I currently have an empty engine bay. I would like to clean up the appearance of my booster and master cylinder and was looking for suggestions. I have read that you don't want to sandblast the booster due to taking off the original plating. If that is the case would it be okay to take a wire wheel to it and then paint it? I don't want to replace it as it works fine and I don't have the money or desire to replate it. I am okay with just painting it black. Will a wire wheel cause damage that can't be fixed? If so what can I do to clean it up. Thanks for any suggestions

 

has anyone cleaned up one of these on their own?

 

Wire brush and spray paint will work fine, until you get brake fluid on the paint, it eats it off pretty quickly. Search my posts for pics of how mine looks painted after I wire wheeled it. Plug all openings so you don't get the dust and dirt inside the booster.

 

Good to know, as mine needs a good cleaning as well.

 

I painted mine with Eastwood Silver Cad & it looked OK, better than black would IMO.
In this shot I was taking a pic of the hood hinge but you can see it back there. The master was sprayed with cast gray, but as previously mentioned brake fluid will eat thru paint pretty quick so be careful with it.
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Ok, thanks for the tips guys

 

or have this guy re-plate it for you:
http://brakeboosters.com/

 

There is this option that I'm going with. http://www.eastwood.com/ew-brake-gra...sol-13-oz.html

I can't swing a new brake booster right now, or to have it replated, since I've gotten WAYYY overboard in my, what was supposed to be 'quick' engine/under hood clean-up.

 

Thanks for the link, I think that is what I will go with. I don't have the time to wait to get it sent out and plated. Plus I spent too much money already on other things.

 

I wire wheeled my booster & then sprayed it the same colour gold as the engine. The master cylinder I painted black, same as engine bay, & the cover has been painted with chrome paint. I will post pics soon.

 

Eastwood has a gold cad kit that they sell (see link)but it's $54.00. Ive seen new boosters for $100 from Inline Tube, so thats not very cost affective. What I did was wire brush the booster and purchased gold, red, and green zinc spray paint form Autozone. I just sprayed the whole thing gold then used the red and green for highlights. Came out ok. I didn't have a lot of cash either so this was a cheap restoration. I have pics on my home pc, so I'll post some later.

http://www.eastwood.com/new-golden-c...ond-clear.html

 

I used Eastwood's brake fluid resistant gray paint too. Been on the m/c for a couple of months and still looks great. I also bought Eastwood's brake booster paint kit and it turned out pretty well. The trick with that stuff is too spray the booster with the gold cad, mist a couple of spots with the red and green, and then use Eastwood's clear gloss. The clear really makes a nice difference. I know it's not that cheap but I bought it on sale and saved a few $$$. They run sales all the time so keep looking on there web site.

 

Isn't that the whole point of this hobby ;-)

 

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I cleaned surface rust off my booster with vinegar. It is just acidic enough, that with a scotch-brite it came clean in about 15-20 minutes.

 

Here are my pics. I think I could have used more green and red. I just wanted to make it more subtle. As you can see, my booster is a little pitted so replating wasn't an option. Like I said, it was a cheap restoration because funs were limited.

 

Looks good, what do you mean by using the red and green zince for highlights. I don't see that in the pictures anywhere

 

It's had to tell in the pics, but you do a swipe sray here and there to give it the highlights. The real plating has the red and green highlight if you look at it. There is a video on how to do this I think on YouTube or the Eastwood web sight.

 

Ok I know what you mean now. I forgot about that tint you can see at certain angles.

 

Dfire,

I know it's out of your budget for now, but if ever decide to, his name is Steve Gregori. I had him do my brake booster for my `72 LeMans back in 2008. He polished out all the pits, replated everything and replaced internal parts. I think it cost about $180 at the time. Not a single complaint and Steve is a great guy. Very friendly and knowledgeable. You won't be disappointed. Either way, it looks good! I never liked the cast iron gray or black the rebuilders use.