Posted this in pics/vids, but wanted to share here as well:
Over the past month or so, I’ve been working on and off on the front and rear suspension. It took a lot longer than it normally would, considering my wife and I just had our first child back in March and he has obviously been taking up quite a bit of our time. I ended up doing the following:
• Bilstein shocks/struts
• Eibach pro-kit springs (all iso’s in)
• Energy Suspension sway bar end links
• MM caster/camber plates
• Steeda bumpsteer kit
• Russell SS brake lines
• Rotor Pros slotted rotors
• Hawk brake pads
• New caliper seals/hardware
• Motorcraft fuel filter (really fun w/an IRS in the way)
The bulk of the work ended up being in the paint, b/c I was trying to do this a few hours at a time in-between other responsibilities (i.e. – newborn). In addition to the brake calipers, I also removed the front control arms and painted those, along with the springs. They’re both flat black, nothing picture worthy.
Anyway, I figured I’d do a small write-up on the caliper painting with some pics.
Here is my materials list for the prep & paint:
• Duplicolor Engine Enamel (red – for front caliper bodies)
• Duplicolor Engine Enamel (black – for rears and brackets)
• Duplicolor Engine Enamel (clear coat)
• Brake Parts Cleaner
• Aircraft Grade Stripper/Remover
• Assortment of Wire Brushes
• Hose with end sprayer (or pressure washer if you have one)
• Masking Tape
• Sanding block
• Work gloves
Also, I recommend at least having a Haynes book for your car, it helps when taking parts on and off. I picked up a gently used Ford service manual off eBay when I bought my Cobra, they are worth every cent if you do as much on your own as you can, just my .02
Okay, let’s get started:
1. I’ll skip all the obvious “jack up car, put on stands, etc.” b/c that should be a given. My method involves removing the calipers from the car, so if you don’t plan on doing that, a lot of what you’re about to read through won’t apply to you.
2. So, go ahead and remove the calipers from the car and plug the brake lines so fluid doesn’t drip anywhere (I didn’t do this because I was replacing the brake lines with new ones, but you can buy plugs/caps from Advance or Auto Zone I believe). At minimum, turn the end of the line upward so that gravity will lend a hand. With the calipers removed, do not push or pump the brake pedal, as you can pull air into your lines. I’m not going to go step by step on how to remove the front and rear calipers, that’s what a Haynes book or shop manual is for.
3. With the calipers removed, I let any excess fluid drain from them. I just turned them on their side and let them sit for awhile. I was pulling the pistons on the front to replace the seals/boots, so I didn’t care if they were completely empty or not. If you are just removing them to paint them, you’ll want to get as much fluid out as possible and then plug the hole so you don’t leak fluid while you’re painting – brake fluid and paint don’t like each other at all. I don’t have a recommendation on how to do this; perhaps find a like-threaded bolt and hand tighten it down, or take the banjo bolt and hand-tighten it down and tape the hole off. Whatever works for you.
What I started with:
4. Next, tape off any areas that you don’t want to get soaked with brake fluid, basically just the piston seals. Go ahead and spray brake cleaner on the caliper and let it work for a few minutes, then get comfortable because you’ll be wire brushing the entire surface. Anything loose needs to go – dirt, grease, grime, etc. Take your time here, use the brake cleaner, brush some more, spray it again, brush some more.
5. When you’re satisfied with the brush job, reapply any masking tape that was soaked or torn, and get out the aircraft stripper. This shit is nasty stuff, it will eat your skin if you let it sit for a few seconds, wear gloves. It may be overkill, but I sprayed an even coat over the entire caliper and let it sit for 15 minutes. It basically goes on like a film then bubbles while it works, eating away at whatever remaining coating is on the surface.
6. Once the stripper has sat for 15 minutes or so, get out your hose end sprayer and put it on the “jet” setting (even better, get a pressure washer), and spray all the stripper off. You should have a relatively even looking gray surface when everything has had time to dry. I got a few white paper towels and wiped them down after they’d dried – if the towels remain clean, then you’ve done your job.
Front calipers/brackets clean and ready to go:
7. Now you’re ready for paint. Mask off any areas that you don’t want painted (basically the same areas that you didn’t want hosed with brake cleaner or stripper) and hang them or set them on whatever clean surface you have prepared to do the paint work. I had an old bench that I rigged up to hang the calipers and brackets from, worked great.
8. A few light coats work much better than just spraying the hell out of them. I did 3-4 light, even coats of color, allowing 10 minutes of dry time in-between. After the final coat sat for maybe 20 minutes or so, I went over it with another 2-3 light, even coats of clear coat. Once you’re done spraying, allow them to dry as per the paint can recommendations – I gave mine at least 24 hours before I handled them.
Painting the fronts:
Drying on the bench:
Front bracket drying in the garage:
9. Once the calipers are dry, take your fronts and mask off the area around the COBRA raised lettering – I did two layers of blue painters tape. Grab a sanding block and lightly and gently start to rub away at the paint on the lettering. Take your time. Once you have them buffed up pretty well, remove the painters tape and go back over the entire caliper with another 1-2 light coats of clear coat. This will seal the lettering and help to prevent any light surface rust, nothing wrong with added protection.
Masked off and sanded:
Lettering complete and sealed:
The finished product for the front:
10. Once everything is ready to remount, take your time mounting the brackets, installing the brake pads, and sliding the calipers back over everything. If you took your time doing the prep, your paint job should be clean, even, and durable.
Calipers mounted with new slotted rotors:
Front end completed and ready to drop:
Rear complete, caliper and bracket both gloss black enamel:
MM caster/camber plates, just tossed this pic in:
Front mounted with OEM wheels & shined up sidewalls:
The car as it currently sits now:
After putting maybe 100 miles on the car and bedding the brake pads in, everything feels solid and the brakes, I think, look great. This is a garage kept street car, so the paint job should hold up really well. It's all in the prep.
Thanks for looking.
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