Brake Caliper Rebuild / Refinish w/ stainless pistons
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
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Here are some overdue photos of my brake caliper rebuild I did earlier this winter. I stripped and media blasted my calipers to bare metal, painted them, applied new labels, installed new crossover pipes, seals, stainless pistons (from RacingBrake), and silicone high heat dust boots. Came out really nice...can't wait to make them ugly on the track this year. :-)
Before:
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171126_135545_zpsulkmhmdv.jpg)
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171126_135548_zpszzlhe7ej.jpg)
During:
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171223_143624_zpshqgqivl6.jpg)
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171223_143629_zpsmg8mc7wc.jpg)
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171229_124110_zps8gdf2pwo.jpg)
After:
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171229_150820_zpsf9etfcli.jpg)
Before:
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171126_135545_zpsulkmhmdv.jpg)
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171126_135548_zpszzlhe7ej.jpg)
During:
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171223_143624_zpshqgqivl6.jpg)
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171223_143629_zpsmg8mc7wc.jpg)
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171229_124110_zps8gdf2pwo.jpg)
After:
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171229_150820_zpsf9etfcli.jpg)
![](http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y410/1964MSC/20171229_150825_zps3umrkr1f.jpg)
#3
Drifting
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Nice! They turned out great.
Would you be willing to share what kind of media, where you got the caliper decal, and which paint you used?
Would you be willing to share what kind of media, where you got the caliper decal, and which paint you used?
#4
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Thread Starter
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Sure...
80 grit garnet media. I started w/ 100 grit glass beads but that was too slow. The PO had painted them twice so I was going thru 2 paint layers and the original factory paint layer. It took about 90 minutes per caliper to blast them fully clean. I kept the original pistons and seals in place during blasting and plugged all the ports with extra brake lines I had that I pinched off. I did remove the pistons before blasting and cleaned all the fluid out w/ brake cleaner, then reinstalled for blasting.
Caliper decals are high heat and came from Acromann.com
Paint was VHT caliper paint. I did not use primer, this paint is supposed to be self priming. Also I chose not to clear coat them b/c of threads I read about the clearcoat yellowing with heat. I thought about having them powdercoated but decided against it b/c they will get ugly either way and it's easier to strip paint off and repaint than it is to strip powdercoating off. My car is mostly a track day car, not a show car.
80 grit garnet media. I started w/ 100 grit glass beads but that was too slow. The PO had painted them twice so I was going thru 2 paint layers and the original factory paint layer. It took about 90 minutes per caliper to blast them fully clean. I kept the original pistons and seals in place during blasting and plugged all the ports with extra brake lines I had that I pinched off. I did remove the pistons before blasting and cleaned all the fluid out w/ brake cleaner, then reinstalled for blasting.
Caliper decals are high heat and came from Acromann.com
Paint was VHT caliper paint. I did not use primer, this paint is supposed to be self priming. Also I chose not to clear coat them b/c of threads I read about the clearcoat yellowing with heat. I thought about having them powdercoated but decided against it b/c they will get ugly either way and it's easier to strip paint off and repaint than it is to strip powdercoating off. My car is mostly a track day car, not a show car.
Last edited by Nickshu; 02-11-2018 at 11:45 PM.
#5
Drifting
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Impressive. This sounds like a great way to tune up, restore performance and freshen the look at the same time. It’s going on my to-do list. Thanks for sharing the details!