quite acceptable quality. But first you still need to practice on a trial subject. So you can estimate the distance to the part and the speed of the torch, avoiding smudges and non-painting. It is necessary to apply the paint in two layers, without trying to fill everything at once to an even shade.
Spray guns are usually operated by professionals or very experienced amateurs. Here it is necessary to take into account everything, the compressor pressure, air flow, the shape and size of the torch. There are several regulators on the pistol, the purpose of which is not clear to anyone. Preparing both air and paint is also a difficult procedure.
The compressor is equipped with a desiccant, and the paint is carefully filtered and brought to the desired consistency with a solvent. A set of equipment is expensive and rarely used, so it is better to use spray cans, where everything is much simpler, and therefore cheaper.
