[Rotary Rasp]

This weekend I decided to try out my new harbor freight sand blaster and powder coating machines. The results are impressive!

Took me about 8 hours to do all four wheels.

[jyeah]

Looks good. How did you manage to get that little M sticker on your wheel. :P

[fibonacci]

Be careful, most powder coating cannot hold up to mid-high ranges of caliper temperatures.

[1QuikWS6]

Originally Posted by fibonacci

Be careful, most powder coating cannot hold up to mid-high ranges of caliper temperatures.

I have powdercoated calipers on all my cars. T/A & vette are PC from mfg (Baer brakes), my BMW & wife's Pontiac done @ local shop - never had a problem with any of them - heat related or otherwise...

[Rotary Rasp]

Originally Posted by fibonacci

Be careful, most powder coating cannot hold up to mid-high ranges of caliper temperatures.

Uh, that's not true. Thermosetting Polyester TGIC paint is good for at least 250-300 degrees.

Your calipers should never get that hot, rotors yes, but not calipers. You'll start to boil your brake fluid at that temp.

[Slow_335i]

Originally Posted by fibonacci

Be careful, most powder coating cannot hold up to mid-high ranges of caliper temperatures.

This is a joke right?

[fibonacci]

Originally Posted by Slow_335i

This is a joke right?

What is a joke? Go look up brake/caliper temperatures vs. powdercoating heat tolerance/heat retetention. I'm not suggestion OP's brakes are going to explode, but if he is going to track his car - or used a coating with a low heat tolerance - it *could* be an issue.

The powdercoating material itself ranges greatly in heat tolerance.
From thepowdercoater.com: "Most powders are manufacturer rated at 250-300 degree operating temperatures."
In comparison, G2 Caliper paint is rated at 980 degrees tolerance.

"It is not uncommon to have caliper temperatures exceed 200° F" - Michael Romano, Mechanical Engineer (Source)

Not stating it is a problem for all people, but rather it could be a problem for some people.

[Rotary Rasp]

Originally Posted by fibonacci

What is a joke? Go look up brake/caliper temperatures vs. powdercoating heat tolerance/heat retetention. I'm not suggestion OP's brakes are going to explode, but if he is going to track his car - or used a coating with a low heat tolerance - it *could* be an issue.

The powdercoating material itself ranges greatly in heat tolerance.
From thepowdercoater.com: "Most powders are manufacturer rated at 250-300 degree operating temperatures."
In comparison, G2 Caliper paint is rated at 980 degrees tolerance.

"It is not uncommon to have caliper temperatures exceed 200 F" - Michael Romano, Mechanical Engineer (Source)

Not stating it is a problem for all people, but rather it could be a problem for some people.

Exceeding 200 degrees is still a long way from 300 degrees. That's a 50% cushion, not too bad.

I suppose that if I were track the car hard the calipers could reach into the upper threshold of the powder coating temp, but its HIGHYLY unlikely unless I was driving with my foot on the break and probably warping my rotors.

I would think that for my calipers to reach 300 degrees, my rotors would be glowing...

[FormerRotor]

Originally Posted by Rotary Rasp

This weekend I decided to try out my new harbor freight sand blaster and powder coating machines. The results are impressive!

Took me about 8 hours to do all four wheels.

I had no idea that harbor freight offered such tools (powdercoating-wise)...serious note to self!

Originally Posted by Rotary Rasp

I would think that for my calipers to reach 300 degrees, my rotors would be glowing...

Glowing rotors are awesome...assuming that your brake system is designed to handle such extreme conditions.

[Rotary Rasp]

Originally Posted by FormerRotor

I had no idea that harbor freight offered such tools (powdercoating-wise)...serious note to self!

Glowing rotors are awesome...assuming that your brake system is designed to handle such extreme conditions.

Don't forget about their $170 sandblasting cabinet!

[cartaa100]

awesome work! wish i had the skill to do stuff like this hahah!

[chumley]

What did you bake it in? That's always been the hangup for me, wife would take a dim view of using the oven and I really don't think I want to install one in the garage just for powder coating.

[Rotary Rasp]

Originally Posted by chumley

What did you bake it in? That's always been the hangup for me, wife would take a dim view of using the oven and I really don't think I want to install one in the garage just for powder coating.

Toaster oven. Target had a huge one on sale for $40 a few weeks ago.

[FormerRotor]

Originally Posted by Rotary Rasp

Toaster oven. Target had a huge one on sale for $40 a few weeks ago.

Lol. That's fantastic, albeit somewhat limiting on the dimensional requirements of the items you're coating.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by FormerRotor

I had no idea that harbor freight offered such tools (powdercoating-wise)...serious note to self!



Glowing rotors are awesome...assuming that your brake system is designed to handle such extreme conditions.

You see glowing rotors on stock brakes frequently at the track

[eric@helix]

Your finished results do look good--and they'll last a lifetime. I doubt you'll run into overheating issues even if you do a track day or two.

Looks good!

How hard was it to pull the pistons, etc. out of the calipers and then put everything back together? Did you use some type of heat resistant tape to cover those holes while they were in the oven?

[Rotary Rasp]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

Looks good!

How hard was it to pull the pistons, etc. out of the calipers and then put everything back together? Did you use some type of heat resistant tape to cover those holes while they were in the oven?

Breaking down the calipers is actually very easy. By the time I got to the third wheel, I could have the entire assembly removed from the car and completely broken down in 10-15 minutes. Rebuilding was as simple as doing everything in reverse. Just be prepared to get dirty.

As for the tape I used, home depot/lowes sells metal based tape for HVAC ducts. It's basically aluminum foil with adhesive on one side. It's pretty cheap and worked great.

[Rotary Rasp]

Originally Posted by eric@helix

Your finished results do look good--and they'll last a lifetime. I doubt you'll run into overheating issues even if you do a track day or two.

Thanks!

The crappy cell phone pictures I posted don't do justice.

The calipers looks incredible. Powdering coating is very tough, smooth, and glossy. Hosing the brakes/calipers off when washing the car actually cleans them now.