Brake Caliper Painting is our speciality here at BCR. We’ve been refining our brake caliper painting process over the years and as a result, you can expect calipers with a deep, vibrant paint finish which will stand the test of time.
The BCR Difference
Our caliper painting process is multi-stage, and unlike other caliper painting services, we go the extra mile to get the best finish.
This always involves at least a partial strip down of each caliper so they can be prepped, painted and cured to a high standard. Our service is not to be compared to caliper painting services which are performed as a fast turnaround drive-thru style affair leading to short-lived finishes, unwanted overspray and the painting of rubber seals hardware which should never be painted.
Brake caliper paint is subject to extremes of temperature and needs to be highly durable to withstand their application. Not only are brake calipers for performance, but they also add a lot to the aesthetics of a car or motorcycle.
It’s quite common for manufacturers to produce calipers which are unpainted cast iron, and sometimes without any kind of coating on them. These can become unsightly very quickly and spoil an otherwise immaculate car. Many people choose to seek a brake caliper painting service to resolve this issue.
With aftermarket brake caliper kits which are offered by manufacturers such as Brembo, Alcon, AP Racing, K-Sport, D2, Nissin, Spoon, Forge, Tarox and Wilwood often come with a quality finish from the factory, but over the course of many years, these can require a rebuild and brake caliper painting to restore them back to their original condition.
It’s not uncommon for a customer to decide to change the colour of their otherwise fine brake calipers to suit the styling of their car or motorcycle. While we don’t want to give away too many of our close-guarded secrets, more details about our basic BCR process for brake caliper painting can be found below.
The BCR Brake Caliper Painting Process
- Assessment of caliper condition to make note of any unique factors or issues which will need consideration during the rest of the painting process
- Careful strip-down of calipers to remove delicate rubber seals, dust seals, bleed nipples and other hardware
- A touch clean with detergents and hot water to remove deposits such as service grime and caked-on brake dust
- A series of chemical baths to strip the caliper of contaminants, iron, oils or other ingrained material
- Rinse and dry thoroughly with heat to ensure there is no trapped moisture that could interfere with the brake caliper painting process
- Careful masking of delicate areas such as threads and piston seats (bores) to avoid damage or abrasion in the following brake caliper painting steps and ensure no blast media enters into places where it doesn’t belong
- Media blasting is used to carefully strip away the old tired old paint finish, and clean away corrosion. The selection of the media is generally based on the material your caliper is cast in and its condition
- If the brake caliper has seen some action, cast smoothing can be completed at this stage to repair imperfections from previous knocks and bangs. If necessary, we can apply a skim of special high-temperature filler and smooth it to a perfect surface prior to the brake caliper painting stage
- Primer is then evenly sprayed onto the caliper to ensure maximum paint adhesion. This also aids in the durability of the brake caliper paint finish down the line
- Colour coat is then applied in a colour of choice, this can be selected from a wide range of custom options matching any OEM paint code or using our off-the-shelf classic caliper colours which are red, yellow, or black. If the customer requires stencil work rather than decals, this is the stage where these are carefully airbrushed on.
- Clearcoat is the final stage of the brake caliper painting steps and one of the most important. This stage is where the finish is won or lost, and it takes considerable experience to achieve the stunning finish that painters strive for. All the paints we use are 2k high-temperature paints which can withstand the heavy and repeated heat cycles which a brake caliper can go through in motorsport applications.
- Once the coatings are applied, the next step is curing, and this is done using a specialist oven to effectively bake the finish and allow it to cure to a solid and strong state. This step also involves allowing the caliper to sit for some time to ensure the solvents escape from the paint coating.
- Decals are then carefully applied to the customers specification. Decals can be selected in OEM designs and colours, or you can request something custom to be designed and sourced. All our decals are high temperature resistant and won’t peel or warp in braking applications like standard vinyl would. Decal material has come a long way in recent years, and this is now the route we always recommend.
- Once the cosmetic side of brake caliper painting has been completed, we move on to rebuilding the caliper and reinstalling the pistons with new seals, following a polish to ensure there will be no leaks. New dust seals, bleed nipples and any other hardware which needed replacing is then installed.
- After all the steps are completed, we put each caliper through a mechanical inspection to ensure it is functioning correctly and does not leak or have any safety concerns.
- Following this, each caliper goes through a quality inspection to ensure our exacting cosmetic standards are met, and at this point a protective ceramic based coating is applied which will help your calipers resist iron contaminants and grime following reinstallation and use on your car or motorcycle.
Once our brake caliper painting process is complete and they are shipped back and reinstalled on your vehicle, you can rest assured that they will stand up to many more years of abuse, or maybe even forever if carefully maintained by a detailer for example.
Each of our calipers comes with a warranty so you can be sure we stand by every brake caliper painting project we complete.