How to Apply Brake Caliper Paint – Complete Instructions
American Touch Up Brake Caliper Paint is a single stage high heat chemical resistant coating that will leave your calipers looking like new again! We have many different colors to restore your brake calipers, or for you to change to something completely different. Never the less your vehicle will stand out!
All our Brake Caliper Aerosol Spray cans are 11 oz by weight, and is enough to cover all 4 Brake Calipers! Caliper Paint will cure to a Satin Finish. Clear Coating is optional.
PREPERATION WORK:
This is the most important part of any paint job. It is recommended to have a mechanic help you or stand by while lifting your vehicle up and removing tires and/or Brake calipers. You can spray your calipers by leaving them on the vehicle and covering well, however for best results have a professional remove the calipers from the vehicle.
Once the calipers are exposed, You will need to clean the entire surface of the caliper with a wire brush. Get into as many of the areas as you can knocking away all brake dust and road particles. Spend a lot of time on this task as anything left will show through the finish. If any decals are on the brake caliper use a sharp edge or razor blade to remove it. Once all particles are gone, use sand paper to sand all materials smooth.
Now clean the caliper completely with Soap and water followed by our Caliper Cleaner or use a brake caliper solvent or isopropyl alcohol. Completely coat the surface and wipe clean. Lastly apply wax and grease remover to get any left over particles off and wipe dry.
Note: Do not use Caliper Cleaner after paint has been applied.
Now you can carefully tape and wrap your calipers with either plastic or paper. Cover all the areas you do not want overspray to touch. Pay specially attention to areas such as the brake disc and brake pads as well as any brake lines.
CHECK TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY:
In most spraying situations you want to make sure, that your spray can, air temperature, surface temperature are all around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the air humidity is no greater than 50-60%.
TIME TO SPRAY:
Primer: After the proper prep work has been done you can begin applying the high heat primer. Test spray a piece of cardboard to check fan spray nozzle position and consistency of spray pattern. Once ready, hold spray can between 6-8 inches away from your surface. Spray in a consistent smooth left to right motion overlapping 1/4th of the previous pass as you work your way down. Wait 10-15 minutes between each coat, and apply 2-3 coats.
Caliper Paint: Wait a full 24 hours before applying caliper paint after it has been primed. Using the same spray technique and holding the can 6-8 inches away start with a light and consistently smooth left to right motion overlapping 1/4th of the previous pass as you work your way down. You don’t need to apply extremely wet coats, just work on a consistent layer. Apply 2-3 Coats.
Curing Process: Paint only attains its unique properties to resist wear and chemicals after correct curing. Please note that brake fluid will remove uncured paint if it comes in contact with the surface. The inherent heat caused from braking for 2 hrs of driving is enough for the curing process. However try to drive on clean/dry paved roads for the direction of the curing process. If the calipers are off the vehicle use an oven to bake the calipers at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hr. It is not recommended to use you kitchen oven for this.
Clearcoat: Is not required unless you would like a higher sheen or if you have a decal that you will be applying it is recommended to use High Heat Clear coat to cover after applying. Use the same spray techniques as before with same curing process.
How to Videos to Assist: