Colour Coded Calipers

Painting the Calipers

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After reading a lot of threads on painting callipers Caz decided that Oscar needed the same treatment.  She purchased some orange engine paint (sorry completely devoid of any manufacturer details just a shiny silver tin with orange paint written on and a small sample of the colour).  Purchased from a trade stand at Beaulieu mini day and the stall owner said it was very suitable for callipers too.I (Dan aka Goofy) was given the task and decided that I would tackle the job by removing the callipers although we had read it was possible to paint them insitu.

This is how it happened:

First gather all the tools needed we used:

  • Orange paint
  • Brake cleaner
  • Jet Washer (or hosepipe)
  • Screwdrivers (flat headed)
  • Socket wrench and extension bar
  • ½” and 5/8” sockets
  • Wire brush
  • Rags
  • 8mm Hex Allen Key
  • Pliers
  • Aluminium Foil

Getting Started

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OK Safety first, we jacked up the car, and placed it securely on axle stands, we used a trolley jack and four axle stands as we were doing all four calipers front and rear, once I was happy the car was secure, we started removing the wheels to expose the calipers.
Yuk!!!
Once the wheels were removed we set about cleaning the calipers with a suitable brake cleaner, left this for a few minutes (no agitation necessary), then used the pressure washer to wash off the residue, and then dried off with a rag.
If you don't own a pressure washer a hose will do the job just fine with a jet nozzle fitted



Time to remove the Calipers


Ok first we need to locate the bolts, for use with the 8mm Hex key, Before unscrewing the bolts use a screwdriver to pry the brake pads open to make it easier for the caliper to come off.  Remove brake clip (put in a safe place) which is located on the side of the calliper.
Unscrew the bolts to remove the caliper making sure the bolts were fully unscrewed but they do not come out, then we  needed to locate the 2 bolts that hold the main bracket in place which were behind the disc,  we used a socket wrench to remove them.  Make sure you place these bolts somewhere safe as they come out fully. 
Once the calipers were removed I used the wire brush to fully clean them and get rid of any last residue of brake dust, dirt  and grime off (safety googles please folks) so the surface was totally clean, also roughs up the surface so the paint will adhere.
As the calliper is still connected to the brake line, I needed to ensure that the discs were covered to avoid any paint drips, for this I used tin foil as it is easy to place in all the appropriate areas, the we used the disc to rest the calliper on, ideal for painting.

Now for a lick of Paint

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The brackets were painted and hung up in the garage to dry. 
This particular paint was quite thin and needed a few coats to get a good coverage which I did while they were hanging up, also the paint did run quite badly so caught the drips with the paint brush, the photo shows front calliper painted up (yeah alright it was not a totally neat job but those bits were not going to show) note the painted rear calliper (slightly different to the front). 

Putting it all back together

Front calliper now assembled without the clips in place, didn’t take too long to dry and all were back in place about six hours after painting.
Wheels now back on and jack and axle stands removed. Success, wheels all working as they should, now ready to clean the wheels and get going.
Caz was really pleased with the job which did take all day to do all four, but was well worth it.
Words and pictures courtesy of Cazzywaz
work completed by Dan (Goofy)




Please note we will not be held responsible for any damage done to your car, as we are enthusiasts not professionals, the above is intended as a guide only