Powder Coating Calipers...Follow The Progress Along

[4DZC]

Ok, I will be powder coating a pair of calipers for another member on our forums, a good friend of mine. I wont say whom, as that is up to him. He bought these from a member of another forum. This is going to be a reeeeeaaaaallllll challenge for me as there is a great deal of work to do. So I decided to put my neck out there and showcase the process/progress of these. Because of their current condition I cant 100% determine the absolute condition of the metal underneath so the 1st step is a strip of the finish, followed by a degreasing. At that point I will know for certain what I am working with. The big deal here is the brackets which will allow this member to use these Z32 calipers on his 3rd gen Altima. I will be doing these in the sexy Copper Metallic and will be adding what I call one of my best selling upgrades, known as the "black out" package. I will try to slot this job in between existing jobs that I have and hope to progress at a reasonable pace. Ok, on to the condition they arrived, from the seller, NOT the member that I am doing this for. Pics tell a lot so I will start it there and update as I go. FTR I have never seen a person do a more horrible job/attempt of painting calipers. EVERYTHING was painted. Hope it wasn't to cover something up.

[4DZC]

Sorry for the slow updates, really swamped. This day I removed all 8 pistons, bleeder valves, inner rubber seals, piston boot seals and split the halves in prep for cleaning. Previous owner of these painted them....not once but twice. 1st red, then gold, and never removed anything from the calipers. Still all looks very positive going forward, and the next round of pics will begine to show off the transformation.




Pistons and piston boots removed...4 caliper bolts released to split the halves.


Halves. Notice the red and gold...These were painted twice. Improperly.


Pistons. Will need to be hot tanked to remove the build up. In good shape otherwise.


Inner seals. Dont lose. Cannot buy these in the commercial market or from Nissan. VERY important!


Because they were painted while the calipers was still fully assembled, it was nearly impossible to remove the pad lock pins through the guide holes. (build up of paint) I will attempt to save them. Again these were improperly painted. Look at the old piston boots I removed. Painted gold, and totally not usable. (New boots arrived today. )


Brackets look soooooo much better after a strip and light media blasting. I will use the larger cabinet to do a deep media blasting. They should then look just like new!



Again, next update will begin to show the transformation and the "prettying" effects of powder coating.

[4DZC]

Pistons were media blasted only around the outer rim and inside to remove all contaminants and any rust. They were then powder coated Satin Black. Prep of the parts to be powder coated is EVERYTHING. Since I am working Dex's calipers in with my regular jobs, I am allowed more hands on prep. These will be very nice! Note: Most all of the other hardware was also media blasted (after stripping the 2 coats of paint off) and then powder coated the same Satin Black as part of the theme I call "Black Out". You can see the differences pretty clear if you look at the 1st pics of the pistons and then these pics. Also pictured is a set of the brand new caliper boots, seals, and retaining clips. Calipers, not pictured were also media blasted and then heated to about 500 degrees to outgas them. I may apply a Black Powder Coat Primer, not sure yet but they look really good without the multiple coats of paint. Brackets, not pictured, are powder coated as well, and are presently at the machine shop. . Thanks for stopping in to see this "small" update.

Media blasted, these 4 pistons look almost new next to one of the untouched pistons.


Powder coated Satin Black:



Pistons with hardware and new boots/seals/retaining rings:



Few more pics of the calipers media blasted and ready for powder coating....:

Before & After....

[4DZC]

Not much to update as I am awaiting addition parts to arrive, but here are a few pics of the mounting brackets powder coated satin black. Note that these were/are very porous/pitted, and as such they will show some of the deeper pitting. This however doesnt effect performance, only appearance. 2 coats of satin powder applied, 2 coats of satin clear applied. Prior to coating they were treated to a phosphate bath to further enhance flash rust, and offer better protection.

[4DZC]

Reserved for future pics #4

[tl2k2max]

i voted! lol.

[dubya]

I voted too! I've seen some of the other things you have done. They will come out great.

[Petty]

Sub and voted.

[4DZC]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the time you've taken to stop by. Its ok, if anyone has anything not so positive to comment. I promise I wont be mad.

[Wade01]

Originally Posted by 4DZC

Thanks guys. Appreciate the time you've taken to stop by. Its ok, if anyone has anything not so positive. I promise I wont be mad.

I promise you I will be watching this thread with interest lol !!
I have the habit of holding my vote to the end though


But I'm a believer !!!

[dzaccord]

Voted! You know how I feel about them since they're mine. I KNOW you'll do a GREAT job. That's the main reason I came to you since you're the BEST! I def trust Lawrence with these. IF ANYONE can get them in better shape, it's you. THANKS again! You know I've told you this many times before.

Guys follow this thread closely. This man is show casing his already proven talent. If you're wondering about powder coating contact him. Thank Bro.

[4DZC]

Thanks for the go ahead Dex! I promise they will be a thing of beauty.

[TUKO]

Voted. Cant wait to see them behind those sexy nismos.

[dzaccord]

Originally Posted by 4DZC

Thanks for the go ahead Dex! I promise they will be a thing of beauty.

No worries at all. If it can be done you can do it. I'm just paitently waiting. Good things come to those who wait.

Originally Posted by TUKO

Voted. Cant wait to see them behind those sexy nismos.

Thanks. I have a few updates that need to be conveyed to the forum. I've just been lazy. Since I decided to keep the car I'll be updating quite a few things and updating/creating a log. It's nothing as extensive and the OP Lawrence or few others including yourself Tuko, but they're def some changes. I can't wait to see these either.

[ducz24]

Subscribed and voted.