help with powdercoating calipers

[raceman]

so l`ve decided my calipers need to be red.l considered yellow but who am l fooling.l`ve got everything apart but l need to know if the calipers MUST be totally broken down with pistons and seals removed in order to sustain the powdercoating oven.l think the guy says it gets to 400 degrees.l`ve seen others that were practically coated over the brake pads there was so little disassembly done,looked sad.Anyhow if anyone has any direct experience here l would appreciate knowing about it,thanks

[RickM]

I believe the concensus will be to rebuild the calipers while they're off the car. This has been discussed before as related to baking paint and for when welding calipers. The advice is typically "while you're in there" ......

[old_skul]

Uh, the rubber seal would melt. Since you've got them off the car, and rebuilding a caliper is so freakin' easy, you should pull them apart, wash them thoroughly, and get the powdercoating done.

Don't disassemble the actual calipers. They'll leak if you do. I'm fairly sure the gasket in between the caliper halves will sustain the oven heat, given that they don't break down after being heated to nuclear temperatures on the track.

[raceman]

thanks amigos,it`s sort of a waste of economy not to do the rebuild while they`re off.The rears need welding also which clinches it l guess.These brake upgrades sure take a lot of time and money to do right.And to think l once had a totally stock car.l actually left it alone for the first year while l was learning to drive it,then the upgrades began,and went on,and on ,and on..

Hi,

I just powder coated my calipers with the do it your self kit from Eastwood. One pair I dissassembled completely before coating. I had to cover all the openings before coating to ensure that no powder got inside the caliper. On the second set I left them all together with the pistons, and bleed scews in the caliper. I just plugged the threaded inlet for the brake line. This way I didn't have to worry about the powder getting in to the caliper. After the powder coating was done I rebuilt the calipers. Both sets came out looking fine.

Long story long is that either way will work.

Hope this helps.

[Zeke]

Originally posted by old_skul
Uh, the rubber seal would melt................... Don't disassemble the actual calipers. They'll leak if you do. I'm fairly sure the gasket in between the caliper halves will sustain the oven heat, given that they don't break down after being heated to nuclear temperatures on the track.

And why would the seal fail if the gasket won't? The seal never sees 400*? I bet it does once in a while on my car.

Maybe I'll just put the powder on before going to the track. You think?