Hey folks, I've gotten a few questions about my calipers. I painted them myself as I didn't want to spend the cash on getting them professionally done. I figured some others may have similar feelings so I wanted to show how I did it and of course the finished product. Each wheel took about an hour and a half total. I didn't clean the calipers prior to doing this as my car was still really new, but there are caliper cleaners you can buy if you need. I apologize up front for letting everyone down with my messy garage, not all of us Coloradians have such impeccable organizational skills!!!
Let me know if you have any questions, have a great day!
Products I used:
VHT High-temp caliper paint
I did this one wheel at a time using a jack from Harbor Freight (3 ton I believe) and a Model 3 jack pad.
Using painters tape I taped all the parts on the caliper and the break itself, this is a fairly easy process on the front ones. In the pics below you can see I taped off the metal pins as well to keep those in good condition. I used a few white garbage bags (can see the over-spray much better than a darker bag to make sure you aren't painting anything you don't want to) to mask off the wheel well and the car itself. I slit one bag and then pulled it over the caliper to fully protect the disc and break.
I sprayed the caliper with the orange 3 times, giving it about 15 minutes between each coat. I then used the clear coat for the last 2 passes. Make sure to use the spray can to get every angle, don't just spray from the front but get in the sides/bottom as well.
Closer pic of the front left caliper mid-painting job:
Notice the painters tape protecting the inner parts of the break components and the one at the top for the metal pin.
Putting the logo on took me way too long, I measured a bunch of times and made sure they were as perfect as I could get them. I applied these after they had a chance to dry for 20 minutes or so.
With the wheel back on (sorry it wasn't too clean here):
The rear calipers were MUCH harder to mask properly. These took me about 45 minutes alone to get the painters tape in the right spots. I had to tear each piece of tape to fit properly which took me longer than expected. I actually did the fronts one day and the rears the next weekend.
Same technique using a few white garbage bags to mask of the rest of the car/wheel:
Finished the rear wheel, toyed with putting on a Tesla "T" logo or even the Model 3 "E" but decided against it:
Finished product:
Bonus middle of nowhere Utah pic:
Let me know if you have any questions, have a great day!
Products I used:
VHT High-temp caliper paint
- Real orange color (2 cans)
- Gloss clear (1 can)
- I got the black ones but they have other colors too
I did this one wheel at a time using a jack from Harbor Freight (3 ton I believe) and a Model 3 jack pad.
Using painters tape I taped all the parts on the caliper and the break itself, this is a fairly easy process on the front ones. In the pics below you can see I taped off the metal pins as well to keep those in good condition. I used a few white garbage bags (can see the over-spray much better than a darker bag to make sure you aren't painting anything you don't want to) to mask off the wheel well and the car itself. I slit one bag and then pulled it over the caliper to fully protect the disc and break.
I sprayed the caliper with the orange 3 times, giving it about 15 minutes between each coat. I then used the clear coat for the last 2 passes. Make sure to use the spray can to get every angle, don't just spray from the front but get in the sides/bottom as well.
Closer pic of the front left caliper mid-painting job:
Notice the painters tape protecting the inner parts of the break components and the one at the top for the metal pin.
Putting the logo on took me way too long, I measured a bunch of times and made sure they were as perfect as I could get them. I applied these after they had a chance to dry for 20 minutes or so.
With the wheel back on (sorry it wasn't too clean here):
The rear calipers were MUCH harder to mask properly. These took me about 45 minutes alone to get the painters tape in the right spots. I had to tear each piece of tape to fit properly which took me longer than expected. I actually did the fronts one day and the rears the next weekend.
Same technique using a few white garbage bags to mask of the rest of the car/wheel:
Finished the rear wheel, toyed with putting on a Tesla "T" logo or even the Model 3 "E" but decided against it:
Finished product:
Bonus middle of nowhere Utah pic:
