Painting Calipers in a cold garage

[swc69]

Hey all,

I was planning on painting my Calipers today with the kit from Eastwood.

The instructions say it needs to be 56 to 70 degrees. Higher than 70 and the paint will harden too soon.

Here in MI today its gonna be about 15. With my small bullet heater I can maybe get my garage up to 40 or so.

Is that too cold to try and paint these things? Will it be fine but just take an extra day to fully cure or will I have some other problem (like not adhearing well).

Should I maybe take a blow dryer and warm up each caliper before I apply the paint?

Thanks!

SWC
2003 300A

[bigbaga]

Good morning SWC,

I would be concerned with possible adhesion problems because of the cold, but I have no technical experience to back that up. It would be terrible to do all that work and then have them start peeling. I bought the Eastwood caliper paint kit this fall and as much as I wanted to paint them right then, I decided to hold off until spring because I thought our wonderful road salt here in Michigan would really test the adhesion!! I also have a set of Artic Alpin winter tires and winter wheels right now (with the world's ugliest hubcaps) so you can't see my calipers right now anyway.

Come on spring!!!

[Agent M79]

Ok. I can't say I've ever painted calipers but I have painted a number of other things in cold weather. Here is what I did:

The parts to be painted are in the house to get warmed up. Paint is in the house too getting warm. I usually bring the stuff in the night before and let it sit over-night so I can get it done 1st thing in the morning.

Get my area in the garage prepped up and ready to go. Bring the parts and the paint. Shoot them. Transfer them back into the house. Place them in the area pre-prepped in the 1/2 bath and turn on the exhaust fan and let them dry as per instructions. Repeat as necessary.

There is a little bit of paint stink in the house as you pass through but it goes away quick. The rest of it goes out the exhaust fan.

Howz dat?

[BlownBlass]

By painting them in the cold you are risking blush. This is when the color does not cur properely and you don't end up with the proper pigment or sheen. Not to mention possible adhesion problems. I am not familiar with this kit but if it has a reducer you could use a "faster curing" one.

[Petrograde]

AgentM79,.. that's a good plan.

swc69,.. you can use a blow dryer, but it's hard to know what temperature you've heated the part to.

Tom

[woaface]

Paint them in the attic? No stink to bother...about the right temperture even if you need to work at it?

[Merc-O-matic]

Wait to "Spring" when you can
do it right!

Gotta Love It!

[martyo]

I have used this kit and other epoxies.

DO NOT DO THIS IN COLD WEATHER!

The two part painst (epoxies) need warmth to properly set up as they rely oin a chemical reaction to harden.

Be patient and wait for warmer weather.

[CRUZTAKER]

SWC:

I did mine in 61 degree weather with 80% humidity. I did my wife's in 78 degree weather with 55% humidity.

My installation was wonderfull, the paint stayed workable for 7 hours!!!!. Cool, not cold weather with high humidity was the key. I ended up with 4 complete coatings on my calipers. *see gallery.

My wifes application was a nightmare. The paint started to harden in the mix can within 3 hours and I was barely able to complete 2 complete coats before the paint set up hard in the can.

I will not say either way if you should try it now, but if you get the garage up to 52 or so, and can maintain it for many hours, there is a possibility it will work. I will say however, do not heat the paint mix, this is the problem in the first place, paint curing in the can too quickly.

Let me offer some advice before you start;

1)You must be prepared to do all four calipers in one shot. IE: Vehicle on jack stands.

2)You must have used atleast one can of brake cleaner and a wire brush to completely clean EACH of the calipers. That means 4 or more cans of brakeclean. Note: The brakeclean will lift the black paint on the rotors. Have a can of VHT high temp caliper spray paint available to repaint the drums if desired.

3)You must dry the calipers with a fan for a few minutes after the thorough scrubbing.

4)Once you mix the paint, go at it non stop with heavy applications, and by the time you finish the first coat, keep going and start all over again round and round. Note: Go to a hobby shop and get a variety pack of detail paint brushes, and get extras. The brush supplied won't do the job.

5)Be prepared to leave the car on stands for 24 hours after the final application, and furthermore, be prepared to leave the car sit with the wheels on for 24 more hours before driving.

