Painting rotors

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On my "new to me" vehicle it has rotors that are not powder coated and they are already starting to rust (they were new just prior to use buying it, so about a month old).

So I want to paint the hub part of the rotors. But what paint to use?

I want something I can brush on because I don't want to tape everything off or remove the rotors. I could spray paint into a cup and then brush it on - I did that before with calipers. I want something that dries quickly.

Do I need to use a high heat paint? Would paint designed for BBQ grills work?

Suggestions?
 
Yup BBQ grill paint will work, as will any other hi-temp paint you can find in the auto parts store.

I'd recommend multiple coats unless you like repainting...
 
Rustoleum's High Perf Enamel spray paint or quart cans works for me. Clean surfaces and apply directly no primer needed.

And next time spend a bit more for coated rotors. I'm surprised how much of the brake rotor can be seen through OEM aluminum wheels.
 
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Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Try a caliper paint. I used BBQ paint but, it doesn't seem to hold up to spraying brake cleaner. Washes right off.


Same here, even though it had a day to cure.
 
Decent coated rotors will set you back less than your time spent painting and prepping.

If you don't do a thorough job the paint will flake off anyways and you might get wobble issues from the coating on the rotor face.

Cheap rotors that rust so quickly are going to be crepe anyways. Why polish a turde?
 
I had some black auto lacquer in the garage. lacquer tends to be thinner than enamel. I lightly sanded then cleaned a nearly-new set and hit the centers and they haven't had any paint-heat issues yet. Didn't give it much thought, just 2 very light coats and put it all together.

-m
 
Not worth it to paint. Just use them a few more years, and when they go bad (which should be years from now) just replace with pre-coated rotors like Centric 125s. I used the cheap uncoated rotors in rust country and they last many years with a little rust on the edges.
 
The rotors were put on prior to me buying the vehicle. I will use the enamel, only an hour job not including dry time.
 
Originally Posted By: WillsYoda
Painting over rust usually fails quickly, even if you sand the heck out of it.

Yes it does, even if you sandblast it to what appears to be bare metal. I did that to a bunch of parts (brackets and clamps and supports) when I replaced the clutch in my ECHO earlier this year. I then primed them with self-etching primer and a decent topcoat, but just this past weekend I noticed everything was rusty again. Why is that?
 
I brushed two thick coats of Rustoleum oil based enamel on them. They look pretty good, hope it lasts. There was just a little bit of surface rust starting to form on them, so they were not bad yet. Painted them so they don't get bad. I brushed off some of the rust, but it didn't do much because there wasn't much there. Then I put a bunch of brake cleaner on and let it dry before painting.
 
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