Question on how to polish your calipers
09-05-2009, 06:29 AM
#1
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Arizona
Posts: 128
Question on how to polish your calipers
If you wanted to get rid of some of the rough finish to the calipers before you painted them, how would you do it? I know that paint bonds well to rough surfaces, but I don't want it cast rough they way they are on the car. I was thinking a flap sanding wheel.
09-05-2009, 10:30 AM
#3
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Coatesville, PA
Posts: 932
If you are using the G2 epoxy caliper paint (which is the only caliper paint I would bother with) you DO NOT want to sand them smooth before hand. By the time you apply the second coat of paint and it levels out (the G2 is self-leveling) it will look very smooth. As you mentioned in your original post, the rough casting actually gives the paint something to stick to; if you sand them smooth the paint is more likely to fail (flake off).
09-05-2009, 12:06 PM
#4
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Henry County, Georgia
Posts: 1,636
If you are using the G2 epoxy caliper paint (which is the only caliper paint I would bother with) you DO NOT want to sand them smooth before hand. By the time you apply the second coat of paint and it levels out (the G2 is self-leveling) it will look very smooth. As you mentioned in your original post, the rough casting actually gives the paint something to stick to; if you sand them smooth the paint is more likely to fail (flake off).
09-05-2009, 12:36 PM
#5
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Arizona
Posts: 128
If you are using the G2 epoxy caliper paint (which is the only caliper paint I would bother with) you DO NOT want to sand them smooth before hand. By the time you apply the second coat of paint and it levels out (the G2 is self-leveling) it will look very smooth. As you mentioned in your original post, the rough casting actually gives the paint something to stick to; if you sand them smooth the paint is more likely to fail (flake off).
09-05-2009, 04:59 PM
#6
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Coatesville, PA
Posts: 932
I was speaking from personal experience, LOL. Also, about a dozen or so members of my local Mustang club have also used the G2 paint with great results. The key is getting the calipers as clen as possible before you paint. The G2 kit includes a can of brake cleaner, but I picked up an couple extra cans as well. Spray it on, scrub with a Scotch-Brite pad or steel wool, repeat until they are really clean. Then mask off what you don't want to paint, do 2 coats, and let it cure over night (ideally 24 hours) before putting the wheels back on. Mine have been painted for a year with no chips/flaking whatsoever. People I know that have had the G2 paint on thier calipers for at least 3 years have had the same results - it's a good product.
09-06-2009, 11:58 PM
#9
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: texas
Posts: 199
I was speaking from personal experience, LOL. Also, about a dozen or so members of my local Mustang club have also used the G2 paint with great results. The key is getting the calipers as clen as possible before you paint. The G2 kit includes a can of brake cleaner, but I picked up an couple extra cans as well. Spray it on, scrub with a Scotch-Brite pad or steel wool, repeat until they are really clean. Then mask off what you don't want to paint, do 2 coats, and let it cure over night (ideally 24 hours) before putting the wheels back on. Mine have been painted for a year with no chips/flaking whatsoever. People I know that have had the G2 paint on thier calipers for at least 3 years have had the same results - it's a good product.