Improving cosmetic appearance of wheels & brakes

[Ext User(Greg)]

I've just had my factory Fairlane G220 alloys replaced with aftermarket
ones, and whilst the alloys themselves look fine, they have exposed a LOT of
the ugly bits behind them, partly because the brake shields (or whatever
those shields are) had to be removed in order to fit the wheels. The ugliest
parts are the rusty brown "hubs" of the wheels (the part of the wheel
between the alloy rim and the brake rotors), especially the on the rear
where they appear to be larger than the fronts. The tyre shop said they will
"put silver" on them to improve their appearance. Can anyone confirm that
this process will provide a long term solution, or will it wear off quickly?
I think they're going to do this on the calipers as well.

Also, what kind of place specialises in this kind of thing? (painting brake
calipers etc) A brake specialist?

Greg.

[Ext User(atec 7 7)]

Greg wrote:
> I've just had my factory Fairlane G220 alloys replaced with aftermarket
> ones, and whilst the alloys themselves look fine, they have exposed a LOT of
> the ugly bits behind them, partly because the brake shields (or whatever
> those shields are) had to be removed in order to fit the wheels. The ugliest
> parts are the rusty brown "hubs" of the wheels (the part of the wheel
> between the alloy rim and the brake rotors), especially the on the rear
> where they appear to be larger than the fronts. The tyre shop said they will
> "put silver" on them to improve their appearance. Can anyone confirm that
> this process will provide a long term solution, or will it wear off quickly?
> I think they're going to do this on the calipers as well.
>
> Also, what kind of place specialises in this kind of thing? (painting brake
> calipers etc) A brake specialist?
>
> Greg.
>
>
matt black

[Ext User(Greg)]

"atec 7 7" <user@domain.invalid> wrote in message
news:46620903@dnews.tpgi.com.au...
> matt black

Are you saying that matt black will look better? I was actually wondering
about that, in fact...........

Are tyre places appropriate to do this kind of work, or should I go
elsewhere for a better job?

Greg.

[Ext User(atec 7 7)]

Greg wrote:
> "atec 7 7" <user@domain.invalid> wrote in message
> news:46620903@dnews.tpgi.com.au...
>> matt black
>
> Are you saying that matt black will look better? I was actually wondering
> about that, in fact...........
>
> Are tyre places appropriate to do this kind of work, or should I go
> elsewhere for a better job?
>
> Greg.
>
>
fact is you need to clean the wheels often , the matt shows little brake
dust and stays dark for some time (until retouched) , silver is quite
the opposite , basically jack the car remove wheel and spray , the first
application of brakes will wipe any excess off .(use common sense)

[Ext User(Jason James)]

"Greg" <greg.REMOVEsullivan@THIScomputer.org> wrote in message
news:4661f42b$0$22435$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
> I've just had my factory Fairlane G220 alloys replaced with aftermarket
> ones, and whilst the alloys themselves look fine, they have exposed a LOT
of
> the ugly bits behind them, partly because the brake shields (or whatever
> those shields are) had to be removed in order to fit the wheels. The
ugliest
> parts are the rusty brown "hubs" of the wheels (the part of the wheel
> between the alloy rim and the brake rotors), especially the on the rear
> where they appear to be larger than the fronts. The tyre shop said they
will
> "put silver" on them to improve their appearance. Can anyone confirm that
> this process will provide a long term solution, or will it wear off
quickly?
> I think they're going to do this on the calipers as well.
>
> Also, what kind of place specialises in this kind of thing? (painting
brake
> calipers etc) A brake specialist?
>
> Greg.

Most serious enthusiasts dont want their calipers painted yellow or red, but
there are plenty of folks who think it looks good, as I notice the latest
Falcon GTs and "hi-po" models come with red calipers. If you want to make
them look as UN-obtrusive as possible, do what 'tec said, clean them
thoroughly, then spray-paint them with a quality matt-black. Any *light*
overspray will not hurt the discs,..but if you aren't a dab-hand,..mask the
disks with newspaper first. As to the wheel hubs, the same applies. If you
want to paint the hubs silver, *dont* use Silverfrost, it looks and lasts
shithouse. Use a dark hammer-tone silver. Looks stock and will blend with
alloy rims.
Any rust will need to be wire-brushed off, then rubbed with emery-paper
before painting. An angle-grinder fitted with a wire-wheel (wear
eye-protection) is the fastest way. A hand-brush will do, but slower.

