Junkman2008
07-10-2008, 04:28 PM
Okay first of all, let me say to those of you who have posted instructions on how to paint your calipers that this is in no way meant to try and upstage your post. This is however, a detailed footnote to your post for those of us who can't look at a bolt and tell whether to use a 1/2" or 5/8" socket to remove it. To this day, I still can't. This thread is for those of us who are mechanically challenged, don't like to get our finger nails dirty, or never owned a car in high school OR college. This is for those of us who have never heard of a jacking puck or know where to put them, or knew that there are 4 alternate locations to jack your car other than where the manual states. This my friends, is a post for those of us who would consider ourselves "car mechanic dummies".
P.S. You'll never find a copy of this posted anywhere at "Patches" garage! That guy's freakin' unreal!
Want I want to cover here is a step by step guide on how to paint your calipers while the calipers are still attached to the car, what to use, how to do it, and what mistakes NOT to make. I will go into way more detail than most will need, but someone out there (like me) will appreciate that. Thus, skip the parts that are in more detail than you need.
There were a lot of suggestions on how to do this cheaply. I followed NONE of them. As a matter of fact, I probably spent about $300-$350 on parts and supplies just so I could be comfortable and make the job as easy as possible. Sweating is something I charge extra for in my line of work, and is something that I haven't experienced since my last foot chase while working for the L.A. County Sheriff's Department 20 years ago. Thus, you will have to make decisions as to whether you want to take a suggestion I make, or go a different route in the name of comfort or saving a buck. Give me comfort any day.
Here are the supplies I used. The parts I'm listing are parts/equipment that I used extensively, or that made the job much easier. I'm not listing stuff that I only used once or sparingly. First, the tools:
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/tools.jpg
That's it! That was all I needed that I can remember to do the whole job. Well, I did buy a nice Craftsman torque wrench so that I could put the tire bolts back on to spec but to be honest, I haven't quite figured out how to use the darn thing. I'll be calling my mechanic for a tutorial. Hey, I'm new at this "working on newer car" thing okay? I've never owned anything newer than 1979 until I bought my 2001 Corvette.
The paint and brushes (I highly recommend the Dupli-Color product but buy some decent brushes!):
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/suplies1.jpg
By the way, that paint thinner is used to thin the paint. Don't bother using that brand to clean your brushes because it's worthless for that. I used some 15240 Lacquer Thinner that I got from NAPA to clean my brushes. Also, get a aerosol can of the black paint. The red paint in a can is okay for the calipers but the black paint in the can leaves too many brush strokes and looks like crap. Plus, it's shiny, not flat so it looks like you took your brakes apart and painted them. Not a look we want. We want this to look as factory as possible.
A Dremel tool and plenty (start with about 10 packages) of these 511 or 512 brushes (both the 511 and 512 packages were the same as far as I could tell - you'll see if you get some). Also purchase a EZ Lock Mandrel (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00964454000P?vName=Tools&cName=PowerToolAccessories&sName=Rotary%20Tool&psid=18490388) for the Dremel tool. It will make changing the bits a lot faster and easier. This is the tool that I used to clean the hell out of the calipers, the rotors, and anything else that rust had laid it's ugly head on. Also, make sure you wear some safety glasses. You don't want anything flying off the end of that Dremel tool to end up in your eyes:
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/dremeltool.jpg
The next items are a must. You're going to need a place to sit while working on your car. I paid $25 for this stool at Sears and man, it was a life (or butt) saver. If your butt muscles are as worn as mine, then you know you're not gonna last long sitting on your garage floor. Get one of these.
You're also going to need a way to get your car high enough to get the jack under it. For $30 at Pep Boys, I came across these 8-ton ramps. Nothing against you guys who use wood, but I paid way to much for my ride to trust me and the wood technique. Thirty-bucks is car wash money and the ramps work on all my cars. Well worth the investment, if just for my peace of mind.
