Mandel73

Have a 2002 SC430 with an ugly rusty surface on both front and rear wheel axles /brakes(see image).
How do you handle this?

Anyone that can give me any great ideas?!

I hate seeing this....

mandyfig

You just have to paint it. I have a post that shows it.

VVTiBob

First and foremost the rust you see is completely normal and does NOT affect braking. Please note the portion of the rotor disc which comes in contact with the brake pads is free from any oxidation. Brake rotors and calipers are made from cast iron for their strenght. Unfortunately iron, like steel, shows surface oxidation quickly with the slighest amount of moisture present. If the appearence of this really bothers you I can think of some alternatives; order and install new cast iron rotors which come plated with zinc chromium. Zinc chromium is a rust inhibitor NOT a rust preventer. Think of it as a coating of paint over a surface. So, over much longer periods of time, rust appears. Of course, if the plating is damaged or worn off, the protection it provides is gone too. Nevertheless under normal conditions their cosmetic appearance will typically outlast their primary purpose, stopping the car. There are also rotor that come with both zinc and powder coated color, typically black to hide brake dust. The second suggestion is to get wheels designed like the original SC430's OEM wheels (loveningly referred to as the pie plates) which hide the brake systems from view. There are many updated designs from different manufacturers that meet this specification. (but they are not inexpensive) A final suggestion is finding something which distracts the gaze of your eye. Some members have installed larger colored calipers, others have painted or powder coated their calipers. I chose to go with caliper covers. Besides the added color they also greatly reduce the amont of brake dust deposited on the wheel. If you follow the link you'll find in my signature block below there are a few photos of them. The pop of color in the wheel area distracts from the darker rust making it less notable. So when my rotors finally need replacement I'll probably go with plated ones because the cosmetic appearance of the car is important too.

VVTiBob

BTW from the photo you posted of the one disc it looks like you need to get them "turned". The surface, in the photo, looks a little rough. It should be very smooth. When was the last time the discs and pads were checked? Have the discs been resurfaced before? Has the thickness been checked? Have you felt any warp when applying the brakes?

Harold57

Here's where Mandyfig painted his rotors & calipers.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...and-decal.html

Scarletti

Is painting the center hub with high temperature paint and then sealing with high temperature lacquer an option?

Obviously leaving the parts of the Disc/Rotor that come into contact with the pads clear.

WIL44

When I fitted new discs(rotors), I painted the part that rusts with Hammerite smooth paint and it is holding up well after 18 months.

Scarletti

Nice job there Steve. That's what I'm planning on doing next time my Disc's need replacing.

WIL44

Thanks Scarletti

Mandel
This is a recent picture when I fitted spacers and you can see the paint is holding up well, but you will still get rust on the edge of the rotor and in the grooves and dimples, fact of life unfortunately.

Mandel73

Thank you guys for all comments! I really like the work you done painting/labelling rotors and calipers.
I think I´ll go with the distraction recommendation to start with and then paint parts during the winter (we have a loooooong winter here in sweden....painting, repair speakers and maybe some more small fix).

BTW, Hammerite would probably be the best paint for this, would´nt it? Just as Wil44 did...

Mandel73

Brakes are working perfectly, but you are right they look a little rough. I will leave the car for full service, timing belt (?) change and I will let them look at the discs at the same time.