You got new wheels - Now what about your old brake calipers ?
12-16-11, 05:42 AM
#1
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
You got new wheels - Now what about your old brake calipers ?
So ya just spent several grand ($$$) on sparking, new wheels. Probably tires also. And you exhausted yerself fer about 3 days with Zaino getting your ride lookin’ as kewl as it can be. And yet, when people look “through” your purty new wheels, wut do they see ? Old, crusty, stock, yucko-looking brake calipers.
Oh ! I know …. you CAN spend $ 4 on a can of black (or gray) spray paint. And I know…….. “It looks pretty good.” And yeah ….. VHT high temp caliper paint. @ $7.00 a can. Or you can invest in a can of Duplicolor caliper paint, which most auto enthusiasts will tell you is cr*p.
And, of course, you CAN spend a bloody fortune getting your calipers Powder Coated. Of course, that means even more $$$ and the fact your car will be “down” and out-of-service for maybe a week or longer. Since you MUST remove the calipers. And maybe all of that is beyond your own capabilities.
Or you can decide to do it correctly, have it look as good as premium, new coated Brembo calipers, for far less than $ 40 ! And YOU can do this. It’s all from a company called G2. The G2 Paint System is a 2-Part epoxy, and results in a fairly A) Robust paint application that will last a fairly long time, and B) Looks amazing when you’re done.
You can read about the product first, if you wish, here: http://www.g2usa.com/product/G2.html
Why G2 ? The most important reason is you have invested a lot in your LS, and want it looking really GOOD for a long time. The 2nd important reason is: Brakes get HOT, and regular paint, especially spray paint, does not handle the heat so well. Even high-temperature paint.
The COST for the G2 System ? Less than $ 40. TIME ? A few hours (DO NOT RUSH PERFORMING THIS !) OUT-OF-SERVICE TIME ? 24 hours, as you must remove your wheels – And you must do ALL 4 CALIPERS SIMULTANEOUSLY !
What do you get in the Kit ? Each caliper paint kit includes a high-performance caliper cleaner, mixing can, stirrer, application brush and a color decal. No other manufacturer offers such a complete system and no one can compete with such an effective kit. We do suggest you also provide yourself with: 1) A GOOD ROLL OF MASKING TAPE; 2) An EXTRA CAN OF BRAKE CALIPER CLEANER; and 3) A WIRE BRUSH. Why ?
Because the Cleaner the calipers are, the better the G2 paint will stick and look even after applying. And you MUST mask off certain areas/parts to obtain optimum results.
Here are 3 You Tube videos you can watch to get more ideas and thoughts about this.
G2 Application Video You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRiyubFm8vc
BETTER VIDEO THAN THE ONE BY G2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ge10FoCeiE
OR (For additional excellent suggestions): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0Q19...eature=related
If you want to do this, I DO SUGGEST you watch all three, and in the order I have them listed. The first two will get better you acquainted with the G2 process, and the last video will give/show you some VALUABLE TIPS !
Lowest price: I had thought it was on eBAY here (This seller sells all of the G2 colors, this listing is for BLACK): http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-BRAKE-...ht_3797wt_1138
His price is $ 37.79.
And then I discovered HUBCAPSPLUS: http://www.wheelskin.com/g2_brake_ca...FUOQ7Qodow4yUQ
If you use coupon code G2 at check out, the net result (After a 5% discount) is: $ 35.90
Later today, I will try and return and post a complete HOW TO on this. Giving further details and tips you can use.
The results are amazing, you friends will really like the new look, and you’ll be pleased with your investment of time and money. As always, I have no involvement whatsoever with G2 or any supplier of theirs, and am not/have not received any compensation whatsoever for this suggestion made herein. Wow. Glad we got through this.
Two last thoughts: FIRST: This system has a shelf-life of about 6 months. SO, please don't buy this now and wait a year to do the work. SECOND: Be prepared to complete the task once you have started. Because once you have added the hardener to the can of paint, you have a Working Life of a few hours - Consider that to be 2 or 2+ hours. Period.
