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MG MGF Technical - Painting the brake calipers with yellow...

Hi, I am trying to paint my brake calipers with yellow paint as soon as I get more info.

My car being BRG, and I thought yellow would look brilliant under the body!

I know which paint to get, but I don't know how to paint it.

I guess, they sell it by spray paint cans, and if so, I would need to disassemble the calipers right?

Problem is that I only have one jack to put one wheel up (at once). Then I will have to go around do one at a time...

Anyway, can anyone give me some sort of instructions to go about this mod?

Please let me know.

Thank you!

Regards,
Hanah
Hanah Kim

Make sure its of the heat resistant variety...
Steven

Hannah,

I painted Scarlets calipers with red hammerite 4 years ago now. Need a re-paint before summer, but 4 years is IMO good. Anyway, paint came in a can so no major dissassembly required.

You will need a wire brush, paint, paint brush, wheel removing kit 10mm socket (i think) & around a day!!

Jack up the car & remove the wheel, for safety, place the wheel under the cill of the car, just in case the jack fails (or get some axle stands). Remove the brake pads, brush the calipers to remove any excess brake dust & paint. 3 coats should be plenty. Allow to dry fully before putting the wheel back on (to avoid yellow blobs on your alloys!). Proceed to the next wheel.

Not very detailed (sorry, i'm in a rush tonight!), but gives the basics. I'm sure someone else can "flesh it out" a bit.

SF
Scarlet Fever

Hammerite is good stuff. Used it many times. Expensive, yes relatively but still good value. Try a little on a scrap item to get the feel of it if you've not used it before. There is a "knack" to obtain best results. Brush strokes smooth out nicely once you get the flow and application right. I was pleased with the results. As with most paint things, good preparation is the best way to obtain a good finish so take your time before you start painting!

HTH
John McFeely

Thanks, Steven and John.

Of course Scarlet, thanks!

:)

But, can you help me more on how I can disassemble from the start? I am not too good with cars, as MGF is my first car. I have taken following mods myself

1) K&N 57i kit
2) Splitter (KH)
3) Windstop
4) Rear speaker installation
5) shortening the gear stick.

I have never attempted to touch the wheels.

Could you explain a bit from the point when you take the wheels off? And how to assemble them back together? I heard some warnings about rear calipers not being assembled easily, and bolt that should be taken care of (to keep the threads, etc). Even copy and paste is fine, I just couldn't find much info in the archieve.

Please help.

Thanks again!

Regards,
Hanah
Hanah Kim

Hi Hannah

There's a full explanation of how to change the front brake pads on my site at http://www.mgfworld.co.uk which should help.

The rears are similar but the MAJOR difference is that they "screw in" rather than just push back. I found this out last week (thanks to this BBS) while struggling with the fitting of my new rear pads!

HTH

Richard
Richard Eaton

Hanah

To get at the calipers you just need to remove the wheels:-

Loosen wheel nuts a fraction whilst wheels on ground, then jack up car and support on axle stands then remove wheel nuts and the lift off wheel - hopefully your last service garage applied copper slip to the wheel plates if not you may find they have welded themselves on and a certain amount of brute force will be required to get the wheel off.

Paint your calipers - allow to dry and the refix wheels - in the words of a certain Mr Haynes the refitting procedure is the reverse of the removal.

Good luck

Ted
BTW my calipers are a beautiful muddy grey/brown colour:-)
Ted Newman

I seem to remember Dirk found some paint that was made for painting brake calipers. I believe it came in several colours and was comprised of colour and hardener which had to be mixed before applying.

I think I would go for red now to match my AVO shocks, or how about purple to match my polly bushes? :-)
Tony Smith

Tony

Dont forget the yellow spots on the side of the car!

Ted
Ted Newman

Nope, no yellow on my car apart from the dip stick handle and the sticker behind the steering whee :-). Maybe I should paint the shocks green to match the car instead...

