I never thought about the paint being a deterrent to proper heat dissipation. I think for now I'll leave them as is and maybe paint them at a later time.

 

Correct about heat dissipation. If you don't paint them now, you will never paint them - unless you intend to spend significant amount of time removing all surface rust, oil, residues, etc. from the outside surface prepping them for paint which, IMO, will eventually wear off. Heat needs a surface to escape, DIY painting hinders that ability & helps to ensure the paint lifts from the metal where the underlying rust develops & accumulates, causing the paint to lift.

 

Painting brake drums is like painting the inside of the gas tank. No one will ever see it, so why do it?

People sometimes ask about the term "over-restored" when referring to an old car. This is an example of that. They weren't painted at the factory.

Yes, the new ones will slowly get old and develop rust and all that, but that will take many years and probably not be a problem until the brakes are next redone 50 years from now.

 

As long as the width of the drum braking surface is the same you’re good to go. Adjust the shoes so they barely drag.

 

Well, it's been an educational journey, but I think it's finally over. I just got back from a test drive and everything was good. She stops good and no vibration, and both drums barely reached 110 deg. I thank everyone for their advice and input.

 

Glad to hear it Dave! You're all set for some road-trippin this weekend!

 

Good job, Dave.

 

Thanks Norm I'm glad it's done.

 

Lol...the only road trippin I'll be doing is driving to work on Saturday

 

Norm, just curious...do you have any how much heat is not dissipated with painted drums?

 

I'm sure all the heat is dissipated, it's just not dissipated as quickly. Although I personally wonder just how much a thin coat of paint would actually affect the rate of heat transfer through the drum.

If you do paint your drums, please take photos and show us! What color will you choose? Maybe each side could be a different color! How about taupe on one side and mauve on the other?

 

I would find something with a metal flake.

 

Dave - Absolutely not. Sounds like a good research experiment you might pursue.

 

Poor dissipation of heat from a coat of paint is a crock of chit. People have been painting brake drums, califers and disc brake rotors for at least 50 years and no problems.

I would suggest VHT Hi Temp header paint. If you spray it on clean brake parts, it won't burn off. It comes in a variety of colors also.

Radiators in new cars were always painted semi gloss black. Someone on here claimed there was a special "radiator paint". I would think Oldsmobile engineers would have figured out a radiator would cool better without black paint. The factory didn't paint drums because they were hidden behind the fancy wheels.

 

I painted my drums with VHT engine paint. They've held up nicely since 2009.