Has anyone attempted to locate colored powdercoat brake calipers for their XK (or other Jags)? NHT says they don't make them for Jaguars, and Brembo has not responded to my questions.

 

Eastwood Company makes DIY powdercoating kits. If you don't mind a little work you can always take your calipers off (capping the ends of the hoses so the system remains airtight), clean and bake them then powdercoat them in the oven.

 

I did see that kit. Not that I don't trust my abilities, but I also wanted to upgrade the brake calipers to the Brembos or ? other higher end units. My mechanic is such a purist . . . he looks at me and says "why would you want to do that?" . . .
thanks for your input!

 

I agree with your mechanic.To upgrade to a Brembo system can cost up to three grand.That a lot of money for a 2001 xk8.The standard brakes are fine,if you want to upgrade your brakes,buy new preformance rotors and ceramic pads and paint you calipers.If you really want brembos,look for a newer XKR with them already on and sell your XK8,plus you get the go faster ,stop quicker car.

 

Thanks Eagle, as much as I really like this particular car, I have run the idea through my head of picking up a newer model. Time will tell. . . oh, and money too.

 

Almost any decent powder coating shop should be able to disassemble them and put the calipers back together once they have been powder coated..

 

What is wrong with painting the calipers? Or is there just too much heat for that?

 

Absolutely nothing wrong with painting calipers. I've done it myself on my X as have many others on theirs and their S types too.
Get a decent heat temp resistant paint, seriously clean your calipers and brush away any loose debris / dust / rust whatever and apply a coat or two followed by some lacquer!
I did mine in silver, while others have done theirs in Red or black, maybe you could consider that as a compromise?

I've did my calipers on my A6 twice now in 3 years and they're about due to be redone again. Takes about 4-6 hours and looks great, really finishes off the look behind those great alloys

 

Thanks guys for the advice on this. I think the responses can answer questions for a lot of people.