**Replacing caliper and painting advice needed**

[bornatiger]

Left rear caliper is toast! I am picking up a new one Friday. I have been wanting to paint my calipers for a while now. Figure now is as good a time as any. The plan is to paint them Saturday and bleed them Sunday. On to the questions!

Should I remove the rear calipers, paint, put them back on, then repeat for the front? Or take 'em all off at once?
Any order I should bleed the brakes? Ex: front 1st then rear, left 1st then right.
Should I go ahead and flush the whole system? If so, how?
How do I keep all the fluid from coming out while I have the calipers off?
While cleaning the caliper before painting, how do I keep junk from getting in the bleeder hole and line hole? Tape obviously won't work because the cleaner will ruin the stickiness.
Will brake cleaner mess up the boot around the pistons?
Any advice you guys have would be great as well. I know I don't have to remove the calipers but I have all day and I gotta bleed the system anyways.
TIA SVTP,
Brian

 

[HandsomeRob]

Make sure you powder coat. Paint is junk
http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...nions-red-blue-powdercoat-cobra-calipers.html

 

[F8TL..97]

Not to sure about the paint is junk quote, but cheap paint/poor prep/lack of ability=poor job. If you use paint it can come out real nice and much cheaper to touch up. Powder is nice but it chips aswell over time. If your calipers say cobra on them, paint entire caliper the color you like, then when dry take a dremmel with the small wire wheel attachment and go over the cobra letters. it will remove the paint/leave clean lines/aswell as buff the finish of the letters to a polished type look.

 

[94cobra_red]

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/new-edge-cobras-51/777783-brake-caliper-painting-w-pics.html

^ paint questions answered. take them all off, use vice grips with rags to hold the lines, bleed the whole system and yes BC could harm the boot. keep reservoir full and start on the wheel furthest from the master cylinder. keep bleeding each wheel until the new fluid comes out, it may take several times of closing the nipple and pumping the brakes and checking the reservoir. good luck!

How to Bleed Brakes - Tips on Bleeding Brakes - Popular Mechanics

 

[bornatiger]

Thanks for the help guys!

94, that's exactly what I needed.
Rob, no powder coating for me, maybe sometime down the road.

 

[94cobra_red]

i would invest in some high temp clear coat, it will help to make it more durable. and what a difference new fluid makes! mine had the original 18 yr old stuff still in when i got it. more like maple syrup...lol.

 

[bornatiger]

Doing the clear coat for sure.
I may do a write up with pics for this forum. I don't think "we" have one.:shrug:

 

[bornatiger]

Look at the crap that came out of my rear calipers.:nonono:

 

[PSUCOBRA96]

while you are at it you might want to upgrade to stainless steel lines, better feel and no pressure flexing the lines so you improve the braking

 

[bornatiger]

while you are at it you might want to upgrade to stainless steel lines, better feel and no pressure flexing the lines so you improve the braking

That will have to wait. But, it's at the top of my list. My very, very long list. ;-)

 

[bornatiger]

I went through a whole 32oz. bottle of dot3&4. Flushed out all the old. It looked like water from a fish tank that hasn't been cleaned in a year. The pedal feels totally different. Also, my brake releases immediately now. Before, when I let off the pedal, it took a split second for the brakes to let go of the rotor.

 

[94cobra_red]

very good! Yea it is big difference.