Wishing everyone a great day ! And I’ll be back. As cold as it is, I still caught a largemouth (bass) yesterday, and am happier than heck right now. See ya later ! Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA -
Oh ! I know …. you CAN spend $ 4 on a can of black (or gray) spray paint. And I know…….. “It looks pretty good.” And yeah ….. VHT high temp caliper paint. @ $7.00 a can. Or you can invest in a can of Duplicolor caliper paint, which most auto enthusiasts will tell you is cr*p.
And, of course, you CAN spend a bloody fortune getting your calipers Powder Coated. Of course, that means even more $$$ and the fact your car will be “down” and out-of-service for maybe a week or longer. Since you MUST remove the calipers. And maybe all of that is beyond your own capabilities.
Or you can decide to do it correctly, have it look as good as premium, new coated Brembo calipers, for far less than $ 40 ! And YOU can do this. It’s all from a company called G2. The G2 Paint System is a 2-Part epoxy, and results in a fairly A) Robust paint application that will last a fairly long time, and B) Looks amazing when you’re done.
You can read about the product first, if you wish, here: http://www.g2usa.com/product/G2.html
Why G2 ? The most important reason is you have invested a lot in your LS, and want it looking really GOOD for a long time. The 2nd important reason is: Brakes get HOT, and regular paint, especially spray paint, does not handle the heat so well. Even high-temperature paint.
The COST for the G2 System ? Less than $ 40. TIME ? A few hours (DO NOT RUSH PERFORMING THIS !) OUT-OF-SERVICE TIME ? 24 hours, as you must remove your wheels – And you must do ALL 4 CALIPERS SIMULTANEOUSLY !
What do you get in the Kit ? Each caliper paint kit includes a high-performance caliper cleaner, mixing can, stirrer, application brush and a color decal. No other manufacturer offers such a complete system and no one can compete with such an effective kit. We do suggest you also provide yourself with: 1) A GOOD ROLL OF MASKING TAPE; 2) An EXTRA CAN OF BRAKE CALIPER CLEANER; and 3) A WIRE BRUSH. Why ?
Because the Cleaner the calipers are, the better the G2 paint will stick and look even after applying. And you MUST mask off certain areas/parts to obtain optimum results.
Here are 3 You Tube videos you can watch to get more ideas and thoughts about this.
G2 Application Video You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRiyubFm8vc
BETTER VIDEO THAN THE ONE BY G2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ge10FoCeiE
OR (For additional excellent suggestions): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0Q19...eature=related
If you want to do this, I DO SUGGEST you watch all three, and in the order I have them listed. The first two will get better you acquainted with the G2 process, and the last video will give/show you some VALUABLE TIPS !
Lowest price: I had thought it was on eBAY here (This seller sells all of the G2 colors, this listing is for BLACK): http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-BRAKE-...ht_3797wt_1138
His price is $ 37.79.
And then I discovered HUBCAPSPLUS: http://www.wheelskin.com/g2_brake_ca...FUOQ7Qodow4yUQ
If you use coupon code G2 at check out, the net result (After a 5% discount) is: $ 35.90
Later today, I will try and return and post a complete HOW TO on this. Giving further details and tips you can use.
The results are amazing, you friends will really like the new look, and you’ll be pleased with your investment of time and money. As always, I have no involvement whatsoever with G2 or any supplier of theirs, and am not/have not received any compensation whatsoever for this suggestion made herein. Wow. Glad we got through this.
Two last thoughts: FIRST: This system has a shelf-life of about 6 months. SO, please don't buy this now and wait a year to do the work. SECOND: Be prepared to complete the task once you have started. Because once you have added the hardener to the can of paint, you have a Working Life of a few hours - Consider that to be 2 or 2+ hours. Period.
