#2IS Caliper Painting (merged threads)
09-06-11, 03:45 PM
#211
Just did my fronts today with VHT satin black caliper, high-temp vinyl stickers, and Duplicolor high temp clear. Started off with hitting the calipers with a 320 grit sponge all over and then something like 1000 grit for just the "faces". Cleaned up the calipers with the VHT caliper cleaner. Taping off everything, and did 4 light coats and 1 medium coat. Waited 10 minutes between each coat. Then after the 5 coats I waited an hour and then applied the sticker. The ebay stickers applied easily and w/o issue. Then masked off ONLY the flat face of each caliper, and then hit the face with 3 light coats of the clear.
I forgot to get pics, as I was multi-tasking here at home all day today. Here's a couple HTC Sensation pics :
Oh, no way I'm posting a FULL wheel either...I have the typical mid-hub paint bubbling, and it is hideous!
I forgot to get pics, as I was multi-tasking here at home all day today. Here's a couple HTC Sensation pics :
Oh, no way I'm posting a FULL wheel either...I have the typical mid-hub paint bubbling, and it is hideous!
09-07-11, 12:14 PM
#212
Pole Position
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Austin,Texas.
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will this clear work?
I was just wondering if this clear will be fine to spray on top of the stickers and should I use primer after preping before paint or not really nescesary? Thanks.
09-11-11, 03:16 PM
#216
This past weekend I painted my calipers, and wanted to post my results. Thanks to everyone who posted in this thread, it made the project a lot easier.
Here are the supplies I used:
- G2 Brake Caliper Paint System Set (http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/acces...tail.jsp?ID=41)
- Dupli-Color Engine Enamel Clear (http://www.amazon.com/Dupli-Color-DE.../dp/B000GKEXW0)
- MotoGFX IS350 Caliper Decals (http://www.motogfx.com/lexus/)
- Brakleen
- Dish soap, sponge
- Wire brushes to clean the calipers
- High quality brush from an art supply store
Here's what I did:
1) Jacked up the car and got all 4 wheels off. When I was doing my research on CL ahead of completing this project, this was probably the part that was the most confusing/difficult in my mind. My plan originally was to use 4 jackstands. However, if you look at a Y-shaped jackstand and then look at the 4 points on the car Lexus recommends as jack locations, you'll see very quickly why so many people say they've broken or bent the tabs. Jackstands and those tabs just don't fit well together. I'm sure if you cut out a 2x4 or hockey puck you could rig something up, but I didn't have the luxury.
I ended up jacking up the car one corner at a time by the lower control arm, and then once it was jacked up I placed very sturdy blocks of wood under the flat part of the control arm nearest the wheel. Here's a picture of the car jacked up:
The car was completely solid - wouldn't budge, and it sat for about 36 hours in that position with no trouble. Based on my experience, I wouldn't fool around with jackstands and tabs and whatnot, and just do what I did.
2) Removed all the wheels.
3) Cleaned the calipers. For this, I first sprayed Brakleen liberally on the caliper and scrubbed it with a medium-stiffness wire brush. I then just used the rough side of a sponge with water and dish soap to scrub them down. I also had the benefit of a high-pressure air hose to dry them off immediately so I could check how clean they were then repeat if necessary.
4) Prepared the paint. Just follow G2's instructions, you pour the supplied reactor into the paint can and mix thoroughly.
5) Brushed on 3 coats. As if it needs to be said, throw away the brush G2 provides immediately. Go to an art supply store and pick up a good quality square brush that's about 1-2 inches across with bristles that are about medium stiffness. If they're too soft, they may not coat on the paint well enough. If they're too stiff, they'll leave excessive brush marks.
I did 3 coats. The first coat was just to cover everything, the second coat was to fill in spots, and the third was thick and to coat over everything. I did each caliper, then when I was done with the 4th I started my next coat back on the 1st.
6) Waited 2 hours for paint to cure.
7) Applied the MotoGFX stickers to the front calipers.
8) Taped everything off and sprayed the engine enamel clear coat on. I did about 3 light coats.
9) Let the car sit overnight, then I put the wheels back on. Didn't drive the car for about 24 hours.
Here are the results:
Fronts:
Rears:
Whole Car:
Overall I'm extremely pleased with the results. It looks OEM, which is what I wanted. The paint and decals look perfect, and the gloss the clear coat adds is very nice.
Here are some recommendations/reflections:
1) Brush-on vs. Spray-on: The main downside I read on CL to using brush-on paint as opposed to spray was that brush marks are left over. I can tell you that if you get a high quality brush and work carefully, you can avoid brush marks almost entirely. G2 is also self-leveling, so your 3rd coat should dry very smoothly with little to no brush marks.
As to the brush-on vs. spray-on debate, after having done it, I personally don't know how you could do as good a job with the spray-on as you can with the brush-on. The brush-on allows you to paint exactly what you want, working very meticulously and brushing carefully over contoured spots, etc. As you're going you can make sure it's going on evenly. Unless you're actually removing the calipers from the car, then I highly recommend the brush-on method.