I offer this info because I have been there done that, and the instructions don't tell all the secrets of a high quality application. Do it my way, and you will be very satisfied with the results.

Good luck, and maybe wait for warmer weather, and 3 total days to work on the car.

[swc69]

Thanks for all the responses. Since I don't plan on removing the calipers, painting them in the basement or the attic is out of the question.

I suspected that it might be a little cold. This weekend was good timing as I didn't need to drive the car again until Tuesday of next week.

But - even if I get one end of the garage up to 40 degrees or so, I think the front (near the door) would still only barely be 30 degrees. If I was spray painting something there's no way I'd consider doing it in these temps, I didn't know if I'd have similar problems with this epoxy stuff.

I guess I'll have to wait until we get a weekend in the 40's or so, and then my crappy heater will bring the garage temp up into the 60's.

Guess putting on my Bob White's today wouldn't be a good idea either, eh? ;)

I hate having to be patient.

Steve C.
2003 300A

Moe: "This thing will deep fry an entire cow in 45 seconds"
Homer: "45 seconds? I want it NOW!!"

[CRUZTAKER]

Good choice. Time(ing) is of the essence. My new Bob Whites are sitting on the kitchen table waiting as well. I removed the old ones the other day. They actually chipped off, as I couldn't warm the barn over 36 degrees after running the heater for 8 hours.

I feel your pain....er....chill?

[jgc61sr2002]

Move to a warmer climate.:D He He.

[swc69]

For those of you waiting for warm weather:

Note that the insert card that comes with the Eastwood kit says the paint has a shelf life of 6 months.....

[muslhed]

What is this kit from Eastwood, and where would one find it? My thoughts were to just take the calipers off and have them powdercoated red. Wouldn't that be simplier?

[swc69]

http://www.eastwood.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=10270Z&Dep_Key1=

Powdercoating would certainly be better.

I didn't want to remove and dismantle the calipers.

You can do the paint kit with the calipers installed.

[jgc61sr2002]

Originally posted by muslhed
What is this kit from Eastwood, and where would one find it? My thoughts were to just take the calipers off and have them powdercoated red. Wouldn't that be simplier? Powder coating would be a lot of work. Your MM will be laid up while the parts are being power coated. It also requires a complete disassembly of the caliper's. The Eastwood kit is the way to go. IMO.

[CRUZTAKER]

Originally posted by muslhed
Wouldn't that be simplier?

IMO, No, and not cost effective either. Calipers do not last forever. That's alot of dough out the window when it comes time for new calipers.

The Eastwood product comes with a warranty a helluva lot longer than the calipers will last.

[MERCMAN]

Barry, any advantage to baking the calipers once they are painted?

[CRUZTAKER]

Originally posted by swc69
http://www.eastwood.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=10270Z&Dep_Key1=

No baking required.

Nice look, very hard and durable, clean up easily and resist contaminents. My wheels are powdercoated, and I'll tell you, they won't last as long as this product as far as wear.

http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/watermark.php?file=503/627Front_Caliper_2.jpg

^^mine:)^^

[muslhed]

Actually, I have a friend that has a powder coating company, and he would only need the calipers for one day. My only concern would be the amount of trouble it would take to disassemble the calipers, and put back together after they're coated. However, I never knew of this product or solution, so I may go that route.

[swc69]

Hey Cruz -

How does the red on your calipers compare to your Bob White Ruby's? Is it close to the same shade?

My wife says it doesn't matter but I'm weird about little details like that.

[crom]

I used this product to paint my calipers, blue. I am also a certified painter on aircraft. It works great, but you must use it in the correct enviroment i.e. temp, humidity. Also, when you go to mix it use half of the base with half of the hardner. This way you can take your time doing the front calipers. Then when you are ready to do the rears just mix the other half. This will give you more work time. I did 3 coats each. This paint is an epoxy, that has an additive that helps it to self level and flow giving the finished caliper a fairly smooth look. If done properly and once fully cured it provides a stong finish that is comprable to powder coat as far as being chip resistant. Overall I would say it is an excellent product as far as ease, cost and performance.