2001 Brake calipers painted with Lexus decals [Pics]
02-02-08, 10:28 PM
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2001 Brake calipers painted with Lexus decals [Pics]
Just catching up on some threads that needed posting. This one I think many people have done. I found it quite a long job, but I think it was because I was going to be extremely picky with the results. Long story short, the car was on blocks for two days; one day of cleaning and prep and one day for painting and drying. Like I said, it was a long process but in the end I was very happy with the results.
The cleaning was pretty intense and basically involved sanding with a foam sanding bar and spraying lots of brake cleaner! I wanted to be very thorough with the cleaning b/c I only had the one chance of getting the paint applied right, apparently the FoliaTec dries hard as nails. Good if you do it right, bad if you do it wrong.
Here in the joyous north they use salt on the roads like it was free, hence the constant rust hiding behind my spotless chrome wheels and on my struts etc. not a good look. So it was the FoliaTec to the rescue.
The discs seem to get nasty too, so I also sanded the edges of those and painted them, not with the FoliaTec, but with Tremclad Rust Paint, just to clean it up and finish the look. Touched up the rotor hats as well with silver.
Now with the FoliaTec caliper paint, it mixes like an epoxy so you have a short period of time to get it on. I did one side of the vehicle, then the other, simply mixing half of the paint and activator at a time.
Rears before and after:
Here I have the front calipers taped off b/c it was time to put the Lexus decals on and secure them with some high temperature clear coat by VHT.
...and the results...
The cleaning was pretty intense and basically involved sanding with a foam sanding bar and spraying lots of brake cleaner! I wanted to be very thorough with the cleaning b/c I only had the one chance of getting the paint applied right, apparently the FoliaTec dries hard as nails. Good if you do it right, bad if you do it wrong.
Here in the joyous north they use salt on the roads like it was free, hence the constant rust hiding behind my spotless chrome wheels and on my struts etc. not a good look. So it was the FoliaTec to the rescue.
The discs seem to get nasty too, so I also sanded the edges of those and painted them, not with the FoliaTec, but with Tremclad Rust Paint, just to clean it up and finish the look. Touched up the rotor hats as well with silver.
Now with the FoliaTec caliper paint, it mixes like an epoxy so you have a short period of time to get it on. I did one side of the vehicle, then the other, simply mixing half of the paint and activator at a time.
Rears before and after:
Here I have the front calipers taped off b/c it was time to put the Lexus decals on and secure them with some high temperature clear coat by VHT.
...and the results...
02-02-08, 10:29 PM
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And the final results with the wheels back on.
I must say that I am glad I went with the more expensive professional brake caliper paint by Foliatec (~$70). This stuff dries extremely hard and leaves a nice shine, enhanced again by the high temp clear. The calipers now are easy to clean and I don’t fear spraying a pressure washer on the wheels. I did this project about 22 months ago and the calipers still look awesome, no chips, no wear. Tell me what you think about the job, thanks to all previous posts by CLM’s…returning the favor for someone new thinking about doing this one.
V
I must say that I am glad I went with the more expensive professional brake caliper paint by Foliatec (~$70). This stuff dries extremely hard and leaves a nice shine, enhanced again by the high temp clear. The calipers now are easy to clean and I don’t fear spraying a pressure washer on the wheels. I did this project about 22 months ago and the calipers still look awesome, no chips, no wear. Tell me what you think about the job, thanks to all previous posts by CLM’s…returning the favor for someone new thinking about doing this one.
V
02-03-08, 08:12 AM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
Looks nice! I love the mods that have a factory feel to them if ya know what I mean. It looks like you put a lot of effort into that and did it right and I like seeing that. 
02-03-08, 08:20 AM
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Decals
When i was looking for decals to put on my calipers i originally tried to find one of the members of either CL or LOC who was selling them, but it was hard to find. The posts for this job were a little old and i couldn't find the person, next i turned to ebay, also with no luck. And i usually find whatever i need for my car in the US (yes, unfortunately not here in Canada), so it was to my surprise that after a little research on the decal material themselves, i got some made locally. I simply went to a graphics shop and asked them for a die cut vinyl 'Lexus' decal.
He pulled the logo from his online resource, asked me what size i wanted and 10 min later i had them. Maybe $20. He made me some different sizes too, just to make sure i could decide what looked best on the caliper. Too big would have looked silly. I made it easier though by tracing out the largest spot on the caliper and bringing it with me when i went shopping. My goal was to add a little something to the car, seeing as how the 'average' Lexus buyers are probably of retirement age, to make it a little sportier yet still classy. Best of luck to anybody who tries this, it's worth it.
Cheers,
V
He pulled the logo from his online resource, asked me what size i wanted and 10 min later i had them. Maybe $20. He made me some different sizes too, just to make sure i could decide what looked best on the caliper. Too big would have looked silly. I made it easier though by tracing out the largest spot on the caliper and bringing it with me when i went shopping. My goal was to add a little something to the car, seeing as how the 'average' Lexus buyers are probably of retirement age, to make it a little sportier yet still classy. Best of luck to anybody who tries this, it's worth it.
Cheers,
V
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02-03-08, 05:06 PM
#15
You can do any color you want all you did is paint the caliper the color you want ''lexus'' to be. Then put the decal on and paint it the color you want the rest of the caliper to be. Then peel of the sticker and your set.