Wishing everyone a great day ! And I’ll be back. As cold as it is, I still caught a largemouth (bass) yesterday, and am happier than heck right now. See ya later ! Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA -
Last edited by Mikey100; 12-23-11 at 09:15 AM.
12-16-11, 05:52 AM
#2
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
HERE IS THE "HOW TO" I PROMISED Y'all !
BRAKE CALIPER PAINTING
REMEMBER: Watch the You Tube application videos shown above FIRST ! Maybe watch all three of them twice.
Alright folk, herein is a short summary of: How to paint your calipers with the G2 paint kit, with calipers On the car.
1) First step is block out most of a day to do this. It will take a little time to jack up the car and figure out how to get all 4 wheels/tires off the ground. It will also take time to let the paint dry between coats. All the procedures required will add up to a good bit amount of time, most of which is waiting time really. Just be sure and PLAN ACCORDINGLY. You are NOT gonna do this project correctly, and you won’t be happy, if you try to rush this, and do it in 2 hours.
2) Next, you will need about 3 cans of brake parts cleaner. This is used to prep all 4 calipers BEFORE painting them. The brake calipers are very dirty creatures already. You want to use the strong solvent in the cleaner to cut all the crud and grime BEFORE you start to paint them. Parts cleaner is parts cleaner. Wally world sells the stuff for like .99 a can. Get the cheap stuff and spray liberally on all 4 calipers. Allow a quick time to dry, which it will quickly because of it's high alcohol content anyway. Your rotor and caliper will look opaque and smudged. It's normal. The surface of the caliper is very porous and when clean looks different than full of dirt. This prep step is very important in order to give the paint a clean surface to adhere to. The better you do this step, the longer your job will last. (This step is assuming you will paint the caliper while still attached). Just like computer work: “Garbage in, garbage out.” And you don’t want that. HINT: If necessary, you may, at this point, want to use that wire brush I referred to earlier.
3) NOW: Take some GOOD masking tape and MASK off any places, areas, etc you do not want to get painted. Take your time here. The end results make this step ultra important. The 2nd video above stresses the importance of this step. And at this point, you will uinderstand Why YOU WANT TO DO THIS PROJECT DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS WITH GOOD LIGHTING ! DO not attempt this project at night, regardless of whatever shop light/lighting you think you have.
4) Next, mix the paint ingredients as instructed by the manufacturer. The G2 kit will have a small can which contains the paint and you will have to add the catalyst and mix VERY VERY well. Once mixed together, the paint will now have a WORKING TIME of a few hours (2+). You will have to commit to do the ENTIRE JOB NOW. If you play around, the paint will harden in a few hours and you will be out of luck. Remember my preface of blocking off most of a day to do this work ??? Well, this is the reason.
Use the supplied brush to start brushing the paint onto the caliper's surface. BE PATIENT. This is not a race. The key here is applying LIGHT and even coats. The paint will come out with similar viscosity as nail polish. Just like nail polish it WILL RUN if you apply too much. Hence LIGHT COATS are best. Go from caliper to caliper using the exact same technique. LIGHT coat over entire surface, then the next caliper, then the next, etc. DO NOT worry about the small spots that will pop up with no paint on. This is normal. The calipers, as I explained before, are very porous. Being so porous, sometimes as you are brushing the paint on, it will leave some of those pores w/o paint leaving small "holes" in the paint. It's okay. When you apply the subsequent coats, you will fill these tiny holes in with the end of your brush. It is much more important to apply as evenly as possible in LIGHT coats to avoid runs. Also, be very careful not to paint over the retaining bolts that hold the caliper in place. These bolts have to be removed to change your pads later on, and you don't want to paint over them. Allow this coat to dry almost all the way (about 15 mins) before trying to start on the next one. FYI, don't test to see if it's dry with your fingers !!! Use the brush and "comb" the paint lightly to test before continuing.