2) Clear coat application: be very careful with your clear coat application. The first caliper I sprayed ended up having pooling and running. I think I sprayed it too closely to the caliper. I recommend holding the can straight upright about 10 inches away from the caliper and using a sweeping motion as you spray. If you spray too much in one spot, it will pool or run, and it looks terrible. I ended up having to repaint the G2 over the pooled area of the clear coat.
3) Wear latex/nitrile gloves while painting: this paint does not want to come off anything, including your hands.
4) Keep in mind the G2 paint will only be good for 4-6 hours after you mix it.
Here are the supplies I used:
- G2 Brake Caliper Paint System Set (http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/acces...tail.jsp?ID=41)
- Dupli-Color Engine Enamel Clear (http://www.amazon.com/Dupli-Color-DE.../dp/B000GKEXW0)
- MotoGFX IS350 Caliper Decals (http://www.motogfx.com/lexus/)
- Brakleen
- Dish soap, sponge
- Wire brushes to clean the calipers
- High quality brush from an art supply store
Here's what I did:
1) Jacked up the car and got all 4 wheels off. When I was doing my research on CL ahead of completing this project, this was probably the part that was the most confusing/difficult in my mind. My plan originally was to use 4 jackstands. However, if you look at a Y-shaped jackstand and then look at the 4 points on the car Lexus recommends as jack locations, you'll see very quickly why so many people say they've broken or bent the tabs. Jackstands and those tabs just don't fit well together. I'm sure if you cut out a 2x4 or hockey puck you could rig something up, but I didn't have the luxury.
I ended up jacking up the car one corner at a time by the lower control arm, and then once it was jacked up I placed very sturdy blocks of wood under the flat part of the control arm nearest the wheel. Here's a picture of the car jacked up:
The car was completely solid - wouldn't budge, and it sat for about 36 hours in that position with no trouble. Based on my experience, I wouldn't fool around with jackstands and tabs and whatnot, and just do what I did.
2) Removed all the wheels.
3) Cleaned the calipers. For this, I first sprayed Brakleen liberally on the caliper and scrubbed it with a medium-stiffness wire brush. I then just used the rough side of a sponge with water and dish soap to scrub them down. I also had the benefit of a high-pressure air hose to dry them off immediately so I could check how clean they were then repeat if necessary.
4) Prepared the paint. Just follow G2's instructions, you pour the supplied reactor into the paint can and mix thoroughly.
5) Brushed on 3 coats. As if it needs to be said, throw away the brush G2 provides immediately. Go to an art supply store and pick up a good quality square brush that's about 1-2 inches across with bristles that are about medium stiffness. If they're too soft, they may not coat on the paint well enough. If they're too stiff, they'll leave excessive brush marks.
I did 3 coats. The first coat was just to cover everything, the second coat was to fill in spots, and the third was thick and to coat over everything. I did each caliper, then when I was done with the 4th I started my next coat back on the 1st.
6) Waited 2 hours for paint to cure.
7) Applied the MotoGFX stickers to the front calipers.
8) Taped everything off and sprayed the engine enamel clear coat on. I did about 3 light coats.
9) Let the car sit overnight, then I put the wheels back on. Didn't drive the car for about 24 hours.
Here are the results:
Fronts:
Rears:
Whole Car:
Overall I'm extremely pleased with the results. It looks OEM, which is what I wanted. The paint and decals look perfect, and the gloss the clear coat adds is very nice.
Here are some recommendations/reflections:
1) Brush-on vs. Spray-on: The main downside I read on CL to using brush-on paint as opposed to spray was that brush marks are left over. I can tell you that if you get a high quality brush and work carefully, you can avoid brush marks almost entirely. G2 is also self-leveling, so your 3rd coat should dry very smoothly with little to no brush marks.
As to the brush-on vs. spray-on debate, after having done it, I personally don't know how you could do as good a job with the spray-on as you can with the brush-on. The brush-on allows you to paint exactly what you want, working very meticulously and brushing carefully over contoured spots, etc. As you're going you can make sure it's going on evenly. Unless you're actually removing the calipers from the car, then I highly recommend the brush-on method.
2) Clear coat application: be very careful with your clear coat application. The first caliper I sprayed ended up having pooling and running. I think I sprayed it too closely to the caliper. I recommend holding the can straight upright about 10 inches away from the caliper and using a sweeping motion as you spray. If you spray too much in one spot, it will pool or run, and it looks terrible. I ended up having to repaint the G2 over the pooled area of the clear coat.
3) Wear latex/nitrile gloves while painting: this paint does not want to come off anything, including your hands.
4) Keep in mind the G2 paint will only be good for 4-6 hours after you mix it.
09-16-11, 07:54 PM
#221
F-Sport Blue Calipers
I want to repaint the calipers on my '11 TP IS250 F-Sport from Black to the F-Sport Blue. How close is the G2 Paint Kit Blue to the factory F-Sport Blue? Any other Blue paint recommendations?
09-19-11, 12:20 PM
#225
I also found the G2 USB paint but wasn't sure if it was the same as the F-Sport accessories blue. I was told that the USB did not match the F-Sport equipment blue of the brakes, springs, and sway bars so I was wondering if the stock G2 blue color matched better. Thanks for the input.