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Painted brake components are quite common and if done in an unobtrusive color can add a look of class to your car. This visual modification can be done in just a few hours and only costs about 4 bucks depending on what type of paint you get. Spray paint is the cheapest way to paint the brakes but if you use common spray paint plan on redoing the job ever few months because ordinary spray paint won't hold up to the high temperatures created by the friction of the brakes. I bought a $5 can of high-temp engine paint from Checker and with applying two coats of paint, the job's held up for six months already with no signs of flaking. Another option would be to buy a forty-something dollar kit from a speedshop but I figured the 35 bucks I'd save could be better spent elsewhere.
Obviously you have to take off the wheels to do
this modification. After you have the wheels off clean all the components
you will be painting with paint thinner to remove any road grime and overspray
from wheel and tire cleaners. Then thourougly mask off all areas
you don't want to paint with newspaper and masking tape. Be sure
to cover a substantial amount of the fenders because no matter how hard
you may try, you'll get some overspray in that area.
I let the paint dry for about fifteen minutes
between coats and for thirty minutes before removing the newspaper and
putting the wheels back on. Afterwards, I went for a drive to heat
the brakes up to help cure the paint since the instructions said the paint
would cure better under increased temperatures. Overall I'm very
pleased with the results and the paint gave my car a much nicer look than
black rotors and calipers that were starting to show their age.