Cleaning Brake Calipers

[01Y87]

What is the best way of cleaning the outside of the stock brake calipers on the 1998-2002 models? Originally they were kind of a grey color just like the one in the attached photo. But they get tarnished over time from salt, brake dust, and crap. Last season I wasn't able to get them looking that good.

Bruce

[Christopherrr]

I painted mine black...flat black

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I got some mag wheel polish and a buffing wheel and polished mine to a chrome looking finish.

[01Y87]

LimTeng99TransAm, what is a "stubby antenna conversion"?? I see that in your sig...

[TraceZ]

A wire wheel mounted in a hand drill works great to clean up aluminum parts like new. Or, if you dont mind removing them from the car you can use a wire wheel mounted in a bench grinder.

[01Y87]

the reason i never really had the urge to paint the calipers is because they always looked so nice in their grey color, and had a nice appearance visible thru the wheel slots as compared with some cars that come with plain black calipers; I saw a new GMC Envoy the other day with the same type calipers as the camaro (at least it looked the same) and even that looked great. But I noticed that since moving up north to salty roads they are getting much more pitted-looking and stained. It wont be long till we'll be done with salt for this year and I'll need to pull the wheels again...

[fastTa]

The stock calipers are made of cast iron. You can just remove them, wipe them down with brake cleaner, prime and then paint with some high heat caliper paint. Make sure it is rated to at least 1000 degrees F.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

The stock calipers are made of cast iron. You can just remove them, wipe them down with brake cleaner, prime and then paint with some high heat caliper paint. Make sure it is rated to at least 1000 degrees F.

The front ones on the 98-02 are Aluminum. I spent several hours polishing mine. I believe the rear ones are too. They are not the same as the 93-97. But that doesn't effect anything if you want to paint them.

[fastTa]

The front ones on the 98-02 are Aluminum. I spent several hours polishing mine. I believe the rear ones are too. They are not the same as the 93-97. But that doesn't effect anything if you want to paint them.

Yep, your right. I guess I am just so accustomed to this board being predominantly LT1 guys and gals, I just don't always look at the sigs like I should.

On the aluminum LS1 calipers, I would polish them as well.

[01Y87]

I'm going to try the wire wheel/drill method of polishing. Have you had good luck in getting these aluminum calips back to shiny condition? they do look pretty bad.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I'm going to try the wire wheel/drill method of polishing. Have you had good luck in getting these aluminum calips back to shiny condition? they do look pretty bad.

I had to buy a caliper and I bought a rebuilt one from Autozone. When they rebuilt it they bead blasted the housing. It didn't polish so well. The stock one from GM polished real well. I used a pedestal grinder and put a polishing wheel on it. I didn't try polishing the rear ones. One piece of advise, I used a mag wheel polish. I used something that was blue. It was real thin. The polishing wheel slung it everywhere. Try and find a thick paste polish. A wheel polish should do fine. Back in college we used to use something in the machine shop called "simichrome". That stuff works really well. It will make a piece of aluminum look like a mirror. A friend of mine used to own a motorcycle shop. They used to carry it and I bought it from them.

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

I used to use, believe it or not, Rustoleum silver Bar-b-que paint. It's high heat capable and matched the stock shiny silver perfectly. Lasts a couple of years too.

After you paint them, buff them out with a soft cotton cloth...really makes the silver pop.

[fastTa]

I'm going to try the wire wheel/drill method of polishing. Have you had good luck in getting these aluminum calips back to shiny condition? they do look pretty bad.

If you really feel the need to use a wire wheel on aluminum, at least use a brass wire.

You will achieve much better results if you use the method that Jeff suggested. I've also used that SimiChrome and it's pretty good stuff. I polished a swingarm on a motorcycle with it and it turned out beautiful.

If you have access to a electric polisher, that would give the best results. You need to get yourself some polishing rouge. You don't want to use traditional polishing cremes and/or pastes because the polisher will sling it everywhere. They make polishing rouge sticks specifically for electric polishers. You start with a cutting wheel, then you usually work you way to the final polish by means of the following order:

1. Primary cutter rouge (usually brown)
2. Secondary cutter rouge (usually green)
3. Final polish - Tripoli Rouge (usually white or off white)

Just do a search for "polishing rouge".

[TraceZ]

If you really feel the need to use a wire wheel on aluminum, at least use a brass wire.

A wire wheel will clean it up like new and make it glisten a bit better than new, but it will not really polish it. Here is a picture of my alternator housing after I wire wheeled it.

[fastTa]

A wire wheel will clean it up like new and make it glisten a bit better than new, but it will not really polish it. Here is a picture of my alternator housing after I wire wheeled it.

I've used a wire wheel to clean up rough cast aluminum plenty of times, but O1Y87 indicated that he wanted to polish his calipers. So I was just trying to suggest to him a good way to polish them.

That alternator looks good though. It is very addicting, as I'm sure you know, once you break out the wire wheel. You start looking for anything else you can spiff up on the entire vehicle!