Powder Coated Brake Calipers DIY!

[Leifmb]

I decided to powder coat my brake calipers "the hard way". This involved removing all 4 calipers, disassembling them (except pistons- the shop did that), marking areas NOT to be coated and then waiting to reassemble/reinstall. I also had to bleed the brake system as I mistakenly let the fluid drain out of one of the lines due to an improper silicone plug placement. The result looks MUCH better to me as it adds a little color to the truck. I also did the front tow/recovery hooks. Powder coating is stronger and more durable than paint and better resists brake fluid (and other fluids) and heat. I followed the service manual procedures including:

1. Removing front trunk lining
2. Removing Front Facia
3. Removing Under hood Apron - Rear
4. Removing Wheel Cover - Front
5. EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) Service Mode (Keep FRUNK open before engaging and don't close as it will not open if so)
6. Removing Front Calipers
7. Removing Rear Calipers
8. Brake Bleeding and Brake Stiffness Tests completed multiple times. (use a pressure bleeder @30psi and the correct Pentosin Dot4 LV fluid or factory)

I dropped off the Calipers and hooks on a Monday and picked them up that Friday. On the TESLA logo- I decided to use "TESLA" instead of the various Cybertruck/Cyberbeast styled variants mostly because "TESLA" is what the factory puts on their High Perf brakes AND the stylized writing is already hard to read so I wanted something factory looking and easy to read! The logos are put on after the RED Powder coat and THEN a clear power coating is baked on top to seal everything up. I also cleaned up the rotors and painted the insides an out with high temp black paint as I felt it was them RUSTING that was creating what only appeared to be brake dust on the inner diameter of the wheels. Oh, also, before reassembly, all the calipers (and wheels) were ceramic coated. The cost for the Powder Coating was $600 incl the hooks, $550 without. The brake fluid was about $90. Any other questions, lmk!

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[Zane Edwards]

TOP QUALITY....nice job

 

[Leifmb]

TOP QUALITY....nice job

Thanks!

 

[Jabman]

Wow, you make it sound so easy. Definitely should do (or have done) a video with explanation of the process for removal and reinstalling. I would watch that closely to see if I can mimic what you did. But thanks for the detailed explanation. Well written. And seems straightforward. Just time consuming

 

[Leifmb]

Wow, you make it sound so easy. Definitely should do (or have done) a video with explanation of the process for removal and reinstalling. I would watch that closely to see if I can mimic what you did. But thanks for the detailed explanation. Well written. And seems straightforward. Just time consuming

It’s really not that hard IF you have the correct tools AND are confident working on vehicle brakes! You can’t just “wing it” with brakes. These brakes use what’s called BANJO fittings which makes hydraulic disconnection simple except you have to replace the 8 (total per vehicle) crush washers when reconnecting the calipers. Then, bleeding the brakes is also straightforward, assuming you have a pressure bleeder with the correct master cylinder reservoir cap. The truck literally bleeds the brakes for you -just follow the procedure in the service manual available online! Since I mistakenly let my fluid drain out (rookie maneuver) I had to bleed the system like 4 times before it would pass the Stiffness Test (service menu). A proper torque wrench is also required. All the instructions are right there in the online service manual! It even tells you what tools you’ll need! . One note on brake fluid-it’s corrosive BUT dissolves in water so have a sprayer ready to wash off any drips spills etc!

 

[Mini2nut]

Excellent workmanship!

 

[hemiarch]

First off. Amazing. Beautiful outcome. Super jealous. Been looking for someone to do this to mine. It’s beyond my confidence level. So what do you think someone would charge to do this for you? How many hours would you say total you have into it?

 

[pricedm]

@Leifmb nice work! Thanks for the details. Looks like a straight-forward DIY project. Allow time, follow the procedure, all should be good. Do you have part number for the washers? Thanks

 

[Leifmb]

@Leifmb nice work! Thanks for the details. Looks like a straight-forward DIY project. Allow time, follow the procedure, all should be good. Do you have part number for the washers? Thanks

These were the washers I found with the same spec AND USA made:
VOTEX - Made in USA - M10 10MM... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09B8YQ4WB?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[Leifmb]

@Leifmb nice work! Thanks for the details. Looks like a straight-forward DIY project. Allow time, follow the procedure, all should be good. Do you have part number for the washers? Thanks

Having never done this particular job before it took me a bit longer as someone who does this type of work regularly. That being said removing the front recovery hooks probably took longer than either the front or rear calipers. I’d guess about 1.5 hrs to remove the recovery hooks, 1 hr for the front calipers and 1.5 for the rear calipers, maybe 2hrs. The rears require extra steps AND ARE REMOVED FIRST because the parking brake has to be disengaged via service mode. The truck should already be jacked and on stands/lift before as the car can roll freely. Make sure the FRUNK is open first and don’t close (all the way) as it will not open until rear brakes are reinstalled and you may need to access master cylinder before!
The reinstall took longer as I decided to ceramic coat the wheels and calipers AND paint the rotors back and front. Otherwise reassembly would be faster. Blake bleeding would add another hour or so. So in total I’m guessing I put about 10 hrs into it. I’ve seen some shops ask around $1500-$2500 for this but it likely wouldn’t be as good of a job because of my ceramic coating and detailed disassembly (I choose to remove the 5 star security bolt head pad pins whereas most I’ve seen powder coat over them ). The powder coating was done here in the Bay Area California and that work cost me $600 ($550 without the recovery hooks). Brake fluid was special Dot 4 (Pentosin LV) $90.

