Painting Brake Calipers
 

I recently painted my brake calipers red on my 2000 GT Conv. My car is black and I have stock rims. Looks awsome! $6.00 for a can of caliper paint and abou 90 mins of work. I removed the wheel, cleaned the caliper with Simple Green, and then masked off the area that needed to be painted. I did not remove the brakes. As a result, the entire caliper is not painted, but what you can see is.

I found that it worked best with about 5 - 6 VERY light coats of paint. The can said to let dry for 20 - 30 mins between coats, but I used a blowdryer between each coat for about 1 - 2 minutes and then added more paint.

What a great way to improve the look (if you like it) for a few bucks.

Think this guy did the same thing. Really looks good

http://www.cardomain.com/id/celsyus

I am wondering how to get the plastic cover off and how to change the instrument panel. The one in the picture above really looks good.

Man, that guiy did a lot of work on that car. Too bad he didn't start with a GT. Seems sort of a shame, but, that's just my opinion.

Yea, brakes look real good in the photo.

Go to this web site and scroll down. Check out the "How To" articles. You will find one for putting in the new instrument panel. I think there are two articles for different styles.

http://www.mustangworld.com/

Hey Thanks. That looks like an all day Sunday job.

Where did you get the caliper paint?

BTW, my last post may have seemed critical against the V6 after I read it again. My intention was to point out that it seemed like he has spent maybe 3 or 4 grand on his car which I think is a lot even if it looks great. I also think it is a little crazy when guys drop big bucks on a GT when you could spend the extra $ on a Cobra.

Anyway, I got the paint from Sacremento Mustang.

http://www.sacramento-mustang.com/

Great website, but sometimes a little hard to find what you need.

Here is where you can find the paint on the site:

http://www.sacramento-mustang.com/cgi-bin/cart.pl

Also, check out the Specieal Addition Brakes if you scroll down.

Here is a picture of these brakes installed:

http://www.sacramento-mustang.com/im...voredbrake.jpg

I would love to have these on my car.

Blake

Thanks for the red paint site. Think I'll give it a try.

Yea, I kind of thought the same about the V6 but it looks really good and maybe a GT/Cobra is too much car for that person. They can get you in some trouble.

Wonder what those Cobra rims go for. Low profile tires probably about $125 ea. minimum. Probably near $1000 in rims and tires.

On that MustangWorld site there are some V6's with $4000 paint jobs. Most are turbo'd though.

You are probably right about the cost of the tires and wheels. Most of the ones I have seen are about that or higher.

You probably already know this, but Tire Rack (www.tirerack.com)is a great site to shop or just to tinker around with. The site will show a pix of your car in the corect color and you can select from a wide choice of wheels which it actually shows on the car.

Good Luck!

You blast people for buying V6's and then for buying GT's but you have a GT YOURSELF!

Why did you spend 'big bucks' on your GT (vert I might add...more $$) when you could spend the extra cash on a Cobra? It seems like your being a hypocrite in your post. That is all.

Stang Crazy: Hey, I only meant to question cars that have big bucks into them...that's all. What would you say to a friend who bought a Focus and then dumped $6k into it? I know what I would say: "You should have bought a Mustang."

The fact is, what is nice for one guy, is not for someone else. BTW, I paid $15k for my Mustang (I bought it this summer)...hardly big bucks. But if I decided to drop another $15k into it, I know I would be wondering why I did not buy a Cobra Vert.

This is a third car for me, as a result, a Vert is the best option. I use it strictly for nice weather...running errands, going to the golf course or to the marina. Nothing like having the top down on a nice day...sucks during the winter.

BTW, I saw your photos of your car...one of the nicest '89's I have seen. My buddy had one just like it...same year too. Hope it treats you well.

I would say way to go! Modding these cars is half the fun. I'm planning on spending $15k+ in the next 6 or 7 years on my 89 and I don't think twice about it. I guess to each his own. I know if I bought a new Mustang, I could never keep it bone stock. I'd start sinking money into it sooner or later.

Treat that vert well!!

Hey, I got the paint from Sacramento Mustang. Did you paint all four calipers or just the front two?

Also got a short antenna. I saw a post telling how to cut off an antenna but decided to just buy one. I think both my Mustang and T-Bird antennas are too long. They are exactly the same. I will cut the extra one off and see how well that works.

I painted all four. Does your car have rear disks or drums? I really don't know much about the 3.8 cars. I did see another car recently with painted rear drums and they looked cool.

Be sure to tape-off the areas that you don't want painted. I put plastic over the entire wheel well to avoid over spray. Each caliper took about 5-6 coats to look the best and I used a hair-dryer between each coat. The paint dries fast with the dryer. I would use the dryer for about 1-2 minutes and then it sit for a few more, and then hit it again. Before the last coat, I let is stand for about 15 minutes.

I would also say to avoid washing the car for about 24 hours.

After a few months now, they still look as good as the first day I painted them.

I am not sure which antenna you got, but I already brook it. My brother was putting the cover on when it snapped, so I had to get another. Be careful.

Good luck,

Blake

Yeah, I have disc brakes all around. Probably give it a try next weekend when the weather is drier.

The shorty antenna is 24" I believe. Cost $25.

Thanks for the help.