Paint won't stick to caliper!

[RAZOR1]

Hey All.

Tried to paint the left front caliper yesterday. Twice in fact.

No matter what I did the duplicolor rattle can paint would stick to the rotor. Used two different types of primer, one being a etching primer. Both times the red looked great but as soon as I touched it it would crinkle/tear. I know the caliper is clean. After the paint ruined the first time I had to remove the caliper to clean it of red paint and primer.

Any suggestions?

Thanks Joe..

[nick49]

"No matter what I did the duplicolor rattle can paint would stick to the rotor. "

Use some old newspaper to mask it off.

If the caliper is too cold or the finish too slick the paint won't bond. Make sure it is at least 65 degrees. clean the surface with lacquer thinner or a non oily degreaser, lightly sand or scuff the surface to give a foot for the new paint. Also make certain you shake, shake shake, as some canned paints have sat too long on the shelf making the driers so they don't redily mix with the pigments.

[RAZOR1]

Sorry about that. Had rotor on the mind this morning. I wanted to say caliper. Rotors turned out great, as did the lugs.

For whatever reason the calipers are giving me a fit..

Joe

[Chris_in_NH]

did you sand the caliper first, then clean with brake cleaner?

when i did mine, i didn't use any primer. just paint (3 or 4 light coats) and clear coat (same). it has held up well for years now. no cracking/chipping/peeling, etc.

you also don't want to be TOUCHING the paint until it's fully dry, which would be ~24 hours. not that you can't add additional coats in that time, but you don't want to *touch* it.

and if you screw up, just paint over it! ;)

Edited September 20, 2006 by Chris_in_NH

[RAZOR1]

No I didn't sand it first. Not sure I have anything strong enough to bite into the finish of the steele used on the caliper.

Will look around and see what I have.

After spending 2 hours masking/taping things off, all the hoses, zerberts, bolts and under carriage not sure I have the set to try again right now.

Sounds like a weekend project.

Thanks, Joe

[Chris_in_NH]

No I didn't sand it first. Not sure I have anything strong enough to bite into the finish of the steele used on the caliper.

Will look around and see what I have.

After spending 2 hours masking/taping things off, all the hoses, zerberts, bolts and under carriage not sure I have the set to try again right now.

Sounds like a weekend project.

Thanks, Joe

the sandpaper doesn't need to 'sand' the steel per se, you just want to rough-up the surface a little to make sure you get all the grease/dirt off, etc. you can use a wire brush as well, or even one of those scrubby sponges (throw it away after!)

use the brush/sandpaper/scrub sponge with some brake cleaner/prep solvent, etc. then spray the caliper down with the cleaner/solvent to remove any remaining dirt. it will evaporate quickly.

it reminds me of when i was going to do my calipers and i needed a wire brush. took a shower and got dressed to be semi-presentable at Home Depot, got in the car and got down to the end of my street (500 feet, maybe.) there was a wire brush lying in the middle of the street. picked it up. went home. :lol:

as for the masking, you might want to try my garbage bag approach. i took a regular garbage bag (50 gallon) and split it at one side and at the bottom to make one large sheet of plastic. i started at the caliper and worked my way out to the door/bumpers. you can get an idea from the pic above. this way takes about 5 minutes for each caliper. i also covered the rest of the car with a blanket.

good luck!

Edited September 21, 2006 by Chris_in_NH

[niebyl2002]

How did you make a sign "PORSCHE"? Did you buy any decals? or cut the letters in a piece of paper and paint it over caliper??

Hmmm.

I am ready to paint mine calipers to red and I would like a white letters saying PORSCHE!!

Any ideas?

[RAZOR1]

Can get them off ebay. Think I paid 4.99$ U.S for 6. Guy gives you six, two extra just in case.

[gota911]

How did you make a sign "PORSCHE"? Did you buy any decals? or cut the letters in a piece of paper and paint it over caliper??

Hmmm.

I am ready to paint mine calipers to red and I would like a white letters saying PORSCHE!!

Any ideas?

Go to http://www.xenonmods.com. The have wet/dry decals. When I painted my calipers red in February, I ordered the 3.5" x .25" decals, which are actually 0.25" wider than OEM, but look good. Hope this helps.

[Westcoaster]

How did you make a sign "PORSCHE"? Did you buy any decals? or cut the letters in a piece of paper and paint it over caliper??

Hmmm.

I am ready to paint mine calipers to red and I would like a white letters saying PORSCHE!!

Any ideas?

Go to http://www.xenonmods.com. The have wet/dry decals. When I painted my calipers red in February, I ordered the 3.5" x .25" decals, which are actually 0.25" wider than OEM, but look good. Hope this helps.

What do you mean by: "They have wet/dry decals"

[gota911]

How did you make a sign "PORSCHE"? Did you buy any decals? or cut the letters in a piece of paper and paint it over caliper??

Hmmm.

I am ready to paint mine calipers to red and I would like a white letters saying PORSCHE!!

Any ideas?

Go to http://www.xenonmods.com. The have wet/dry decals. When I painted my calipers red in February, I ordered the 3.5" x .25" decals, which are actually 0.25" wider than OEM, but look good. Hope this helps.

What do you mean by: "They have wet/dry decals"

Their instructions state that you can either transfer the decal using water or just apply them dry, because they have an adhesive backing on them. I did the "dry" application, simply cut one decal out, place it on the caliper, rub over the decal to ensure it has is properly adheared to the caliper, and remove the "excess" (outline od the decal) from the caliper.

[Chris_in_NH]

i did it *dry* as well. then i put a couple coats of clear on top to make sure it wasn't coming off.

[CJ_Boxster]

i did it *dry* as well. then i put a couple coats of clear on top to make sure it wasn't coming off.

I had a bad experience painting calipers in the past...2 days after the paint dried, i wanted to clean the brake dust off them with brake cleaner...the brake cleaner made the dust get permantely embedded into the paint.....So how do you clean your painted calipers???

ALSO did you know that autozone or pep boys in SoCal sells "Brake Caliper Paint"?