2ndof2

Sorry, this is a little long...

Decided to dive in and begin the process of repainting my brake calipers today but have a few questions about pulling off the calipers so I can clean them up.

To prepare I purchased the epoxy type paint that is brushed on. I think I have everything I need, several cans of brake cleaner, fine grit sand paper, paint masking tape, a few good quality paint brushes, decals, and some high temp resistant spray on clear to finish the job. After reading about the recommendation about replacing caliper bolts I think I'll go get new ones just for safety's sake.

I have the car on four stands, wheels off, and I pulled the bolts off one of the rear calipers and expected that I would be able to simply pull the caliper away from the rotor. (edit: oops, I actually pulled the most upper and most lower bolt - allen heads - on the caliper but not the ones that I was supposed to in order to pull it off the car....duh!! anyone know the correct torque to put them back on?? Anything I should know about those bolts, like something I may have screwed up?? I'm thinking I may be able to get the calipers off if I actually pull the CORRECT bolts. I've had the front calipers off before but not the rears. As I recall, the fronts were held on by allen headed screws?)

Any tips on getting the pads out and the calipers off really would help right about now. I'm not planning on disconnecting the brake lines but I just figured having the calipers free of the rotors would make it easier to paint them.

One last question regarding the actual painting for those who have done theirs by hand. How much of the inside area where the pads sit should I paint? The whole area?

Anyway, thanks for reading and any tips you guys may have!

guards red

From what you've said, it sounds like you've unbolted the bolts holding the two halves of the calliper together. In the manual for the car, Porsche say that under no circumstances should you remove these. Now they may be being overly cautious, but as we're talking about the brakes on a 160 mph car, they may be right.

I would suggest having a word with Brembo who make the calliper and see what they say. You may get away with just putting them back and tighteneing them up to the right torque. But at least you'll be making an informed decision.

gordo993

When I painted my calipers, I cheated and only painted what you could see thru the wheels. I did not paint the back side of the calipers. You can't tell unless you remove a wheel...

Chuck W.

Same here. They look great too.

Mike J

I pulled mine off when painting them, primarily because that is just the way I am....Anyways I used screws on a sheet of plywood to hold the calipers in position and painted all areas except for the are inside the calipers where the pistons are. I used a two part expoxy (G2) which worked fantastic...don't worry about any brush marks when you apply the paint, the expoxy will settle out and go flat when it sets.

If you remove the front calipers do not forget to replace the two large bolts that hold the caliper on, and torque properly (63fl-lbs). I am not sure about the torque for the bolts that hold the caliper together though.

I found the biggest problem is the brake lines...they tend to seize inside the caliper. On the next car I do (another rennlister) I might just do what I can reach.

If you re removing the calipers you do not have to remove the pads seperately...just pull the caliper off with the pads. If you have a bit of a lip on the disk then you might have to seperate the pads a bit...gently pry with a large flat tool (like a wide screwdriver) between the pad and the disk...this will push the pad back into the caliper and give some clearance.

Check out http://www.pcarworkshop.com/index.ph..._Rotor_Service, this might help. There are also other articles on www.pcarworkshop.com that will help (including torque specs).

Cheers,

Mike

CornerCarver

No need to take them off, unless you plan to rebuild them. I managed to paint the entire caliper without removing.

NightFlyer

How did you guys get the "PORSCHE" back on the caliper? Is it some sort of decal or do you have a stencile?

Nuff

+2

Took off wheels, painted them and then put on hi temp decals.

MarkD

There is a supplier on eBay many have used. He sells 2 different length logos so make sure you get the right one. The guy I bought from was "xenonmods" but I don't see any listed by him right now. There are a few others though. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PORSC...QQcmdZViewItem
You paint with caliper paint, apply decal, hi-temp clear. May be other methods.
More info in this forum somewhere...

993MAN

I left mine on as well. It looked like trouble pulling them off.
I hate trouble.
I bought my decals from E bay as well. A few months later and they still look like the day they were done.

MDamen

OK, I appear to be the **** retentive one. I remove the calipers, prepped the whole thing and painted with high temp VHT paint. I masked off the inner surfaces where the pistons are. disconnecting the brake line and dealig with seeping brake fluid was a pain. After the red paint, I applied the decals off ebay and then coated with clear. I found the clear was essential becuase the color dried to a dull finish. Still looks great a year later. I don't know who I was trying to impress with the complete caliper off the car job. You can only see parts of the caliper with the wheel on, and I never have anybody else service my car. Oh well, I'm happy how it turned out, it's just messy and time consuming to do a good job.

2ndof2

.....as I have been finding out first hand!

Wachuko

I did mine in the 964...



Still looks like the first day it was done.

I used the paint you brush on. And do follow the instruction on it... good first coat because if you plan to apply a second coat you have to wait a few days or it will wrinkle...

2ndof2

Wachuko, is that the epoxy type brush-on paint with the activating agent you used or some other type of paint? A few days waiting time seems awfully long in-between coats.

Wachuko

What I used was the kit you find at Autozone or Discount Auto... the DupliColor Caliper Paint with Ceramic (8fl oz can). Just make sure you do a good coverage in the first pass... or wait five days before putting more...

What you see in the photo is the final result with just one thick coat... like I said, still looks the same after a wash.