5) Once you have the first coat on, you will start to get the hang of the brushing part of the project, and it will become easier. At this stage, your paint will be ultra shiny and you will get a sense of what it's going to look like. On these next few coats, technique will play a bigger role. When applying the remaining coats, use the "combing" technique. This means you will apply the paint in one direction in one stroke. No back and forth - or strong bearing down - action here. If you do that, it will leave streaks on the paint that will NOT come out later. The paint is pretty thick, so this technique has to be used to keep a uniform looking paint job. Just use very light strokes now and "comb" the paint to fill in and deepen the luster in the places needed. Think of it as putting some kind of glaze on a cake. You wouldn't bear down and smash it into the cake, would you ? The same principle here. "Comb" ALL the remaining coats in for the best possible finish.
6) WAIT 24 hours for the G2 paint to fully cure. If you rush this, at some point you will not be as pleased with the overall results as you could have. AFTER 24 hours has elapsed, remove all of the masking tape you originally installed. Take your time.
7) At this point, you should be done with the bigger part of the project. Allow plenty drying time before putting wheels back on. MINIMUM of 24 HOURS !!! It has to be completely dry before attempting this.
8) If you are going to apply any kind of vinyl stickers, you have to wait until the paint is 1000% dry. When you do, remember the sticker is a straight sticker with some good sticky glue on the back. Your caliper is semi-circular. See where I'm going ? You will have to make "slits" in order to get the sticker to bend and conform to the caliper's shape. This is only necessary on the front, as the rear is a small round one and will only have the "L" from Lexus on it so it will go on w/o modifications. Remember, measure twice and cut once. Once the sticker is on there, you can't pull it off w/o damaging it. So again, take your time, and do this right. You’ll be happier !
HINTS AND TIPS YOU MAY WISH TO CONSIDER:
1: You will see that after a couple of light coats there are still a few places where paint hasn't gotten to yet. Look at the bottom left side of the front of the caliper. Those are the "spots" or "holes" I was refering to earlier. They will eventually get filled in with subsequent coats. Also, look carefully at the top part where the pads go ... notice it too needs some paint. This too will be covered later.
2) Keep looking at the caliper from different angles !
A) Stop painting BEFORE getting to the retaining bolts in the rear.
B) Don't try and paint where the brake line comes into the back of the caliper.
C) This articles assume you’ll be painting without removing the caliper. Please notice the 3 holes in the center of the caliper's back. These are vent holes, but you will be able to get the brush down into them to paint them.
3) DO NOT DO THIS PAINTING AT NIGHT !!!!!!!!! You cannot get the correct “view” and lighting conditions and you’ll likely miss some spots !
Stop painting to avoid painting the bolts onto the caliper. Again, take your time and do this correctly. Again, do this DURING THE DAY. It will give you optimal lighting conditions and avoid any missed spots. Plan accordingly.
Merry Christmas to all. And I really hope this suggestion helps many of you.
Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA -
REMEMBER: Watch the You Tube application videos shown above FIRST ! Maybe watch all three of them twice.
Alright folk, herein is a short summary of: How to paint your calipers with the G2 paint kit, with calipers On the car.
1) First step is block out most of a day to do this. It will take a little time to jack up the car and figure out how to get all 4 wheels/tires off the ground. It will also take time to let the paint dry between coats. All the procedures required will add up to a good bit amount of time, most of which is waiting time really. Just be sure and PLAN ACCORDINGLY. You are NOT gonna do this project correctly, and you won’t be happy, if you try to rush this, and do it in 2 hours.
2) Next, you will need about 3 cans of brake parts cleaner. This is used to prep all 4 calipers BEFORE painting them. The brake calipers are very dirty creatures already. You want to use the strong solvent in the cleaner to cut all the crud and grime BEFORE you start to paint them. Parts cleaner is parts cleaner. Wally world sells the stuff for like .99 a can. Get the cheap stuff and spray liberally on all 4 calipers. Allow a quick time to dry, which it will quickly because of it's high alcohol content anyway. Your rotor and caliper will look opaque and smudged. It's normal. The surface of the caliper is very porous and when clean looks different than full of dirt. This prep step is very important in order to give the paint a clean surface to adhere to. The better you do this step, the longer your job will last. (This step is assuming you will paint the caliper while still attached). Just like computer work: “Garbage in, garbage out.” And you don’t want that. HINT: If necessary, you may, at this point, want to use that wire brush I referred to earlier.