Jason

[Ext User(Scotty)]

"Greg" <greg.REMOVEsullivan@THIScomputer.org> wrote in message
news:46620dab$0$22408$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
> "atec 7 7" <user@domain.invalid> wrote in message
> news:46620903@dnews.tpgi.com.au...
>> matt black
>
> Are you saying that matt black will look better? I was actually wondering
> about that, in fact...........
>
> Are tyre places appropriate to do this kind of work, or should I go
> elsewhere for a better job?
>
> Greg.
>

Remove the wheels, water blast the componants, clean with water and suds
(Always wash brakes with water as blowing them out may involve the
inhalation of asbestos dust which some brakes pads/shoes are made from). Let
them dry them off and wipe with thinners, turps or the like. Mask up all
areas such as rotors and hoses etc and spray with black paint. I prefer to
use a small paint brush and Finigans paint (I like gloss black personally,
Matt looks to much like they are covered in brake dust) as then you dont
need to mask up and you only get black what ya want black.

Unless this is a Hyundai Excel then remove wheels, mask nothing and spray
irodesant yellow and put wheels back on. Job done. Adding touches are tail
pipe big enough to fit a baby up it and a rear a wing from a car that was 12
inches wider than the Excel.

[Ext User(Scotty)]

"Jason James" <at@peace.com> wrote in message
news:4662121e$0$4477$c30e37c6@pit-reader.telstra.net...
(snipped)

An angle-grinder fitted with a wire-wheel (wear
> eye-protection) is the fastest way. A hand-brush will do, but slower.
>
> Jason
>
>

And aspirator mask/gloves/helmet/safety boots/goggles/asbestos suit etc etc.

Unless you have a variable speed angle grinder they are waaaaaaay too fast
for wire brusking conponants like brakes. Your likely to spin off and slice
a nice gash in one of your brake hoses. Wire wheel attachment for
battery/power drill should do. brakes arent that large a small wire brush
should do the trick unless theres 30 years of uncleaned dust on them. Is
which case wash the dust off.

[Ext User(Noddy)]

"Greg" <greg.REMOVEsullivan@THIScomputer.org> wrote in message
news:4661f42b$0$22435$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...

> Can anyone confirm that this process will provide a long term solution, or
> will it wear off quickly?

Unless they use proper heat resisitant paint, it won't last long. Calipers
get quite hot.

You can buy specific paint for things like brake calipers in a number of
colours, although it's generally little more than regular engine enamel. A
lot of people opt for red as a nice contrasting colour for the calipers, and
gold for the rotor hubs.

Another option is a plastic liner behind the wheel that hides it all
completely. Ford have been using plastic wheel liners on their factory alloy
wheels for years, and as well as hiding the ugly stuff behind the wheels
they also keep the brake dust off them. Your standard wheels may already
have them, and they might be able to be used on your new ones.

> Also, what kind of place specialises in this kind of thing? (painting
> brake calipers etc) A brake specialist?

No idea, sorry.

The paint is generally a "handyman" item, and wouldn't be hard to do
yourself.

--
Regards,
Noddy.

[Ext User(Greg)]

"Noddy" <dg4163@(nospam)dodo.com.au> wrote in message
news:46621ea0$0$90637$c30e37c6@lon-reader.news.telstra.net...
> Another option is a plastic liner behind the wheel that hides it all
> completely. Ford have been using plastic wheel liners on their factory
> alloy wheels for years, and as well as hiding the ugly stuff behind the
> wheels they also keep the brake dust off them. Your standard wheels may
> already have them, and they might be able to be used on your new ones.

These had to be removed because they aren't compatible with the new alloys.

I actually kinda like seeing all the stuff, as long as I can make it look
attractive.
From what everyone is saying, it's obviously no big deal to paint the hubs
and calipers and I now feel more confident that the tyre shop will do a
reasonable job of it, if you're all saying that I could
even do it myself.

Greg.

[Ext User(RainbowWarrior)]

"atec 7 7" <user@domain.invalid> wrote in message
news:46621064@dnews.tpgi.com.au...
>
> fact is you need to clean the wheels often , the matt shows little brake
> dust and stays dark for some time (until retouched) , silver is quite the
> opposite , basically jack the car remove wheel and spray , the first
> application of brakes will wipe any excess off .(use common sense)

Yep black is less worry to clean but do becareful how much you get on you
disc surfaces, a mat got too much on and it stuffed up the pads an glazed
the discs eventually.

