Refinished calipers
06-11-2006, 03:12 PM
#1
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Refinished calipers
Just thought I'd post my recent experience refinishing my acid washed, flaking calipers...four options:
a) buy a caliper kit - upside: easy and cheap...you don't have to take the calipers off and you apply paint with a brush. Don't like that option myself.
b) powder coating: expensive and complicated...sounds doable until you realize you have to completely dismantle the calipers, which means that you have to rebuild afterward. Brembo kits are very hard to get (I was told it would take over 2 weeks to get them) and expensive (in the $900 range). By the time you're said and done, your car will be out of commission for 2-3 weeks and you'll have dropped $1,200.
c) buy big reds: expensive...$2k for what would mainly be a small cosmetic improvement on a daily driver doesn't make sense.
d) professional respray (my option): take the calipers off, get them sandblasted and take them to a body shop. Have them apply two coats of high temp primer and two or three coats of car paint (I chose red). Get their stripe supplier to make you a set of Porsche decals. The end result: your calipers will look like brand new OEMs for about $550.
BTW: OEMs are painted and clear coated, not powder coated. Hope this helps someone.
a) buy a caliper kit - upside: easy and cheap...you don't have to take the calipers off and you apply paint with a brush. Don't like that option myself.
b) powder coating: expensive and complicated...sounds doable until you realize you have to completely dismantle the calipers, which means that you have to rebuild afterward. Brembo kits are very hard to get (I was told it would take over 2 weeks to get them) and expensive (in the $900 range). By the time you're said and done, your car will be out of commission for 2-3 weeks and you'll have dropped $1,200.
c) buy big reds: expensive...$2k for what would mainly be a small cosmetic improvement on a daily driver doesn't make sense.
d) professional respray (my option): take the calipers off, get them sandblasted and take them to a body shop. Have them apply two coats of high temp primer and two or three coats of car paint (I chose red). Get their stripe supplier to make you a set of Porsche decals. The end result: your calipers will look like brand new OEMs for about $550.
BTW: OEMs are painted and clear coated, not powder coated. Hope this helps someone.
06-11-2006, 09:48 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
LJ in Van, they get that much in B.C. for a powder coat job? i just had my calipers and rotor hats media blasted and powder coated for $220.00 (4 days). No reason to dismantle, just use threaded plugs to plug the line and bleeder holes. The brakes during a track run are subjected to a much higher temp and longer heat cycle than a powder coat oven. yours look nice too.....
a tip on the decals for the future caliper guys .....most of your local vinyl sign stores are charging a flat design or up fee to scan or find it in there virtual library, usually $25.00 or so + decals, its how they keep the doors open cutting $7.00 worth of decals. Usually you can find them on ebay or the web much cheaper. $7 or $8
a tip on the decals for the future caliper guys .....most of your local vinyl sign stores are charging a flat design or up fee to scan or find it in there virtual library, usually $25.00 or so + decals, its how they keep the doors open cutting $7.00 worth of decals. Usually you can find them on ebay or the web much cheaper. $7 or $8
Last edited by faster; 06-12-2006 at 01:03 AM.
06-12-2006, 12:24 AM
#4
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The shop servicing the car this week is going to quote me on the powdercoating, I'll post it when I find out how much, anything less than $500 and I will probably get it done.
Can go without the car for 4 days....I don't know!
Now if I could get as set of those RS wheels in 18" a (or a reasonable copy of them), that would be sweet.
Can go without the car for 4 days....I don't know!
Now if I could get as set of those RS wheels in 18" a (or a reasonable copy of them), that would be sweet.
06-12-2006, 01:37 AM
#7
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Ron, as faster said, just plug the line with threaded plugs and mask the bleed nipple. Faster, I don't know how they baked your calipers at 350 degrees (part of the process) without dismantling the pistons since the seals would melt. Removing the pistons would require the calipers to be rebuilt with new rings etc. and this is where the cost is incurred...buying a brake kit from Brembo. This is what two separate powder coat shops and one mechanic shop that sends them out for powder coating told me as they refused to do my job without first having me completely dismantle my calipers. I'm no mechanic but their logic made sense to me and they had nothing to gain and my job to lose with their explanation. My initial intent was to get them done properly (powder coating them) but after speaking to two shops and getting the same answer I opted to have them painted. I could've been misinformed but this is my experience.
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06-12-2006, 03:19 AM
#8
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FWIW, calipers seals are good for 415F, powdercoating cures at 375-395F. I have powdercoated ~30 sets of calipers without disassembly.
Like Jason pointed out, seal kits with dust boots are right at $50/caliper from Brembo or Stoptech. No worries
Key to powder coating is completly stripping-off all previous paint, down to bare aluminum.
Like Jason pointed out, seal kits with dust boots are right at $50/caliper from Brembo or Stoptech. No worries
Key to powder coating is completly stripping-off all previous paint, down to bare aluminum.
06-12-2006, 08:04 AM
#9
Burning Brakes
Originally Posted by gordo993
I chose option A - $70 invested, track tested, still look like new big reds!
Same here......Two years ago, they look like the day after I did 'em
.
06-12-2006, 05:59 PM
#14
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Thread Starter
Well...this sucks! I guess I may have been offered incomplete or misinformation from several parties. I really wanted to powder coat them and yes, it would've been around $250 for me too based on what I was quoted. Oh well, I guess I'm glad to have rennlist as a resource, especially when I'm just starting with the mods. Thanks to everyone for your contributions.
