AC Delco Calipers

[mikester]

Has anyone purchased rebuilt calipers made by AC Delco lately ?

I bought a set for my wagon and tried to paint them with VHT caliper paint and the paint wont stick. Ive tried to wash them down with thinners, acetone, and 2 different wax and grease removers, primed them with two types of primer (epoxy and self etching) and even tried adhesion promoter and the paint still comes right off. Needless to say Im kinda pissed. I want them black. Its almost like they have a plating on them. Never saw anything like this.

 

[mikester]

A quick update. The calipers that rockauto sent were coated. Turns out Delco now sells calipers that are zinc coated to prevent rust. The guy at Delco said theres no way I can get paint to stick. If they were hidden by the wheels I might consider using them but thats not the case so theyre going back. I was also told by the customer service guy at Delco that Durastop and Raybestos are the same company. Never knew that.

 

[Longroof79]

Mich,
I bought AC Delco calipers for my Blazer brake upgrade. Honestly, I was a little disappointed. I thought they were coated like you describe., but they just had some type of temporary coating on them. I cleaned them with Purple cleaner and lacquer thinner and painted them with VHT caliper paint. The paint seemed to bond well.

 

[mikester]

Jack,
Did they have a coating like this ? I pulled this off a site. Cant find the right one for a G body but this is the zinc coating. I couldnt get the paint to stick no matter what I tried. I used a wire wheel to get them clean and that didnt screw up the coating at all. Its pretty tough stuff.
A friend of mine stopped by and he thinks they would look even better than having them black. Says it would break up all the black. I might throw one on later today to see how it will look.

 

[Texas82GP]

Jack,
Did they have a coating like this ? I pulled this off a site. Cant find the right one for a G body but this is the zinc coating. I couldnt get the paint to stick no matter what I tried. I used a wire wheel to get them clean and that didnt screw up the coating at all. Its pretty tough stuff.
A friend of mine stopped by and he thinks they would look even better than having them black. Says it would break up all the black. I might throw one on later today to see how it will look. View attachment 71455

I bought some 'premium' calipers from RockAuto when I did my Blazer front brake swap. They look like those. I thought it was powder coating. I like how they look.

 

[Longroof79]

Jared and Mich,
I would've been satisfied with a nice coating like on Jared's calipers...in fact, that's what I thought I was getting. I was a little disappointed when some surface rust was starting to appear. I then had no choice but to paint them.

 

[mikester]

Jack,

Is this the same coating ?

 

[Longroof79]

Jack, View attachment 71468

Is this the same coating ?
View attachment 71469

I think it is Mich. Is it also showing signs of oxidation or surface rust? Mine looked like they were freshly bead blasted and coated with some kind of oily silicone? coating.

 

[mikester]

I think it is Mich. Is it also showing signs of oxidation or surface rust? Mine looked like they were freshly bead blasted and coated with some kind of oily silicone? coating.

Jack,

No signs of anything. They have the coloring of stainless. Theyre also pretty smooth. I used a brass wire brush to remove the majority of the paint on the first one and it didnt damage the finish at all. The second one was easier. I used lacquer thinner on a rag and small brush.
This coating is pretty slick. Never saw anything like it. Im probably going to through them on and hope they hold up. Time will tell.