My jack is not a low profile jack, however, it does fit under the car where the jacking pucks go. I don't have the pucks yet, however, that black circular cup on the end of my jack lifts off and reveals a small square jacking surface. It's small enough to fit into the square cut out located where the front pucks go on your Corvette, but not where the rear pucks go. I'll cover the rear technique I used later. (I've had that jack for years and never knew that cup came off until my mechanic saw me trying to fit the jack under the car - he just bent over, pulled it off and walked away - smarty pants).
As far as jack stands go, I've seen some guys put their Vettes up on some tiny little jack stands. The kind where a good gust of wind could leave your Vette sitting on it's belly with a ton of damage, and the problem of figuring out how you're going to get it back in the air. You can see how big my jack stands are relative to the 3.5 ton jack. Buy some decent sized jack stands, you'll thank me later.
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/stoolrampjack.jpg
Jacking pucks and puck installation locations
These hockey pucks install into slots located just behind the front wheel well (under the car), and just in front of the rear wheel well (under the car). You simply stick the eyelet into the slotted hole and give a quarter turn. These pucks allow you to raise the car from these locations without doing damage to the rocker panel which is painted and is folded up under the car. They are meant to be used temporarily and then removed once you've finished jacking the car. DO NOT leave them there and go driving. If they come out, they could bounce around and do some nasty damage to your car. You can buy these things from vendors right here at Corvette Forum or you can make your own. You can pretty much look at them and figure out how to make your own (Special thanks goes to SpudGT for use of his photo):
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/pucklocation.jpg
Other supplies and equipment that I used are these brushes, for cleaning areas that the Dremel tool couldn't reach. The one in the middle also comes in a harder brush metal material and all can be purchased at NAPA (get the harder brush). I'm sure other places sell something similar.
You may need some light in order to see what you're doing and the workhorse pictured below will not only light up you work area, but it will also roast your hot dog sandwich if you place it too close to the light. That thing gets hot!
Ask me how I know.
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/brusheslamp.jpg
You're also going to need something to help loosen the bolts that need to be removed for this job (especially if King Kong tightened them during your last brake job, as seemed to be the case with my bolts). Also, once you get everything cleaned, you'll need to coat the rotors and brake brackets with a product that will slow down any future rusting. I present to you PB Blaster (don't bust your knuckles, bust you nuts!) and Permatex Rust Treatment. Let me tell you, that PB Blaster was a hernia saver on more than one occasion.
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/pbblasterrusttreatment.jpg
Part 2 of this DIY can be found by clicking this link (http://www.smokinvette.com/corvetteforum/showthread.php?t=8250).
P.S. You'll never find a copy of this posted anywhere at "Patches" garage! That guy's freakin' unreal!
Want I want to cover here is a step by step guide on how to paint your calipers while the calipers are still attached to the car, what to use, how to do it, and what mistakes NOT to make. I will go into way more detail than most will need, but someone out there (like me) will appreciate that. Thus, skip the parts that are in more detail than you need.
There were a lot of suggestions on how to do this cheaply. I followed NONE of them. As a matter of fact, I probably spent about $300-$350 on parts and supplies just so I could be comfortable and make the job as easy as possible. Sweating is something I charge extra for in my line of work, and is something that I haven't experienced since my last foot chase while working for the L.A. County Sheriff's Department 20 years ago. Thus, you will have to make decisions as to whether you want to take a suggestion I make, or go a different route in the name of comfort or saving a buck. Give me comfort any day.
Here are the supplies I used. The parts I'm listing are parts/equipment that I used extensively, or that made the job much easier. I'm not listing stuff that I only used once or sparingly. First, the tools:
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/tools.jpg
That's it! That was all I needed that I can remember to do the whole job. Well, I did buy a nice Craftsman torque wrench so that I could put the tire bolts back on to spec but to be honest, I haven't quite figured out how to use the darn thing. I'll be calling my mechanic for a tutorial. Hey, I'm new at this "working on newer car" thing okay? I've never owned anything newer than 1979 until I bought my 2001 Corvette.
The paint and brushes (I highly recommend the Dupli-Color product but buy some decent brushes!):
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/suplies1.jpg
By the way, that paint thinner is used to thin the paint. Don't bother using that brand to clean your brushes because it's worthless for that. I used some 15240 Lacquer Thinner that I got from NAPA to clean my brushes. Also, get a aerosol can of the black paint. The red paint in a can is okay for the calipers but the black paint in the can leaves too many brush strokes and looks like crap. Plus, it's shiny, not flat so it looks like you took your brakes apart and painted them. Not a look we want. We want this to look as factory as possible.
A Dremel tool and plenty (start with about 10 packages) of these 511 or 512 brushes (both the 511 and 512 packages were the same as far as I could tell - you'll see if you get some). Also purchase a EZ Lock Mandrel (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00964454000P?vName=Tools&cName=PowerToolAccessories&sName=Rotary%20Tool&psid=18490388) for the Dremel tool. It will make changing the bits a lot faster and easier. This is the tool that I used to clean the hell out of the calipers, the rotors, and anything else that rust had laid it's ugly head on. Also, make sure you wear some safety glasses. You don't want anything flying off the end of that Dremel tool to end up in your eyes:
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/dremeltool.jpg
The next items are a must. You're going to need a place to sit while working on your car. I paid $25 for this stool at Sears and man, it was a life (or butt) saver. If your butt muscles are as worn as mine, then you know you're not gonna last long sitting on your garage floor. Get one of these.
You're also going to need a way to get your car high enough to get the jack under it. For $30 at Pep Boys, I came across these 8-ton ramps. Nothing against you guys who use wood, but I paid way to much for my ride to trust me and the wood technique. Thirty-bucks is car wash money and the ramps work on all my cars. Well worth the investment, if just for my peace of mind.
My jack is not a low profile jack, however, it does fit under the car where the jacking pucks go. I don't have the pucks yet, however, that black circular cup on the end of my jack lifts off and reveals a small square jacking surface. It's small enough to fit into the square cut out located where the front pucks go on your Corvette, but not where the rear pucks go. I'll cover the rear technique I used later. (I've had that jack for years and never knew that cup came off until my mechanic saw me trying to fit the jack under the car - he just bent over, pulled it off and walked away - smarty pants).
As far as jack stands go, I've seen some guys put their Vettes up on some tiny little jack stands. The kind where a good gust of wind could leave your Vette sitting on it's belly with a ton of damage, and the problem of figuring out how you're going to get it back in the air. You can see how big my jack stands are relative to the 3.5 ton jack. Buy some decent sized jack stands, you'll thank me later.
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/stoolrampjack.jpg
Jacking pucks and puck installation locations
These hockey pucks install into slots located just behind the front wheel well (under the car), and just in front of the rear wheel well (under the car). You simply stick the eyelet into the slotted hole and give a quarter turn. These pucks allow you to raise the car from these locations without doing damage to the rocker panel which is painted and is folded up under the car. They are meant to be used temporarily and then removed once you've finished jacking the car. DO NOT leave them there and go driving. If they come out, they could bounce around and do some nasty damage to your car. You can buy these things from vendors right here at Corvette Forum or you can make your own. You can pretty much look at them and figure out how to make your own (Special thanks goes to SpudGT for use of his photo):
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/pucklocation.jpg
Other supplies and equipment that I used are these brushes, for cleaning areas that the Dremel tool couldn't reach. The one in the middle also comes in a harder brush metal material and all can be purchased at NAPA (get the harder brush). I'm sure other places sell something similar.
You may need some light in order to see what you're doing and the workhorse pictured below will not only light up you work area, but it will also roast your hot dog sandwich if you place it too close to the light. That thing gets hot!
Ask me how I know.
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/brusheslamp.jpg
You're also going to need something to help loosen the bolts that need to be removed for this job (especially if King Kong tightened them during your last brake job, as seemed to be the case with my bolts). Also, once you get everything cleaned, you'll need to coat the rotors and brake brackets with a product that will slow down any future rusting. I present to you PB Blaster (don't bust your knuckles, bust you nuts!) and Permatex Rust Treatment. Let me tell you, that PB Blaster was a hernia saver on more than one occasion.
http://www.pc-surgeon.net/images/cforum/pbblasterrusttreatment.jpg
Part 2 of this DIY can be found by clicking this link (http://www.smokinvette.com/corvetteforum/showthread.php?t=8250).