300zx caliper painting gone bad

[brage]

Doh... I had painted my calipers with black glossy ceramic engine paint about a week ago, and upon recommendation from friends who said it may get rock chipped, etc, that I should clear coat the calipers as well. So I picked up a can of the clear ceramic engine paint to clear-coat the calipers with b/c I wanted it to have the same heat withstanding ability as the underlying paint. I had let the paint cure for 5 days (actually 6) since painting the black on the calipers before I set out to clear coat them - and lucky for me after all that work the paint is ruined . I plan to get all the paint off now with a wire wheel and polish the calipers. Maybe it will look better polished and clearcoated

pics: (unfortunately I don't have a good picture after they were painted black and the nissan letters were sanded to a brushed aluminum look)


The paint cans..


Just after applying the clearcoat


moments later... destroyed

back to the drawing board - worse off than I was before

-jeff

[s14vaxlr8]

is anybody else confused about wtf happen or is the problem here...i cant figure it out, maybe ive just been starring at this screen too long at work

[SilviaDriver]

well in the pics they look good. wat kind are they? iron or aluminum?

[brage]

They are aluminum... the black paint looked GREAT... it was when I applied the clear coat that decomposed the underlying black paint that got me... I think that ceramic engine paint must have some penetrating properties

maybe the black paint needed to cure longer! (6 days and still not cured - ****e)



-jeff

[SaintlyCharBoy]

depending on your application techniques it could really be a lot of problems....

most likely the solvent in the clear paint "ate" away at the once smooth black finish, and it bubbled up with the clear

[live2drift2live]

Yeap thats what happend ^^^^. From my knowledge (which is small) about paints is that what happened there was that a chemical in the paint eats away at the underlaying materials. It is meant for like oil and other crap that doesnt all get off and thus turning this crap into gases which causes the bubbling. Your black paint was this crap. So after the chemistry lesson. I say you polish them and clear coat. But in the end thats just my 2 cents.
JBM

[brage]

Got started poishing them (used wire wheel on a grinder)

So far...



PS live2drift2live - I decided to polish them b4 reading your post... funny

[AKADriver]

BLING BLING

[Tyler Durdan]

I just finished rebuilding mine earlier today, and applied a couple coats of cast iron paint on them. Good thing I read this, because I was just about to go for a layer or two of clear coat...that's out the window.

[matt0941]

Originally posted by brage
Got started poishing them (used wire wheel on a grinder)

So far...

So far? You gotta leave em like dat!

[1 Dirty Truck]

Originally posted by brage
Got started poishing them (used wire wheel on a grinder)

So far...



PS live2drift2live - I decided to polish them b4 reading your post... funny

Shoot after seeing that I have a valve cover I am taking to work to polish. WOW.

I thought the wheel grinder hooked my tools up but if those were the results for your calipers my cover is going to look fantastic.

[brage]

after using the wire brush, you'll want to use a cotton buffing wheel with black buffing compound.. also make sure to use the fine wire brush with the brass plating. (you'll know what I'm talking about if you go to the grinder section of a hardware store)
-j

[-E-]

wow brage the polished caliper came out nice

[96SEChick]

The polishing came out very nice!! What color is your car? S13 or S14? (just trying to get a visual of what it will look like). Great job!!

[brage]

Got the other one polished up and installed them today... look great!

pics:

Before:


After:


sechick - it is a pearl white 1995 SE (S14)

-Jeff

[96SEChick]

Those look very nice!! Thanks for the pics--now I don't have to imagine what it may look like. It almost looks like you had them chromed!! Great job! Have you thought of maybe shooting them w/ some clear coat so you won't have to re-polish them?

Also, will wheel cleaner possibly leave spots on un-coated polished aluminum? I know it does on some un-coated wheels. I would hate to have your hard work ruined the next time you clean your wheels.

BTW--nice wheels!!!

[1 Dirty Truck]

Would it be worth it to clearcoat them after the polishing?

[s13rookie]

looks really good, almost makes me want to bust out my die grinder and start polishing my fenders

[Grant]

Damn, havent you guys heard of powdercoating? :-D..

anyways, if you paint the calipers, best to use CALIPER PAINT. engine paint was not made for that.
It'll start falking off eventually.

