painting brake calipers

[doc]

hello all,
i am looking for someone in the socal/orange county area to color match the brake calipers on my buddies '08 viper. the only thing i'm concerned about is brake fluid getting on the paint and ruining the finish. does anyone here know of a process (other than powdercoating, he wants the factory snakeskin green color) that would allow the clear to be brake fluid resistant? thanks a bunch in advance.

[SaturnVUEguy]

Is there that much of a problems with the fluid leaking? I just did the brakes on my VUE yesterday, at 48k, and there was no seapage of the brake fluid

[doc]

its not so much the fluid leaking, but i have had issues when bleeding the brakes on calipers that have been painted. one drop of fluid can pretty much ruin the paint.

[jerome]

You can check into using different brake fluid. Some will not mess up paint, but you need to research if they are good for performance applications.

[dipren443]

You can check into using different brake fluid. Some will not mess up paint, but you need to research if they are good for performance applications.

The brake fluid you speak of is DOT 5 and is silicon based. It is not recommended for performance applications. I won't bore you with too many details, lots is available on the internet discussing this, but DOT 5 is non-hygroscopic. In other words, it won't absorb or disperse moisture in the hydraulic system. What this means is that there is a much greater risk of corrosion of the brake lines. DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 are glycol based and are preferred for performance applications.

As far as the coating... Hmm, I know that several of the high end caliper manufacturers use a PTFE coating on calipers. It is fairly impervious to brake fluid. Besides this, realize that while bleeding brakes, you can attach tubing to the bleeder screw and direct the fluid away from the caliper.

[Skip Fix]

"The brake fluid you speak of is DOT 5 and is silicon based. It is not recommended for performance applications. I won't bore you with too many details, lots is available on the internet discussing this, but DOT 5 is non-hygroscopic. In other words, it will absorb or disperse moisture in the hydraulic system. What this means is that there is a much greater risk of corrosion of the brake lines. DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 are glycol based and are preferred for performance applications."

Think you have the water absorption backwards. The gycol based are the ones that absorb water and why you can't leave a brake fluid can open. Also why old brake fluid boils in the lines with heat easier. Why you do get corrosion oin the lines and calipers/wheel cylinders with age also.

Dot 5 silicon fluid some folks have stated give a spongy pedal feel. Been in my 78 TA since I updated to rear discs 2o years ago, no spingy feel and works well for me.

[dipren443]

"The brake fluid you speak of is DOT 5 and is silicon based. It is not recommended for performance applications. I won't bore you with too many details, lots is available on the internet discussing this, but DOT 5 is non-hygroscopic. In other words, it will absorb or disperse moisture in the hydraulic system. What this means is that there is a much greater risk of corrosion of the brake lines. DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 are glycol based and are preferred for performance applications."

Think you have the water absorption backwards. The gycol based are the ones that absorb water and why you can't leave a brake fluid can open. Also why old brake fluid boils in the lines with heat easier. Why you do get corrosion oin the lines and calipers/wheel cylinders with age also.


Dot 5 silicon fluid some folks have stated give a spongy pedal feel. Been in my 78 TA since I updated to rear discs 2o years ago, no spingy feel and works well for me.

Ah yes, what I get for posting at darn near 4 in the morning. Amazing what a difference a little typo makes... LOL. Thanks for catching that.

DOT 5 is slightly more compressible, which explains the reasoning behind the spongy feel.

[doc]

from what i've heard, dot5 is not compatible with abs systems, so thats a no go unfortunately. has anyone ever heard of or used this product? its expensive, but if it works....

http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?i...emType=PRODUCT

[redhead]

I have used the caliper paint from vht.
It works ok but over time the brake dust gets to it.
still only second best to a true powder coat in my book.
if color matching consider lots of clear coat.

da.