One photo, two calipers, and the difference vapour blasting makes. These are Alcon brake calipers off an older performance car, in the workshop for a clean-up as part of a bigger brake job. The top one is how they arrived. The bottom one has been through our vapour blasting cabinet.
About the calipers
Alcon is a British brake manufacturer best known for motorsport and high performance road car brakes. Their calipers turn up on rally cars, touring cars, track cars and a fair few factory performance models. They’re a quality piece of kit, which is exactly why you restore them rather than replace them. New Alcon calipers aren’t cheap, and these ones had nothing wrong with them that a proper clean and a service couldn’t fix.
What we did
Calipers aren’t something you can just throw in a blast cabinet. The piston bores, seal grooves and bleed nipple threads all need to come out of the process exactly as they went in. So the job goes like this:
- Strip the calipers down and remove the pistons, seals and hardware
- Hot wash and ultrasonic clean to lift the heavy brake dust and baked-on grime
- Vapour blast the bodies – a mix of fine media and water that cleans and peens the surface without cutting into the alloy or opening up the pores
- Flush and dry thoroughly so no media is left in any passage
- Inspect the bores and seal grooves, then reassemble with new seals and hardware as required
The result is the satin, as-new alloy finish you can see on the lower caliper. Because vapour blasting is a wet process, there’s no embedded grit, no heat distortion and no change to the machined surfaces. The caliper looks right and it works right.
Why vapour blasting instead of dry blasting or paint
Dry sand or soda blasting is aggressive and leaves a dull, open-grained surface that picks up dirt again quickly. Painting hides the finish and eventually flakes. Vapour blasting brings cast and machined alloy back to its original look and leaves a slightly peened surface that stays cleaner for longer. For brake calipers, intake manifolds, rocker covers, carburettors and the like, it’s the right tool.
Vapour blasting and brake work in Perth
We run our own vapour blasting and ultrasonic cleaning setup in-house at Welshpool, and because we’re a full mechanical workshop we can do the brake rebuild and fitting as well – not just the cosmetic side.
Got calipers, manifolds or castings that have seen better days? Bring them in. Call (08) 9258 6409 or visit Unit 5/51 Division Street, Welshpool. Based in Welshpool – servicing Perth.
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We’re not your average mechanic. Our team has extensive experience working with American-made vehicles – from RAM 1500s and Ford F-Series to Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras. Whether factory-delivered or privately imported, we understand the unique requirements of these utes and trucks and have the tooling, knowledge, and parts network to service them properly.
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All our servicing is carried out to manufacturer specifications using high-quality oils, filters, and parts. That means your dealership warranty stays protected – without the high hourly rates or upselling you often find at big-name service centres. We believe in transparent pricing and quality workmanship that speaks for itself.
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