okay so I've cleaned my brakes. I used a wire brush on the drums, sanded them with wet dry paper, and then I used rustoleum high temp spray paint on them. but, after 2 weeks they are already flaking and looking bad again. my question is, how can I make them look good permanently (or atleast for the better part of a year)?

... and don't tell me to go out and buy new rotors or do a conversion. I'm planning on it, but everything has a time and a place. and next spring is the time, not now >>

When you paint them, use a high temp. paint. That might help.

did you use a high temp clear coat?

-Junior+Aug 11, 2003 - 11:25 PM

The wire brush isn't enough. You really need to have them sand blasted and then clean them well prior to painting. Its not the heat thats making them look bad, its the surface prep. You're never going to get much heat in those drums unless you doing a downhill mountain bike race.

did you use any primer?

Its okay ghost dog, you can be an ass. But I was the dumb ass that didn't read the original post.

One trick I have learned when painting parts, is to use a propane torch right b4 painting, and after thorougly cleaning and/or sandblasting, wash it with a couple of cans of brake cleaner (NON-flammable kind) if you dont have a sandblaster or chem dip. heat it just enough to boil any oil film out of the metal, just takes a few seconds, you can see the film come to the surface and disappear, keep the torch moving slowly, then paint it soon as it cools somewhat, b4 any moisture from the air hits it. ( and never paint on a wet or humid day) Did all the brackets and sheetmetal in my truck this way when I swapped motors, still looks pretty decent after 12 years. Even did the aluminum valve cover in my old Mazda this way. hit it with silver paint, stayed decent looking for years.

the other choice is to get the rotors powder-coated, then re-surfaced to clean off any that gets on the braking surface, will never have to worry about them again. (be sure they dont do the inside where the rotor sits on the hub or where the wheel mounts, dont want any uneven mounting surfaces. and its a real bitch to take powdercoat off, that stuff is TOUGH!

thanks for the replies all. I was worried that I hadn't prepped the surface enough so that makes a lot of sense. I'm going to make a day of it and prep the crap out of the brakes before I paint them next. I'll tell ya'll how it goes. >>