Brake caliper and rotor painting project

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7 Series E38 Forum

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Subject: Brake caliper and rotor painting project
Author: DavidC (moderator) : member since December, 2003 : 12116 posts
Posted on: 2004-06-04 00:00:11

Today I decided to paint the calipers and rotors on my 1986 BMW 735i. It's an e23 7-series, but the same procedure is applicable for our beloved e38's. I figure its better to learn on the old car first.

Items needed:

hi-temp ceramic paint (silver for the rotors and red for the calipers)
black rust-inhibiting spray paint (Rustoleum satin black)
brake cleaner spray
paper templates and cardboard
masking tape

This is what we started with. Actually, this is the old rotor. I installed new rotors last weekend but decided today that painting them was a good idea. Left unpainted, the new rotors would rust like the old ones pretty quick. In this project, I also cleaned and painted the lower end of the black shock/spring casing with Rustoleum satin black. Be careful not to get any overspray on the shiny metal tube of the shock inside the spring. Paint in that area could cause the seal in your shock to deteriorate.

The paint was purchased at my local AutoZone store. The cost was approximately $4 for each spray can. It didn't make sense to spend $40, or more, on a "special" caliper painting kit. Instead, silver Plasti-Kote hi-temp ceramic engine paint was selected for the rotors along with Red Dupli-color hi-temp ceramic engine paint for the calipers. I would've preferred to use Dupli-color for both, but AutoZone was out of stock for it on the silver. Brakes can get as hot as 800 degrees under hard use. These paints should be able to withstand the heat and the ceramic content should make them durable enough for the brake dust and road debris. Heck, they're recommended for exhaust manifolds so they should be more than adequate for this application.

After removing the rotor from the wheel, it was thoroughly cleaned using brake cleaner spray and paper towels. The gripping surfaces of the rotor were covered with paper and masking tape and the bolt holes were plugged with paper towels. The vent edge and the "hat" of the rotor received two coats of silver paint. Be careful to keep paint off of the gripping surfaces of the rotor. If you get any on them, just wipe it off quickly and clean with a small amount of brake cleaner.

Next, the caliper was cleaned with brake cleaner and the pads and other moving parts were masked off. Every hole, including the bolt holes, was taped or plugged to prevent paint from reaching those areas.

The caliper was suspended on a coat hanger from the shock tower spring. This supports the hydraulic line and provides an easy way to spray the lower end of the caliper assembly without touching anything. Extra towels and cardboard were used to shield the wheel, shock assembly and the rest of the wheel well from overspray.

The red caliper can be easily seen behind the lovely, fashionable TRX wheels. The lug bolts were also spray painted black as well while they were out.

Even at a distance of several feet, the red calipers still grab your attention and look good. If you look closely you can see that the lower end of the shock enclosure, below the spring and above the wheel, has also been painted (Rustoleum satin black) making the whole area look much better than before.

David Cecil
'02 X5 3.0, 15k miles
'97 740iL, 120k miles
'86 735i, 94k miles
'77 320i, 140k miles
'92 325is (rear-ended on I285, gone but not forgotten)

www.e38.org has links for everything about your BMW 7-series automobile

The 7 Series E38 Forum | Message Thread:

Brake caliper and rotor painting project (pic) - DavidC 2004-06-04 00:00:11 (36927 views)
- Great job... very nice!!! (nt) - Claudio 2004-06-05 00:57:21 (742 views)
- A very nice, eye catching update! Painting the - sealbeach740 2004-06-04 18:00:19 (826 views)
- David, Love the shoes and socks with shorts!!! ;-) - jcarey 2004-06-04 15:49:40 (773 views)
  - That's me. Geek fashion at its finest! - DavidC 2004-06-04 17:46:57 (772 views)
- That looks sweet! - islandbeef 2004-06-04 03:42:48 (614 views)
- Here's a link to more photos and full details of the restoration project (url) - DavidC 2004-06-04 00:33:57 (1243 views)
  - Thats one sharp looking e23 David! (nt) - dwightf 2004-06-04 01:46:21 (592 views)
- Is this still on a jack stand or it there really that much space? (pic) - Shled 2004-06-04 00:27:16 (1149 views)
  - That's the way it looks on the ground. (pic) - DavidC 2004-06-04 00:32:42 (1154 views)
    - Doesn't look as pronounced in the shadows. Nice car! (nt) - Shled 2004-06-04 09:34:00 (600 views)
- Nice job David. I had an E23 - farnarkler 2004-06-04 00:13:54 (630 views)
  - The e38 is, of course, better at everything but I've not noticed anything (m) - DavidC 2004-06-04 00:27:00 (804 views)
- Nice work and looking sporty! (nt) - jeffwong 2004-06-04 00:06:40 (568 views)

This thread is closed to new posts.

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