Machine Polishing & Painted Calipers
06-05-2013, 10:23 PM
#1
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Machine Polishing & Painted Calipers
Finally checked off two more aesthetic changes I wanted to do to the car. I painted my calipers white with high temperature enamel (three coats on each side) and painted over the infamous StopTech rust ring (the rotors were not completely covered by pad contact so a rust ring started to form after I washed it - painted over it with black high temp paint - masked as best I could then the first time you brake it cuts off any over spray). It took most of the day as I spent a LOT of time with two friends on the prep work getting everything masked perfectly and the car up on axle stands. Noticed my right front CV boot was leaking =\ but everything under the car looked great and it turned out amazing. I chose white as I wanted to keep the white/silver and black color scheme going on the car. Red wouldn't have looked good, yellow is more of a Ferrari and Porsche thing IMO, black would have just disappeared and made the car look darker, and any other color wouldn't look right. About them getting dirty, over a day and a hundred miles of driving later they still look great and the low-dust para-aramid StopTech pads are doing the trick. Honestly, any light color would suffer from getting dirty but I wash my car often enough that it isn't an issue and I don't expect it to be. It contrasts nicely with the car and is easy to clean with a nice thick layer of paint.
The day after that, as per the insult-suggestion of OliverK, I went and got the entire car machine polished and high-speed buffed. The exterior was then detailed and it looks AMAZING. All of the minor scratches and issues with the paint were corrected and the swirl marks are mostly gone, only some marks are still visible in the bright bright sunlight that used to make my other pictures look horrible and the paint seem as if it was in really poor shape.
(Oops, a little bit leftover wax right on the fender)
Next up is fixing the issue with the ESDEPO side-markers, DDM Tuning Kit for low beams and fogs (as well as accompanying bulb changes), and then lowering the car via STAR - long overdue but finally sold those lowering links so I can save some money and do it by computer. That will probably wrap up my appearance "mods" for this summer.
That will later followed by aluminum sport pedals and door pins as well as the E63-style trunk lip. In the long term I want to do an E63 front conversion, side-skirts, and rear bumper diffuser with dual exhaust tips. Not that you all care but just wanted to give you a quick update
The day after that, as per the insult-suggestion of OliverK, I went and got the entire car machine polished and high-speed buffed. The exterior was then detailed and it looks AMAZING. All of the minor scratches and issues with the paint were corrected and the swirl marks are mostly gone, only some marks are still visible in the bright bright sunlight that used to make my other pictures look horrible and the paint seem as if it was in really poor shape.
(Oops, a little bit leftover wax right on the fender)
Next up is fixing the issue with the ESDEPO side-markers, DDM Tuning Kit for low beams and fogs (as well as accompanying bulb changes), and then lowering the car via STAR - long overdue but finally sold those lowering links so I can save some money and do it by computer. That will probably wrap up my appearance "mods" for this summer.
That will later followed by aluminum sport pedals and door pins as well as the E63-style trunk lip. In the long term I want to do an E63 front conversion, side-skirts, and rear bumper diffuser with dual exhaust tips. Not that you all care but just wanted to give you a quick update
Last edited by AMGAffalterbach; 06-05-2013 at 10:31 PM.
06-09-2013, 08:48 PM
#2
Out Of Control!!
"Not that you all care but just wanted to give you a quick update"
Wow, I care, I showed your pics to a vice squad buddy. He is going to try and have all the squads unmarked cruisers calipers painted pink!!
Wow, I care, I showed your pics to a vice squad buddy. He is going to try and have all the squads unmarked cruisers calipers painted pink!!
06-14-2013, 01:52 AM
#7
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Thanks everybody! It means a lot I really do love this car to death and I enjoy seeing it come together. After a little over a week with the white calipers, going on a few rallies, and taking it to the drag strip they look just fine so I'm glad with my color choice.
@Gresh320 I used Dupli-Color Ceramic Engine Enamel. It's rated up to 500 degrees which is hotter than most purpose-made caliper paint so it works just fine and is a great semi-gloss finish. It works on the rotor itself under extreme temperature (where I painted the rust ring) with no signs of deteriorating or melting. Definitely recommended. With most high-end professional jobs people often opt to powder coat the calipers from what I understand, but if I paid to do that professionally rather than doing it myself then I might as well buy new calipers instead. The process is simple: put the car up on axle stands, take off the wheels, sand down any rust and grime on the calipers, use tar & grease remover on the calipers, spend a couple of hours masking EVERYTHING, then do three coats of the enamel with 10 minutes between coats and it'll look golden. Make sure to mask off the pads, sensors, rotors, etc (if you get any overspray on the rotors it will be sliced off the next time you brake but the less the better).
@jta00r1 Thin air isn't really an issue here with palm trees at all - here in Highlands Ranch we are at almost 6000 feet and it has flourished and we've had to replant it several times in larger pots. We've had several and they grow just fine - the only issue is the cold temperatures so from May to September we keep it outside and the rest of the year we put it in our living room near a window with plenty of sunlight. They work in dry arid climates too such as Nevada so it's a nice addition to the existing landscaping.
@Gresh320 I used Dupli-Color Ceramic Engine Enamel. It's rated up to 500 degrees which is hotter than most purpose-made caliper paint so it works just fine and is a great semi-gloss finish. It works on the rotor itself under extreme temperature (where I painted the rust ring) with no signs of deteriorating or melting. Definitely recommended. With most high-end professional jobs people often opt to powder coat the calipers from what I understand, but if I paid to do that professionally rather than doing it myself then I might as well buy new calipers instead. The process is simple: put the car up on axle stands, take off the wheels, sand down any rust and grime on the calipers, use tar & grease remover on the calipers, spend a couple of hours masking EVERYTHING, then do three coats of the enamel with 10 minutes between coats and it'll look golden. Make sure to mask off the pads, sensors, rotors, etc (if you get any overspray on the rotors it will be sliced off the next time you brake but the less the better).
@jta00r1 Thin air isn't really an issue here with palm trees at all - here in Highlands Ranch we are at almost 6000 feet and it has flourished and we've had to replant it several times in larger pots. We've had several and they grow just fine - the only issue is the cold temperatures so from May to September we keep it outside and the rest of the year we put it in our living room near a window with plenty of sunlight. They work in dry arid climates too such as Nevada so it's a nice addition to the existing landscaping.
Last edited by AMGAffalterbach; 06-14-2013 at 02:17 AM.
