Brake disc tophat painting.

[Nova_Tek]

** As there is some debate whether or not painting the mounting face of a brake disc can lead to the road wheel bolts loosening, thus loosing a wheel i.e. crashing... The following How-To is merely showing how I did it. This article will assume no liability in the event of an undesirable outcome **

Will be getting my new discs tomorrow if not tuesday. I was thinking to paint the top hat on the disk and around the outer edge where the disc vents are.

Main reason for this is to stop them from corroding and going ugly. Dunno what people think of this but Im gonna do it :) Seen a couple cars with it done and it looks quite tidy.

Whats a good paint to use for this job? Hammerite with brush or any old spray?

:thumb:

[Dod]

If you're going to do it, use proper Brake Paint, it has a much higher Temp Resistance. But it will eventually burn off and corrode away mate.

[Nova_Tek]

I understand just that dont want them to go brown and crusty. If they start off black and end up matte balck faded better then rustiness.

Cheers Dod

[Dod]

Even so, the heat will go through the vents and creep towards the top of the disc as well, unless you submerge the entyre disc in Paint, but even then, they'll probably corrode eventually anyway.

[Stuart]

I'm currently using halfords engine enamel for caliper and disc paint (I've had to paint part my my disc surface as the pads dont touch the whole disc). Its not come off at all in best part of 20K miles and lots of hard brake abuse.

[Nova_Tek]

For me it would be only the hub area of the disk and the vent areas, these I suppose wont get as hot as the disk area that the pads contact with.

I got some VHT paint that I have used on exhausts. This enamel paint is it a matte or a gloss finish?

[Dod]

Well thats me told!

[Stuart]

its a semi gloss finish... ie its shiny for about 5 mins then dulls off lol. Thats on the calipers only though. the discs are matte as thats how the surface is.

Yep dod, thats you told :p Cant beat realworld testing vs what yer mate down the pub told you.

I painted the outter rim of my front discs and they have corroded far far far less than the rears that I didnt paint.

[Dod]

Yep dod, thats you told :p Cant beat realworld testing vs what yer mate down the pub told you.



Firstly, I dont drink anymore (much!! :P)

Secondly, that was based on my assumptions

Thridly, Feck off Stuart!! lol

[craig green]

I did the discs centres & outer vent parts with HUMBROL model paint years ago. It faired reasonably well considering the abuse & fading the brakes encountered. I wouldnt recommend it though.

High temp paint will be better.

[Nova_Tek]

Well Im off tomorrow to get some suitable paint but as my discs arrived today around 2ish I thought I'd get cracking with the prep. Thought I'd post some images, so people can see how they come along and see what they look like when done.

Here they are as they arrived

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/9228/19052008032vn2.jpg

At first I was trying to find a way to mask the outer edge of the hub then it came to me:

Started masking

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/8112/19052008036qy0.jpg

Masking finished (I allowed the masking tape to go over the outer edge of the hub by a mm or so I could lift them up to give a softer edge when painting)

http://img802.imageshack.us/img802/2967/19052008037us1.jpg

Then I had to cover the friction surface to stop it getting mucky

I folded a page of newspaper in half, cut a semi circle to size

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/3255/19052008038zq4.jpg

Then opened it out

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/56/19052008039iw9.jpg

Masked that up nicely

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/1576/19052008040yf7.jpg

Folded the edges and stuck them down, Hey presto, ready for paint

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/5811/19052008041ty2.jpg

Before I gave it a few coast of Acid etch primer gave the area a good clean with brake cleaner and a wipe with some spirit to get the protection grease off.

Primer.
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/3157/19052008034uf4.jpg

Some more primer

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/8217/19052008035lq7.jpg

Should have these done tomorrow when I get the paint.

Will post up some pics when done :thumb:

[Nova_Tek]

Finally got them done, took a bit longer then it should have but thats what happens when you get days off, kept getting sidetracked and people needing my help for certain things.

First few coats of enamel black

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/2033/20052008042pq3.jpg

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/4691/20052008043yb4.jpg

Once dried rubbed down a few lumps and gave some more coats (garage is very dusty)

This is the end product. Good thing with this enamel paint is that its a nice satin finish, and coats can be reapplied very easily if need be, looks like a very durable finish too.

http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/6141/20052008044zh9.jpg

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/6037/20052008045if6.jpg

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/1579/22052008056tc6.jpg

:thumb:

Just waiting to get my pads from europerformance.co.uk which have now taken a week and a half to arrive and yet to come :mad:

[Adam]

Thats come out well, nice job.
Bet you a fiver it doesn't last though :p

[Nova_Tek]

I have been thinking about that considering what some people have been saying.

But I have to say that the paint seems to be quite tough, even when rubbing it down with wet and dry, it didnt have the same texture as regular paint seemed to be more rubbery and harder to rub down.

The can did say that it was resistant to fading and heat resistant to up to 150 degrees so we'll see how it goes.

[Adam]

Believe me, 150degs is nothing for brakes

[Ste L]

i'd personally sand down the face one them, where wheel bolt's on..

not keen on the idea of having something between the wheel and disc, as it could crack etc, then the wheel bolt's could losen etc etc

[Stuart]

The Halfords Engine Enamel that I used on the face of my discs + thophat (bar the mounting face) hasnt come off in the 20K of hard abuse I've given them. Plus had the discs glowing a few times too lol, oh and I didnt use primer either :D

[craig green]

FOOK! House prices arent shy around your way! lol




i'd personally sand down the face one them, where wheel bolt's on..

not keen on the idea of having something between the wheel and disc, as it could crack etc, then the wheel bolt's could losen etc etc

Ditto. I've heard of wheels falling off because of this... :eek:

[R1CH]

I done my rear discs with Hammerite (spray can), been on for a good 12k miles and still looks spot on, i only masked off about 3/4 of the braking surface to ensure that the paint was gonna cover everything and there wouldn't end up being a rusty line on the edge of the disc where the pad doesnt touch, the pads cleaned off the excess paint with a couple of mile.
I'd also be cleaning off the paint on the mounting surface.

[Dod]

Get them stuck on and take it for a few abusive runs mate, let me know how it goes.

[Nova_Tek]

i'd personally sand down the face one them, where wheel bolt's on..

not keen on the idea of having something between the wheel and disc, as it could crack etc, then the wheel bolt's could losen etc etc

I see what you are saying but the wheel bolts screw onto the hub, I dont see how something in between can loosen something that is tightly done. I have painted my drums with primer, paint and lauqer for many years and have never come across any loosening of bolts.

I might just slice off paint a few mm's more diameter around the bolt holes with a stanley or something and do it like that. Will check them periodically to see if it happens.

Thanks for the heads up :thumb:


FOOK! House prices arent shy around your way! lol

Nope they are quite crazy, and those were the cheap houses :eek: some of those in the not so great part of town :)

Will get them stuck on when I get my calipers refurbed, all the refurb bits n pieces are here anyway, and when europerformance.co.uk take their finger out their backsides and send me my freaking pads.

Will be calling them tomorrow morning to have a fair few words.

[Ste L]

I see what you are saying but the wheel bolts screw onto the hub, I dont see how something in between can loosen something that is tightly done.

think about it like this..

put your wheels on, tighten up, but fully, but leave a wafer thin gap between disk and wheel, then drive it, the wheels will wobble, and come lose, then adventually fall off

basically, thats what would happen, if the paint chips on the mounting face :thumb:

[Dod]

Yeah but the paint face is sub 0.5mm. The same could apply with dirt, rusty discs or corrosion from the alloys on it.

[Ste L]

Yeah but the paint face is sub 0.5mm. The same could apply with dirt, rusty discs or corrosion from the alloys on it.


there's more the .5mm of paint on them..

there's 3 coats of paint, that aint going to be that thin!!!!

[Stuart]

the paint "could" melt and then upset the tightened torque on the bolts which "could" lead to bolts undoing/death etc etc yada yada yada.

[craig green]

If the paint moves between the wheel & disc, you get a void & potential for the bolts to loosen. It makes as much sense as greasing wheel bolts (sackable offence at some tyre fitters).

[Lee]

Yarp, have to agree here, there shouldnt be any paint on the mountinf face of the disc. Look at your alloy, is there any powdercoat / paint on there? ;)

Drums are the same, you shouldnt paint on the actual mounting face either. Its not just about a possible loosening either, I very much doubt you will have got a perfect coat on there, in which case there was no point in balancing your wheels lol

Nice finish though. I always paint up discs before installation, especially on grooved discs, i paint the actual braking surface so rust doesnt form inside the grooves. A few sharp stops soon cleans the braking face off.

[Stuart]

If the paint moves between the wheel & disc, you get a void & potential for the bolts to loosen. It makes as much sense as greasing wheel bolts (sackable offence at some tyre fitters).

depends if you take the grease on the threads into consideration when re tightening them ;) I always use copper grease on wheel bolts and not had a single complaint thus far.

[Adam]

I always copper grease wheel bolts too.
A rusted solid wheel bolt is not nice.