[Ext User(Jeßus)]

atec 7 7 wrote:
> Greg wrote:
>> I've just had my factory Fairlane G220 alloys replaced with
>> aftermarket ones, and whilst the alloys themselves look fine, they
>> have exposed a LOT of the ugly bits behind them, partly because the
>> brake shields (or whatever those shields are) had to be removed in
>> order to fit the wheels. The ugliest parts are the rusty brown "hubs"
>> of the wheels (the part of the wheel between the alloy rim and the
>> brake rotors), especially the on the rear where they appear to be
>> larger than the fronts. The tyre shop said they will "put silver" on
>> them to improve their appearance. Can anyone confirm that this
>> process will provide a long term solution, or will it wear off quickly?
>> I think they're going to do this on the calipers as well.
>>
>> Also, what kind of place specialises in this kind of thing? (painting
>> brake calipers etc) A brake specialist?
>>
>> Greg.
>>
> matt black

Do you have his phone number?

[Ext User(atec 7 7)]

Jeßus wrote:
> atec 7 7 wrote:
>> Greg wrote:
>>> I've just had my factory Fairlane G220 alloys replaced with
>>> aftermarket ones, and whilst the alloys themselves look fine, they
>>> have exposed a LOT of the ugly bits behind them, partly because the
>>> brake shields (or whatever those shields are) had to be removed in
>>> order to fit the wheels. The ugliest parts are the rusty brown "hubs"
>>> of the wheels (the part of the wheel between the alloy rim and the
>>> brake rotors), especially the on the rear where they appear to be
>>> larger than the fronts. The tyre shop said they will "put silver" on
>>> them to improve their appearance. Can anyone confirm that this
>>> process will provide a long term solution, or will it wear off quickly?
>>> I think they're going to do this on the calipers as well.
>>>
>>> Also, what kind of place specialises in this kind of thing? (painting
>>> brake calipers etc) A brake specialist?
>>>
>>> Greg.
>>>
>> matt black
>
> Do you have his phone number?
No but I expect you can find it by asking on alt.deviates.wankers.fools

[Ext User(Kev)]

Greg wrote:

> Thanks - I'll propose matt black. I think it will look the best because
> black will emphasise the alloy wheels.
>
> The *last* thing I want is yellow or red calipers, by the way. :) I see HSV
> Grange limos with the red calipers, and I think they'd scare away most
> clients. Still, it doesn't stop me being extremely jealous of the drivers.
>
> Greg.
>
>


This is what mine look like painted silver
the tyre fitter did it, didn't ask for it to be done
doesn't look too bad
12 months later they still some up clean when washed
I think they used silver heatproof/high temp type engine/brake caliper paint

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~kevcat/pics/new-wheels4.jpg
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~kevcat/pics/2003%20BA%20Falcon2.jpg

Kev

[Ext User(Jeßus)]

atec 7 7 wrote:
> Jeßus wrote:
>> atec 7 7 wrote:
>>> Greg wrote:
>>>> I've just had my factory Fairlane G220 alloys replaced with
>>>> aftermarket ones, and whilst the alloys themselves look fine, they
>>>> have exposed a LOT of the ugly bits behind them, partly because the
>>>> brake shields (or whatever those shields are) had to be removed in
>>>> order to fit the wheels. The ugliest parts are the rusty brown
>>>> "hubs" of the wheels (the part of the wheel between the alloy rim
>>>> and the brake rotors), especially the on the rear where they appear
>>>> to be larger than the fronts. The tyre shop said they will "put
>>>> silver" on them to improve their appearance. Can anyone confirm
>>>> that this process will provide a long term solution, or will it wear
>>>> off quickly?
>>>> I think they're going to do this on the calipers as well.
>>>>
>>>> Also, what kind of place specialises in this kind of thing?
>>>> (painting brake calipers etc) A brake specialist?
>>>>
>>>> Greg.
>>>>
>>> matt black
>>
>> Do you have his phone number?
> No but I expect you can find it by asking on alt.deviates.wankers.fools

Why would you recommend someone who's known on such a group? The group
charter says theyre all insecure, irish wolfhound interbreeders...

