Hi Everyone,

Thought I would post this as I have received a couple PMs about this from pics I posted in another thread. I decided to put this in the appearance section since it has nothing to do with the performance of the brakes. Last fall I posted about my impressions/findings from installing the Shelby GT500 Brembo 14" brake kit from Ford (http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showthread.php?t=56056). If you have any questions about the brakes themselves or the performance/install, please post them in that thread.

At the time I got them, I liked the black calipers, however once they were on the car I didn't think they looked as good as how they did up close. So while the car was stored over the winter, my boyfriend offered to have them painted at the shop he works for. They have refinished many Porsche calipers for local dealers with great success and no bubbling issues - they paint them using automotive body paint and then clear over. They normally use decals and then clear coat over, however this time I provided them a stencil.

There were no major issues with the painting of it, except that during the prep, my bf was originally going to take everything apart, but the seals dried out and he had to order new ones from Brembo ($12). In the end, he just decided to tape out the inside as it was much easier, so that part is still gloss black, but you cannot see it once the calipers are installed.

FYI I bought the stencils from a guy who can make them up for any manufacturer in any size, either stencil or decal...he sells them on eBay but I just ended up dealing with him privately. He was really helpful and sent along a bunch of extras. His name is Claudio and his email is cbigotti@hotmail.com. Note: the shop originally had a problem with the stencil as the paint was a bit thick and the vinyl stencil was a bit thin but they tried again with a thinner coat of paint and it worked great. Perhaps decals might have been easier in retrospect - if the vinyl is thin and there is a good coat of clear, you'd hardly notice. One last thing, the stencil I used wasn't 100% the exact dimensions as the OEM Brembo logo/wordmark - the logo was the same size but the word Brembo was a bit bigger. I don't mind; it's easier to read and looks just as great.

The paint colour that was used is Porsche Gards Red (L80K). So far, so good. I've noticed so many more people checking out my brakes, it's funny...

Cheers,
Kristina

 

Nice!

 

Looks awesome..how bout some slotted/drilled rotors? That would set it off

 

Those look really great!

 

Thanks guys! I am pleased with how they look.

I do want to get some different rotors, but for what I paid for this kit, different rotors would be another 60-70% of the full price, believe it or not! Hard to justify...especially since mine are so brand new. Once they warp/crack/need replacing I will get aftermarket for sure.

 

Just wondering if and when you replace the rotors do they need to be Brembo or could you go with another company? Forgive me, but I am unsure of the specs and don't know if it is universal or what...

 

Looks ver nice and wet. For me I would have not painted the jumper brake line between tha caliper halves or the bolts. Next time the calipers are apart it will be very difficult not to chip the paint on the fittings. Over all I do like the look though.

 

As far as I'm aware, I'll just need to find replacement rotors that will fit the GT500 and they will fit my set up as well. I don't think I need to go with brembo specifically...but i haven't done the research yet.

Kristina