3) NOW: Take some GOOD masking tape and MASK off any places, areas, etc you do not want to get painted. Take your time here. The end results make this step ultra important. The 2nd video above stresses the importance of this step. And at this point, you will uinderstand Why YOU WANT TO DO THIS PROJECT DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS WITH GOOD LIGHTING ! DO not attempt this project at night, regardless of whatever shop light/lighting you think you have.
4) Next, mix the paint ingredients as instructed by the manufacturer. The G2 kit will have a small can which contains the paint and you will have to add the catalyst and mix VERY VERY well. Once mixed together, the paint will now have a WORKING TIME of a few hours (2+). You will have to commit to do the ENTIRE JOB NOW. If you play around, the paint will harden in a few hours and you will be out of luck. Remember my preface of blocking off most of a day to do this work ??? Well, this is the reason.
Use the supplied brush to start brushing the paint onto the caliper's surface. BE PATIENT. This is not a race. The key here is applying LIGHT and even coats. The paint will come out with similar viscosity as nail polish. Just like nail polish it WILL RUN if you apply too much. Hence LIGHT COATS are best. Go from caliper to caliper using the exact same technique. LIGHT coat over entire surface, then the next caliper, then the next, etc. DO NOT worry about the small spots that will pop up with no paint on. This is normal. The calipers, as I explained before, are very porous. Being so porous, sometimes as you are brushing the paint on, it will leave some of those pores w/o paint leaving small "holes" in the paint. It's okay. When you apply the subsequent coats, you will fill these tiny holes in with the end of your brush. It is much more important to apply as evenly as possible in LIGHT coats to avoid runs. Also, be very careful not to paint over the retaining bolts that hold the caliper in place. These bolts have to be removed to change your pads later on, and you don't want to paint over them. Allow this coat to dry almost all the way (about 15 mins) before trying to start on the next one. FYI, don't test to see if it's dry with your fingers !!! Use the brush and "comb" the paint lightly to test before continuing.
5) Once you have the first coat on, you will start to get the hang of the brushing part of the project, and it will become easier. At this stage, your paint will be ultra shiny and you will get a sense of what it's going to look like. On these next few coats, technique will play a bigger role. When applying the remaining coats, use the "combing" technique. This means you will apply the paint in one direction in one stroke. No back and forth - or strong bearing down - action here. If you do that, it will leave streaks on the paint that will NOT come out later. The paint is pretty thick, so this technique has to be used to keep a uniform looking paint job. Just use very light strokes now and "comb" the paint to fill in and deepen the luster in the places needed. Think of it as putting some kind of glaze on a cake. You wouldn't bear down and smash it into the cake, would you ? The same principle here. "Comb" ALL the remaining coats in for the best possible finish.
6) WAIT 24 hours for the G2 paint to fully cure. If you rush this, at some point you will not be as pleased with the overall results as you could have. AFTER 24 hours has elapsed, remove all of the masking tape you originally installed. Take your time.
7) At this point, you should be done with the bigger part of the project. Allow plenty drying time before putting wheels back on. MINIMUM of 24 HOURS !!! It has to be completely dry before attempting this.
8) If you are going to apply any kind of vinyl stickers, you have to wait until the paint is 1000% dry. When you do, remember the sticker is a straight sticker with some good sticky glue on the back. Your caliper is semi-circular. See where I'm going ? You will have to make "slits" in order to get the sticker to bend and conform to the caliper's shape. This is only necessary on the front, as the rear is a small round one and will only have the "L" from Lexus on it so it will go on w/o modifications. Remember, measure twice and cut once. Once the sticker is on there, you can't pull it off w/o damaging it. So again, take your time, and do this right. You’ll be happier !