[Ext User(atec 7 7)]

Jeßus wrote:
> atec 7 7 wrote:
>> Jeßus wrote:
>>> atec 7 7 wrote:
>>>> Greg wrote:
>>>>> I've just had my factory Fairlane G220 alloys replaced with
>>>>> aftermarket ones, and whilst the alloys themselves look fine, they
>>>>> have exposed a LOT of the ugly bits behind them, partly because the
>>>>> brake shields (or whatever those shields are) had to be removed in
>>>>> order to fit the wheels. The ugliest parts are the rusty brown
>>>>> "hubs" of the wheels (the part of the wheel between the alloy rim
>>>>> and the brake rotors), especially the on the rear where they appear
>>>>> to be larger than the fronts. The tyre shop said they will "put
>>>>> silver" on them to improve their appearance. Can anyone confirm
>>>>> that this process will provide a long term solution, or will it
>>>>> wear off quickly?
>>>>> I think they're going to do this on the calipers as well.
>>>>>
>>>>> Also, what kind of place specialises in this kind of thing?
>>>>> (painting brake calipers etc) A brake specialist?
>>>>>
>>>>> Greg.
>>>>>
>>>> matt black
>>>
>>> Do you have his phone number?
>> No but I expect you can find it by asking on alt.deviates.wankers.fools
>
> Why would you recommend someone who's known on such a group? The group
> charter says theyre all insecure, irish wolfhound interbreeders...
Nah , to easy

[Ext User(Greg)]

"Kev" <kevcat@optunet.com.au> wrote in message
news:4662abff$0$23424$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.a u...
> This is what mine look like painted silver
> the tyre fitter did it, didn't ask for it to be done
> doesn't look too bad
> 12 months later they still some up clean when washed
> I think they used silver heatproof/high temp type engine/brake caliper
> paint
>
> http://members.optusnet.com.au/~kevcat/pics/new-wheels4.jpg
> http://members.optusnet.com.au/~kevcat/pics/2003%20BA%20Falcon2.jpg

Thanks for the pics - looks good!

Greg.

[Ext User(Greg)]

Wheels painted. I actually ended up going for silver. Looks a hell of a lot
better.

Greg.

[Ext User(Scotty)]

"Jason James" <at@peace.com> wrote in message
news:466217d9$0$4476$c30e37c6@pit-reader.telstra.net...
>
> "Scotty" <scoter1@warmmail.com> wrote in message
> news:46621573$0$24694$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.a u...
>>
>> "Jason James" <at@peace.com> wrote in message
>> news:4662121e$0$4477$c30e37c6@pit-reader.telstra.net...
>> (snipped)
>>
>> An angle-grinder fitted with a wire-wheel (wear
>> > eye-protection) is the fastest way. A hand-brush will do, but slower.
>> >
>> > Jason
>> >
>> >
>>
>> And aspirator mask/gloves/helmet/safety boots/goggles/asbestos suit etc
> etc.
>>
>> Unless you have a variable speed angle grinder they are waaaaaaay too
>> fast
>> for wire brusking conponants like brakes. Your likely to spin off and
> slice
>> a nice gash in one of your brake hoses. Wire wheel attachment for
>> battery/power drill should do. brakes arent that large a small wire brush
>> should do the trick unless theres 30 years of uncleaned dust on them. Is
>> which case wash the dust off.
>
> Just a drill with a wire-brush fitted with shaft will do. I must admit, I
> almost lost a hand using a 1150watt a/grinder with a tufted wire wheel :-)
>
> Jason
>
>

hence my post. Ive done it and will never do it again out of choise thats
for sure. Lethal combo.

[Ext User(Scotty)]

"Greg" <greg.REMOVEsullivan@THIScomputer.org> wrote in message
news:4662263c$0$22434$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
> "Noddy" <dg4163@(nospam)dodo.com.au> wrote in message
> news:46621ea0$0$90637$c30e37c6@lon-reader.news.telstra.net...
>> Another option is a plastic liner behind the wheel that hides it all
>> completely. Ford have been using plastic wheel liners on their factory
>> alloy wheels for years, and as well as hiding the ugly stuff behind the
>> wheels they also keep the brake dust off them. Your standard wheels may
>> already have them, and they might be able to be used on your new ones.
>
> These had to be removed because they aren't compatible with the new
> alloys.
>
> I actually kinda like seeing all the stuff, as long as I can make it look
> attractive.
> From what everyone is saying, it's obviously no big deal to paint the hubs
> and calipers and I now feel more confident that the tyre shop will do a
> reasonable job of it, if you're all saying that I could
> even do it myself.
>
> Greg.
>

Im almost positive that you WILL do a better job than any tyre shop. THey
dont care it aint their car. Two mins with a spray bomb is all they will do.

[Ext User(Greg)]

"Scotty" <scoter1@warmmail.com> wrote in message
news:4663bce5$0$7570$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...
> Im almost positive that you WILL do a better job than any tyre shop. THey
> dont care it aint their car. Two mins with a spray bomb is all they will
> do.

Oh well, it's done now. We'll see how it goes. Just out of curiousity, what
kind of place WILL do a more professional job?

Greg.