I have new '40 Lincoln brake drums in bare metal. Looking nice; no rust, yet. I was going to paint them with a high temp black, which is flat. I see that Rustoleum sells a high temp clear, matte finish that will resit intermittent temps up to 2000*F. However, I read some reviews saying that the clear turns yellow after a while. Has anyone used a high temp clear on brake drums that stays clear with use?
Hello, Rustoleum is a good brand name, but in these times and limited resources, why get something that you have to use an additional coat of clear to seal the paint? Back when I was in need of doing some touch up to my wife’s car discs, I had purchased a Dupli-Color caliper paint kit. It had a cleaner and small cans of silver paint that was a part of the kit. I bought two kits, although the label says one kit is good for 4 calipers. Following the steps, the calipers were cleaned and prepped to accept the silver brush on paint. It took one coat and the drying time was our car sitting in the garage for a day, as we had our second car for any usage. Once the paint dried, it was as hard as a rock and there was no need to spray on or brush on any clear coats. The newish silver paint stayed great looking and I did not have to spray it clear. Jnaki The clear coat was not necessary if the formulated paint is durable enough, as the Dupli-Color company products are noted. But, use whatever you want, spray or not. It depends on what brand you like and the cost should not be a factor. It is the finished product and results that should matter. Hand brushed components usually last longer than sprays, but it is up to the owner as to what is used. Yes, granted the drums are larger than the calipers, so, for you, sprays cover more area. We have used plenty of quality spray brands, including Rustoleum and they all seem to last about as long as the other brands. But, find one that does not need an additional clear coat. What for? I asked a “car buff” neighbor about brush on paint kits. He said the G2 products should be available anywhere. He would recommend the brush on versus the spray kits. YRMV From the G2 website: “This top-of-the-line Custom Color Match BRAKE Caliper Paint System Set from G2™, has the same qualities and performance as our standard colors, and is still the most complete and easy-to-use kit available and includes everything necessary to paint four (4) standard sized brake calipers or two (2) brake drums in your driveway or professional performance shop. It's just that now it's available in any color you choose.” “G2™ has specially contracted chemical engineers to research and develop our two-part paint which now offers the highest heat resistance on the DIY aftermarket (up to 980 degrees). Easily applied as a brush-on, the paint adds a great styling touch to any brake caliper ultimately highlighting already stylish show-through rims.” “Not only is the G2™ system attractive, but it offers great chemical and physical protection to the caliper. Brake fluids and dust, road salt, dirt, even loose gravel can't harm the high-gloss finish of G2's™ BRAKE Caliper Paint System.” “The G2 Brake Caliper Paint System™ has many advantages over spray-type paint because it will not flake, and it dries much harder than any rattle-can product. Our paint kit is so attractive and reliable that G2™ offers a 100% product performance guarantee.” “Each kit is hand-***embled and all of our materials are 100% made in the USA! Included is a high-performance aerosol caliper cleaner, mixing can, stirrer, application brush, installation instructions and a color decal.”
Thanks, Jnaki. My desire is to clear coat the bare metal because the drums look really nice and I think the high temp black will take away the bling. All high temp paints that I have found seem to have flat or matte finish.
I painted mine Rustoleum gloss black enamel- nice shiny black and so far it's remained that way (3000 miles or so). Seems to be capable of withstanding the heat well, as an enamel. Phil
I have done exactly that, with Plasticote Gloss clear engine enamel. Not a fan of the VHT paints other than white header paint. I've not had good success with them. Always end up cloudy looking for some reason.
@ThosD They also make a "Cast Iron" exhaust manifold paint, if you want that fresh cast natural look https://www.amazon.com/VHT-SP998-FlameProof-Coating-Paint/dp/B000CPINBG
I've used Duplicolor engine clear on aluminum intakes in the past and it does yellow. I've used Duplicolor engine enamels on brake drums (black semi gloss) and it lasted years so far. Duplicolor has cast iron color that I used on brake drums and so far so good. Both cast aluminum and iron paint, both have a very slight flake in them.
The most durable paint finish would be a 2-part epoxy type. If you don't have spray equipment, purchase some Spraymax 2K high gloss clear in spray bombs.
Epoxy would be nice, matte finish dark grey. Cast iron color paint would look right, if you choose a rattle can, let it flash off and put them in your gas grill, bring it up to 200 and turn it off and let them sit in there. Cures the paint well.
The Jalopy Journal