 

[Leifmb]

First off. Amazing. Beautiful outcome. Super jealous. Been looking for someone to do this to mine. It’s beyond my confidence level. So what do you think someone would charge to do this for you? How many hours would you say total you have into it?

Oh, I replied to this to the wrong person!

 

[hemiarch]

Amazing work. Credit where credit is due.

 

[Cosmos78]

I decided to powder coat my brake calipers "the hard way". This involved removing all 4 calipers, disassembling them (except pistons- the shop did that), marking areas NOT to be coated and then waiting to reassemble/reinstall. I also had to bleed the brake system as I mistakenly let the fluid drain out of one of the lines due to an improper silicone plug placement. The result looks MUCH better to me as it adds a little color to the truck. I also did the front tow/recovery hooks. Powder coating is stronger and more durable than paint and better resists brake fluid (and other fluids) and heat. I followed the service manual procedures including:

1. Removing front trunk lining
2. Removing Front Facia
3. Removing Under hood Apron - Rear
4. Removing Wheel Cover - Front
5. EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) Service Mode (Keep FRUNK open before engaging and don't close as it will not open if so)
6. Removing Front Calipers
7. Removing Rear Calipers
8. Brake Bleeding and Brake Stiffness Tests completed multiple times. (use a pressure bleeder @30psi and the correct Pentosin Dot4 LV fluid or factory)

I dropped off the Calipers and hooks on a Monday and picked them up that Friday. On the TESLA logo- I decided to use "TESLA" instead of the various Cybertruck/Cyberbeast styled variants mostly because "TESLA" is what the factory puts on their High Perf brakes AND the stylized writing is already hard to read so I wanted something factory looking and easy to read! The logos are put on after the RED Powder coat and THEN a clear power coating is baked on top to seal everything up. I also cleaned up the rotors and painted the insides an out with high temp black paint as I felt it was them RUSTING that was creating what only appeared to be brake dust on the inner diameter of the wheels. Oh, also, before reassembly, all the calipers (and wheels) were ceramic coated. The cost for the Powder Coating was $600 incl the hooks, $550 without. The brake fluid was about $90. Any other questions, lmk!

Hello my friend. This is great work. You did exactly what I want to do on my truck! It's very beautiful Could you provide a photo from the side of the entire truck and a video of it in motion to show what it looks like on the road?

 

[Cosmos78]

I decided to powder coat my brake calipers "the hard way". This involved removing all 4 calipers, disassembling them (except pistons- the shop did that), marking areas NOT to be coated and then waiting to reassemble/reinstall. I also had to bleed the brake system as I mistakenly let the fluid drain out of one of the lines due to an improper silicone plug placement. The result looks MUCH better to me as it adds a little color to the truck. I also did the front tow/recovery hooks. Powder coating is stronger and more durable than paint and better resists brake fluid (and other fluids) and heat. I followed the service manual procedures including:

1. Removing front trunk lining
2. Removing Front Facia
3. Removing Under hood Apron - Rear
4. Removing Wheel Cover - Front
5. EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) Service Mode (Keep FRUNK open before engaging and don't close as it will not open if so)
6. Removing Front Calipers
7. Removing Rear Calipers
8. Brake Bleeding and Brake Stiffness Tests completed multiple times. (use a pressure bleeder @30psi and the correct Pentosin Dot4 LV fluid or factory)

I dropped off the Calipers and hooks on a Monday and picked them up that Friday. On the TESLA logo- I decided to use "TESLA" instead of the various Cybertruck/Cyberbeast styled variants mostly because "TESLA" is what the factory puts on their High Perf brakes AND the stylized writing is already hard to read so I wanted something factory looking and easy to read! The logos are put on after the RED Powder coat and THEN a clear power coating is baked on top to seal everything up. I also cleaned up the rotors and painted the insides an out with high temp black paint as I felt it was them RUSTING that was creating what only appeared to be brake dust on the inner diameter of the wheels. Oh, also, before reassembly, all the calipers (and wheels) were ceramic coated. The cost for the Powder Coating was $600 incl the hooks, $550 without. The brake fluid was about $90. Any other questions, lmk!

Will this fit my summer wheels?

 

[Leifmb]

Will this fit my summer wheels?

Of course!

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