Shut up Tony this is getting silly (ed).
Tony Smith

:)

Thanks Ted and Richard!
:)


I will have a good read (the site) now!

Regards,
Hanah
Hanah Kim

Specific Caliper enamal is available from the usual Max Power type outlets. Usually supplied as a kit with cleaner and a two pack laquer. at around 25ukp. The alternative as featured on Scarlet is far cheaper and has a wider range of colours, plus appears to last as well!

Rog
Roger Parker

Indeed I used special paint only for calipers use: FOLIATEC. Not that costly (around 15 quid for a kit enough for 1 car).

This is thick glossy paint (also avail in yellow), looks absolutely stunning (at least with the MS 280mm brake-discs fitted!), and is very RED RED RED! (unlike scarlett's, that looked a bit dull red IMHO). And this paint does not peel off under excessive heat plus doesn't take any effort to clean them afterwards (becoz they have a glossy surface). I only had to remove wheel (not caliper), took about 40 mins per caliper (cleaning & painting, plus at least 1hr to dry. Did 4 at same time, save quite some time.
Need to mix 2 products, clean with brush, then spray with special product, brush again, wait and paint 2x in 20mins.

picture at:
http://www.geocities.com/dirk.vael/P001802.jpg

check archive for details I posted a while ago.
Dirk

Hammerite will cost you just a few quid for enough to do your calipers and have enough left over to your railings on the front of the house - might look fetching in bright yellow instead of black.

Ted
Ted Newman

Dirk,

How did you spray paint them without taking the calipers out...? Did you mask tape everything else....??


Regards,
Hanah

Tell me how you did it!
:)
Hanah Kim

I think the Foliated kit isn't spray cans, but applied with a brush.
Fabrice

I think the Foliatec kit isn't spray cans, but applied with a brush.
Fabrice

Since I knew this was a one-time job (for the time I still have the F) I decided to do it very carefully, paying attention to every detail.

So yes, I brushed every possible dirt particle away, cleaned it twice, taped everything very precisely and painted in 3 layers (2 is normally enough) to have a nice fat layer of glossy red, heat resistant and darn impressive to see. You use some kinda brush (right, Fabrice!) and wooden stick all included in the kit to paint, not just a stooopid brush for painting a fake Van Gogh or so ;-)

The result is really goodlooking. Comes out nice with silver alloys and black F, as you can see on my website.

http://www.geocities.com/dirk.vael/P001808.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/dirk.vael/P001810.jpg

When I spray water on them they look again as red as from day 1. Moreover with Mike Satur's pad I have a lot less brake dust on the alloys.

As you see, I did really an effort to love my F, but it didn't help :(
Dirk

Dirk thanks for the information. Also to Fabrice.

I know about your ordeal with your F, and *sigh* I feel sorry for you (and hope it doesn't repeat for me..).

I have been through a cross-member problem, as well as other little niggles F has, (no HGF yet, it's done 11000 miles / 18000kms).

But anyway, I will try to get that paint..

Not sure if I can get it from New Zealand, if not so, anyone care to help me out...Of course I will pay for the paint / delivery?
The Foliatec kit - yellow.


Thanks!

Hanah Kim

first aid for Hanah
http://www.foliatec.com/(vertrieb)/d/sonst/vertrieb_index.html

:oP
Dieter
Dieter Koennecke

I for one second what Dirk said: the FoliaTec caliper paint kit is the way to go. This paint is specially designed for brake-caliper painting (extreme heat resistant). We learned about its existence via an owner of several Porsches, who informed that in his view, FoliaTec is the best. As the package of the kit indicated: yellow is available.

For another picture on Dirk's *F*:
http://www.geocities.com/dirk.vael/P001802.jpg

To give Hanah some idea before taking the plunge: anyone prepared to "Photoshop" any of the 3 pictures of Dirk's *F*, changing the colour of the calipers from red to yellow ?
Luc

Aha, here's the direct link to the "Brake CaliperLaquer Set" of Folia Tec:
http://shop.foliatec.de/katbremssatlack.htm
(if link fails, just copy and paste it as Internet-address)

Promo-text states:
"The racing-style BRAKE CaliperLacquer gives your car the styling edge. Sportive. Striking. Individual. The BRAKE CaliperLacquer provides permanent surface preservation and is chemical, corrosion and oil resistant easy to apply and heat proof. Use brush for easy and accurate application - no removal of components will be required. Set includes spray cleaner and two-pack lacquer system. It is sufficient for 4 brake calipers"

Catalognumbers of the "Brake CaliperLaquer Set" of Folia Tec:
- rosso red: 2160
- speed yellow: 2161
- racing blue: 2162
- stratos silver: 2163
- black: 2164
- gold: 2165

For the speed yellow one:
http://shop.foliatec.de/bilder/ge.gif

Hm, gold coloured calipers wouldn't be bad either on a BRG...

Good luck Hanah. It will look cooOOOool!

Cheers,
-- Luc --
Luc

Luc and Dieter, Thanks.

Luc, I can do photoshop work myself! :) Thanks. Good idea!

I am just wondering if it's actually possible to get it from NZ.

I will look for it today!
:)
Hanah Kim

and some picture of the painting process:
http://shop.foliatec.de/bilder/sattel-anw.gif

Maybe the reference to Folia Tec is interesting to be added in the MGF FAQ under a paragraph dedicated to caliper painting ?

Cheers,
-- Luc --
Luc

I looked everywhere today..

and some shop had a VHS paint (never heard of it), anyway he was going this is the best you can get with costing only 5 pounds. I said no. I didn't want to use cheap crap on my F!

The shop keeper was a real ar*e as well! Anyway..

If anyone knows an online shop, or would post me that foliatec yellow kit, I will send you the money somehow...

PLLLLEEEEASE? :) Anyone?

Since it's not a compressed gas, it should be fine over the plane?

Regards,
Hanah

P.S. Thanks Luc for the links!
Hanah Kim

Hanah

Foliatec have an Englidh Language 'on-line' shop at:-

http://www.foliatec.com/e/e_frame.html

Why not try them.

Ted
Ted Newman

Hi Ted,

It's only an online catalogue..

no shopping.

:(

Hanah Kim

Hanah

If you go to the catalogue ( not the on-line catalogue) it asks for your name and address which it says will be forwarded to you nearest dealer and they say they have dealers in NZ.

So what are you waiting for :-)

Ted
Ted Newman

I used the resin based brake caliper paint (on an erlier car not the F) but they didn't have the colours I wanted so I mixed them (I asked the manufactures and the said try it but don't blame us etc etc)So I did and ended up with just the colour and shade I wanted


JR
John Roach

Do any of these companies do the paint in Pink?
Lady P

Hanah, you can equally click on the "Mail" link (upper righthand side) in the Folia Tec website, and e-mail your query.

Good luck !
-- Luc --
Luc

Thanks everyone. I just did that. Hope they reply!
:)

(If you get a chance, please look at another thread of mine called 'MGF paint work sandpapered!! :('
Hanah Kim

No reply from Foliatec,

I just went out and bought VHT brake caliper paint.

It's a spray paint, which I didn't want to use.

So went through it today, since I don't have a garage, I just jacked it up, took a wheel out, one by one, and just finished it (11:30PM)

At the end I have been spray painting with a torch! :(

I miss my old garage. :(

Anyway, I couldn't be bothered going through taking calipers out, so I just took the wheel out, mask tape + plastic covers put on, then spray painted on the top.

The inner bit, didn't get fully sprayed, but since it won't be seen anyway, it won't make much difference.

If I can take a photo, I will upload it later.
:)

I had tiny bit of over spray on hoses this is okay right? (rubber)
Hanah Kim

This thread was discussed between 06/02/2001 and 22/02/2001

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.