[Rownan]

Originally posted by 96SEChick


Also, will wheel cleaner possibly leave spots on un-coated polished aluminum? I know it does on some un-coated wheels. I would hate to have your hard work ruined the next time you clean your wheels.

BTW--nice wheels!!!

Good point! I would really like to polish my Z32 calipers but I am also afraid that aweek later they will be dull again.. Perhaps if I hit them with some silver paint? Or does the clear coat lock the polish in? I am curious.

[brage]

Originally posted by 96SEChick
Those look very nice!! Thanks for the pics--now I don't have to imagine what it may look like. It almost looks like you had them chromed!! Great job! Have you thought of maybe shooting them w/ some clear coat so you won't have to re-polish them?

Also, will wheel cleaner possibly leave spots on un-coated polished aluminum? I know it does on some un-coated wheels. I would hate to have your hard work ruined the next time you clean your wheels.

BTW--nice wheels!!!

Yeah, I'm sure I'll have problems with dulling and wheel cleaner problems... I applied some wax to them to help, but I'll probably be pulling them off every six months or so to touch them up... its really easy to take them off and put them back on - especially with russel speed bleeders!

The poloshing is cake too... a quick run with a wire wheel and a cotton buffing wheel and they'll be sexy again

I'll keep you folks updated on how they dull (if they do) I was afraid to use clearcoat because: A) It may yellow! B) it would get rock chips anyway.

I did not get them powder coated because: A) it requires disasembling the pistons/seals (which I just rebuilt...) and B) I didn't want a flat color.

-j


I'm sure they will get dirty, but I could give a f.uck less b/c

[Tyler Durdan]

Quick question:

Is your brake pedal real mushy feeling? I just put mine on, and have bleed the fronts pretty damn well, and the brake pedal feels incredibly mushy...I know it's the norm for them to be mushy feeling, but I don't know if it's supposed to be this mushy. Any thoughts or suggestions would help.

[Twinturbozs]

upgrade the MC to a z32 1 1/16" bore

[uiuc240]

Originally posted by Tyler Durdan
Quick question:

Is your brake pedal real mushy feeling? I just put mine on, and have bleed the fronts pretty damn well, and the brake pedal feels incredibly mushy...I know it's the norm for them to be mushy feeling, but I don't know if it's supposed to be this mushy. Any thoughts or suggestions would help.

YOU MUST BLEED ALL FOUR BRAKES.

The system is closed. Air up front becomes air out back.

Eric

[Tyler Durdan]

Yeah...I solved this problem the same day I posted that. I didn't realize this topic was still going. Thanks for the help though.

[1 Dirty Truck]

Originally posted by Twinturbozs
upgrade the MC to a z32 1 1/16" bore

Do the lines mate up? 1993 240sx stock to z32?

[INeedNewTires]

couple of quick questions, i was just about to sand blast my calipers to remove paint, i guess it would be easier and cheaper to do the wire wheel technique though huh? Also, do any of you guys think that painting/powder coating would lessen the calipers heat dissapation? i mean its probably minimal but hey figured i'd get ya'lls opinions.

[widegts]

I paint calipers and hope this helps...

--- i use/used th same things you just mentioned here on the thread ---


LET DRY means, 10minutes between each coats, because doing it slow and right, is better then fast and do it again! haha

1- spray a dry coat (mist) of black, cover all areas, but just lightly

let dry

2- spray a medium coat - a bit slower pace but not enogh where it covers it all black yet

let dry

3- spray wet coat, where in the end the whole caliper is black now and nice and glossy

let dry

4- do the same w/ the clear

.. and you should be fine


---

i made up that way of painting calipers in the end, because I have to teach random people who work for me how to do it, and I had to figure out a near fool proof way of doing it the right way all the time... haha so i dont waist money

[jspec240]

Anyone heard of glass beading the calipers? just to freshen them up, then using the clear coat?

if anyone has any input please LMK

Calipers look dope polished.. +1 and props

[MURPHY]

hey peeps anyone notice that.... THIS THREAD IS ALMOST 5 YEARS OLD!