Callipers: Brush or Spray? advice needed

[pacemaker1000]

hi i am painting my corroded callipers next week while i change all four discs and pads.
car will be on axle stands ( have yet to find where they go after using the jacking point to lift in the first place) what is the best form of application?
spray will probably look better but will get everywhere whereas brushing is easy
also how many coats advice on paint and do you need lacquer as well, i read some paint does not need it.... if it does then you need to spray it anyway i assume.
thanks

 

[Markieg]

Pedros garage has a pretty good guide to this, see
http://www.pedrosgarage.com/Site_3/Paint_the_Calipers.html

 

[GeoffB]

Just repainted calipers on my son's R32. Used Halfords caliper paint brushed on. Took 2/3 coats to get good deep application but looked superb. He was changing colour from standard R32 blue to red so may have contributed to number of coats

 

[pacemaker1000]

Geoff
did you use decals and apply lacquer?
can you get brush on lacquer?
cheers

 

[barrie nunn]

you will get a much better finish if you spray them its quite simple ... make sure you clean them well

 

[colinbythesea]

I have just done mine with Halfords paint brush painted. I cleaned the callipers with brake cleaner first and they look brilliant. The paint has a funny consistency where it stays tacky for a long time but needs re-coating when it's still tacky. It levels out as it dries and forms a very nice shiny flat surface. Stickers from e-bay look good as well.

As for jacking, use the rear jacking point which brings both wheels off of the ground at once. You will probably only be able to do 2 at a time anyway. With the rear jacked you can put an axle stand under the front jacking point for safety. I use a trolley jack that only just fits under the jacking points when the car is on its wheels so if I am not going underneath the car this is good enough for me as the suspension wouldn't hit the ground if the jack failed.