[Guest]

I'm looking to do a little weekend work and was just wondering how do I remove the entire caliper to paint it, I kinda don't wanna go the way of just painting it while its on the car, it gives it this nasty look when yer up close. My friend did it to this MR2 and well, its nice from far, but far from nice up close.

Thanks,

 

[Knibbs]

i did this and i had to have the calipers changed cuz when i bled the brake to get pressure again the bleeder screw broke,, but if you really want to , you have to take the wheel off(it also helps if you turn your wheel so that the calpier turns and you get get behind it better,, then there are 2 bolts.. youll see them take those out, and then get a pair of vice grips and pinch the brake line, and twist the caliper off the hose,(you may need to use a wrench to get it started. then wiggle the caliper off the rotor ,, clean it, prime it , and paint it. let it dry. connect the fluid hose. then bolt the caliper back on. and then youll see a lil nipple type screw,, (this is where i messed up) you unscrew it a 1/4 turn. (your gonna need to people to do this. while the bleeder screw is open. have the other person push the brake to the floor slowly. and once he hits the floor, tell him to hold it to the floor and to tell him to let you know its all the way down. now tighten the screw but be gentle,no tell him to let the brake pedal up , then losen the bleeder screw again 1/4 turn and do the following steps till you get the pressure back in the brakes. Warning this is what i know of front brakes. i have drum s in the back. im not sure this is how you do it for rear disc brakes. no if i left anything someone please fill in ,, thanks

 

[Morph]

Personally I found it much easier to just mask off the rotors with a plastic bag and some tape, then just spray on a few coats of brake caliper paint. You don't need to take the calipers off to paint them, its more of a hassle than its worth. I painted mine back in March I think and they are still holding up great. Click here for pics.

Take the wheel off (might as well clean them and wax them since you got em off)
Make sure the caliper is thoroughly cleaned and dry
Cover the rotor with a plastic bag and tape off anything that you don't want paint on
Spray on a few thin coats of hi temp primer, allow to dry
Spray on 3-4 coats of brake caliper paint(available at Pep Boys)
Allow to dry overnight before driving.

 

[Raben]

I painted mine with them on -- brushed -- and looks pretty well. I didn't paint the back half of it however, only what will be seen with wheel on. Pic posted below. Looks like it came out quite ok

I bought the paint from Stylin Concepts

 

[Guest]

yes, i know this is an old thread, but i was wondering what and where is the best place to get pait for my calipers....

 

[Guest]

Pep Boys and the like sell dedicated "caliper paint," but it is no different than the hi-temp engine paint and comes in fewer colors. In any Pep Boys, there's a spraypaint section - you'll find the hi-temp stuff there. Few bucks a can...real easy.

As for the original question: If you're friend's MR2 looks like crap, it's because he did a crappy job! I did my calipers the weekend before last with them on the car, and like was posted before, just used plastic grocery bags to cover the rotor and other parts I didn't want to get paint on. If you use a good brake dust cleaner and scrub the living daylights out of your calipers, allow that to dry, and then do many light coats of paint (at least 5), let that dry to the touch, and then put your wheel back on your calipers will come out beautifully. Not to mention, you won't run into the problem of having to d!ck around with the brake system. You should be able to do all 4 calipers in an afternoon. Painting with the calipers on really isn't that bad of a way to go. Just make sure you've got plenty of bags handy (say, 2 per wheel), and try to "tuck" the bag in between the caliper and rotor. Piece of cake...good luck!

PS - did I mention many light coats???

 

[Blackcoog]

Mine chipped off pretty bad and I am going to sand off the paint and redue them with primer and then paint. I didn't have primer on there before.

 

[Mtang4life]

Dear god, dont close off the brake line with vice grips, that is a BAD idea, unless you like buying and installing brake hoses, you could easily damage it that way! just prop the brake petal to keep the fluid in the mater cylinder (this will close off the ports) so you dont let that run dry, which is another bad idea, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE ABS. Just remember try not to use vice grips unless you have already trashed the nut, bolt etc, or are planning on replacing it anyway. Have the correct tools for the job, or you will break parts, or cause a failure in the long run. This is just my $0.02

 

[Guest]

If you're going to this much trouble, think about replacing the break lines with braided stainless steel, and think also about DOT 4 break fluid.

 

[AL]

easy 2 10mm allen wrench bolts and then tape off the piston and paint