HINTS AND TIPS YOU MAY WISH TO CONSIDER:
1: You will see that after a couple of light coats there are still a few places where paint hasn't gotten to yet. Look at the bottom left side of the front of the caliper. Those are the "spots" or "holes" I was refering to earlier. They will eventually get filled in with subsequent coats. Also, look carefully at the top part where the pads go ... notice it too needs some paint. This too will be covered later.
2) Keep looking at the caliper from different angles !
A) Stop painting BEFORE getting to the retaining bolts in the rear.
B) Don't try and paint where the brake line comes into the back of the caliper.
C) This articles assume you’ll be painting without removing the caliper. Please notice the 3 holes in the center of the caliper's back. These are vent holes, but you will be able to get the brush down into them to paint them.
3) DO NOT DO THIS PAINTING AT NIGHT !!!!!!!!! You cannot get the correct “view” and lighting conditions and you’ll likely miss some spots !
Stop painting to avoid painting the bolts onto the caliper. Again, take your time and do this correctly. Again, do this DURING THE DAY. It will give you optimal lighting conditions and avoid any missed spots. Plan accordingly.
Merry Christmas to all. And I really hope this suggestion helps many of you.
Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA -
Last edited by Mikey100; 12-16-11 at 12:50 PM.
12-17-11, 08:33 AM
#3
Lexus Champion
Kudos!!!!! Mickey i agree totally.. i love seeing people w/untouched brakes and 5k wheels.. im still running factory wheels but im gettin the calipers painted rt after new years(already upgraded rotors an pads) just bcuz it looks unfinished to have a luxury auto w substandard brakes...
12-17-11, 09:38 PM
#5
Driver
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: SoCal
Posts: 153
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Mikey,
Great find and writeup!!! Thanks for taking the time to put this together for us here at CL. This is definitely on my to do list. One question, did you put the Lexus stickers on your calipers and if so, where did you find them? Again, thanks for the thread.
Great find and writeup!!! Thanks for taking the time to put this together for us here at CL. This is definitely on my to do list. One question, did you put the Lexus stickers on your calipers and if so, where did you find them? Again, thanks for the thread.
12-18-11, 12:53 AM
#6
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
No, I did not. My opinion, for whatever it's worth, is I considered the decals - But in the end, I discarded the idea. However, I added my installation comments on adding them for those who thought they wanted to do it. I do believe I have "seen" some caliper decals on eBAY from time to time. Maybe someone else can chime in and add some worthwhile links. Thank you for the nice comments and a most Merry Christmas to you, and everyone on Club Lexus. Mikey Lulejian
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12-18-11, 06:17 PM
#8
Lead Lap
I've used this product over 10 years ago when it first came out with my Supra TT and 300ZX TT and it works great. To me it looks way better than high temp spray paint. It looks very glossy and almost factory. Also, from what I remember it was pretty easy not to show brush strokes. As the paint sets they kind of disappear. I highly recommend this as well and when I did it I bought some Supra stencils and spray painted the logo on and it looked perfect with no issues.
12-19-11, 11:05 AM
#9
Former Sponsor
12-19-11, 11:58 AM
#11
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
LOL. Pretty brakes. But it amuses me at times when we seem to drift a far piece away from the regular subject. Who Me ? LOL ! $ 12,000.00. Hot Dang ......... I told Barbie I wanted 2 sets of these gorgeous brakes fer Christmas ! And ferget the new Bass Boat.
And ORIGINALLY ..... all I suggested was a measly $ 36 for the G2 paint system, and 3-4 hours of work.
<Mikey turns his head and hopes everyone's laughing.>
Merry Merry Christmas ....... I am STILL LAUGHING. "I don't have a ML Audio system ... But HEY !!!!!! I got me a $ 12,000 brake add-on" ...... LOL !
Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA
Last edited by Mikey100; 12-19-11 at 07:55 PM.
