Painted my rear rotor hats using VHT Gloss Black Caliper Paint. Not too happy with the results; I was expecting a smooth surface but didn't get that. My fault, I suppose. I should've followed VHT's directions: 2 thin coats, 1 medium-wet. I only applied 2 thin coats. Maybe I should've used VHT Gloss Clear instead?

Anyway, here's how it went:


Cleaned the hats sometime last month, then used silicone spray lubricant for protection. Makes me wonder why I even bothered painting 'em.


I used Permatex Rust Dissolver Gel; stubborn areas needed sanding.


Ready for paint.



A bit too much masking perhaps?


Done.

It's quite rough. Might have to add a coat or 2. Or maybe I'll just un-do it. This will do for now.

 

I think it would've been better if you took the rotor off the car and not bothered to mask anything. Cleaning the rotor surface close to the hat then painting that would both clear up some rust and "protect" it a little bit. The brake pad will automatically chew off any paint that goes under it. Basically, just like what BMW_Alpina did.

What kinda bothers me is the what the brake pad is leaving streaks all around the rotor. And maybe it's just deceptive, but that's a fairly small area (less rust) than what the pad backing plate covers... Maybe time for some maintenance (replace pads, resurface/replace rotors).

 

Ah, well, about the streaks on the rotors, it rained the day before I painted the hats; the entire rotor, minus the area covered by the pads, had rust. Moved the car about 8 feet to a roofed area, in case it rained again, thus how it appears in the picture. It cleared up after some driving around.