[m1k30rz]

Hey Guys,

Okay well I painted my calipers some time ago and was going to write up a howto and thought I lost my pictures but I found them today! So I will post up my howto :]

How to paint your calipers and change your brake pads!

Ingredients



You need basic tools, break cleaner and some caliper paint of your choice (i chose this caliper spray paint as it has primer and everything built in so its just one step! very easy) I chose to paint mine silver as it matches the wheels and will blend in quite nice and not look all ricey and out of place! Gold would also look quite nice IMO. you will also need a wire brush thingy or some sandpaper.

Step 1:

Raise your car on jackstands (BE SAFE PEOPLE USE JACKSTANDS PLEASE) and take both front wheels off (we are doing the front for now).



You will be greeted with this pretty sight :]

Now heres a rule for this guide, keep one side fully intact do not take any of it apart until you've COMPLETLEY finished the first side, why? So if you forget what way round that pad/shim/caliper/bolt goes you can look at the other side! Saves messing up now

Step 2:

Remove the calipers bottom bolt on the rear of the caliper



Now swing the caliper up, depending on what kind of break disc quiet has been used etc it may be VERY TIGHT to lift up, Pull hard, it will come up Just not TOO hard dont want to snap any break lines or anything!

Now you've got it up pull it towards you a little bit and let it back down, it will niceley rest on the existing brake pads as seen in step 3

Step 3:



Now we want to clean that caliper! Get out your sandpaper or wire brush and break cleaner, spray a good ammount of break cleaner all over it and then get to scrubbing! You want to remove ALL dirt/rust that is on the caliper, now let it dry and spray it hard out again to remove all the dirt/rust you broke free.

Repeat if necessary.

Should come up nice and clean like this



Step 4:

Lets get to painting! First we must block off anything we DONT want to paint, that would be our brake rotor! I dont think it would be too happy with paint on it!



As you can see I used a plastic bag and put it up under the caliper covering the caliper piston as well.

Spray a good nice even coat and let it dry (says to let dry for 15 mins)



Now give her a few more coats (waiting in between 15 mins each time) until it has the desired finish, more spray = more shiney.

Step 5:

I let it dry for a good 4hrs before I went on so depending on your climate etc wait till its dry, we dont want to scratch up our nice painted calipers do we?!

Using a brake disc caliper piston pusher tool (available from most automotive shops) I pushed the caliper piston in, I put the tool into the caliper and put an old brake pad up to the piston and turned the handle and it pushed it in perfectly and evenly.

Make sure you do this with the master cylinder resivor OPEN and a towel around it! Some brake fluid may come out!! you do NOT want this on any paintwork, nasty stuff!



Now that the caliper was pushed in I got my new brake pads, these are Lucas non asbestos pads, they have EXCELLENT braking performance and dont create much dust, and they have many more great features I reccomend them! They also have rubber shims on them so you do not require the OEM metal shims.

I used some CRC Disc Brake Quiet on the back of the pads, shop manual says you must use some form of disc brake quietner/lubricant on the back of the pads and shims (if you have metal shims)



When it has dried but still tacky (about 10 mins to get to this stage) place the pads into the pad retainers then close the caliper over top of the pads and put the bottom bolt back in and tighten it up good! (not too tight though)

If you need any more help with changing the brake pads visit the shop manual http://media.honda.co.uk/car/owner/m...sf100/13-7.pdf

Done!!

Now you can do the other side :] once both sides are done put the wheels back on and put the car back on the ground make sure all lugnuts are tightend!!

Get into your car and start her up, pump the brakes SEVERAL times as hard as you can to seat the pads properly.




Take her for a nice drive and enjoy!!

[diamondsleeper]

Thanks for the pics. In the process of painting mine. Didn't realize the pads were visible till I saw your pics. Will be painting them now too.

[cidgrad130]

Originally Posted by diamondsleeper

Thanks for the pics. In the process of painting mine. Didn't realize the pads were visible till I saw your pics. Will be painting them now too.

I hope you didn't mean you were planning on painting the back sides of the pads. He didn't paint the pads for looks...he "painted" them with disk quiet produce (there are several manufacturers of that type of product), not paint. (maybe I misunderstood your post).

Cheers!

[Tecknixia]

Originally Posted by cidgrad130

I hope you didn't mean you were planning on painting the back sides of the pads.

Better then painting the front sides... lol

[LudaPower]

Also don't expect the paint to last forever. Brake pad dust is a bitch.
Also you can simply use a C-clamp to push the piston down.

[Hprelude5R]

Simple task, yet highly appreciated. Good write-up. Should be stickied for all forums to utilize.

Rep point for you. YAY!

[snickells]

I have two cars, my 3rd gen and my s14 and BOTH need this done. Thanks for the inspiration!

[m1k30rz]

Thanks alot guys :] Cheers for the rep HP5R!!

[reptar_head]

The only thing you forgot is that to do a proper brake job, you should turn the rotors. I know it's a pain to take them off and take them somewhere, but if you don't you may end up with a shudder, noise, or any other number of brake problems. Even better than taking them off is turning them with an on-car lathe. When you do that, it cuts them as they sit on your car, so any imperfections or difference you have when they're mounted are compensated for.

[Prelude of Red]

I replaced my front rotors and pads a few months ago, but now I want to paint them. Thank you for the write-up and pics.

[CADster]

Originally Posted by diamondsleeper

Thanks for the pics. In the process of painting mine. Didn't realize the pads were visible till I saw your pics. Will be painting them now too.

waste of time. it wont stay. pads get too hot.

just paint the caliper.

ive already got a few spots on my caliper where my brake temp has got so hot its bubbled my rotor paint.

[m1k30rz]

Wow CADster havent managed to do that to mine yet LOL.

Also to keep them looking great use some degreaser on them when you wash your car, keeps the paint finish looking good :] Mine are still looking GREAT by cleaning them with degreaser (wheel still on, as long as you can actualy get to the caliper) every time I wash!

[DAAMANNN]

should have painted the bracket aswell. I did, it looks sikkkk

[dano]

You also need to clean the slider pins, the holes they go into and re-grease with caliper grease.

I find a .38 or 9mm caliber brass bore cleaning brush to be perfect to clean old grease out of the pin holes. That is if gun cleaning supplies are not illegal in NZ.



I like your red knobed piston retractor. I'm a big fan of these things. If you are unable to push the piston back into the bore by turning the knob, the caliper need a rebuilding. A "C" clamp offers too much leverage.

Good job. You have a lovely Prelude.