I ordered the Baer Track package for the front end of my ’94 Formula. I wanted the "polished" caliper option, but there was a 5 to 6 week back order on the polished calipers, so I accepted the "standard" finish. This saved me $148. When I received the brakes, the standard caliper finish appeared to be oxidized aluminum.... not unattractive, but not as nice as the polished caliper.

I decided to try to polish a spot on the bottom, back part of the caliper, where it would not show. I looked pretty good, so I decided to polish the calipers. The following shows what worked for me. There is a before and after picture below to show the results. This is what I did. It produced a mirror like shine. Like anything, the value you get out of it will be proportional to the effort you put into it.

THIS WORKED FOR ME. I AM SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS. HOWEVER, YOU MUST ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE RESULTS YOU ACHIEVE. I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY PROBLEMS OR DAMAGE YOU MAY ENCOUNTER.

First, you need to decide how much you want to polish. If you take the calipers apart you can do the entire aluminum surface, but that is not necessary, because you can't see the whole caliper when it is installed. I did the obvious part, the front face (where it says Baer, has the claw mark, and the two round circles). I polished the rounded edges all the way around the front face. There were some fine "parting" lines at the bottom of the front. These sanded off easily. I polished the sides only where they were accessible with the caliper fully assembled.

I polished the 45-degree slope part going back from the front face, and I polished the top surface all the way back to where the fins start. I then polished the tops of the fins and the broader flat ridges at the center and sides. I did not polish between the fins, and I did not polish the 3 notches cut in the front, one on each end and one in the middle. I did not go into the two round holes on the front face, except to round the edges.

Do not attempt to polish the brackets that hold the brake pads. They appear to be cadmium plated, and will not respond to polishing, I don't think. I didn't try.

I started with a Ryobi "detail" sander...the one with the little triangular sanding pads, and a Ryobi 150-grit pad. This seems a little "finer" than other 150 grit paper, but it worked fine. This is a "rough cut". You will start to see the imperfections show up...voids and deep dings. You need to decide how far you want to go in removing these. I personally wouldn't go too deep. The small "grain of sand" imperfections will come out OK. Don't be afraid. Using the flat surface of the triangular sander keeps the paper rigid enough to avoid going into the red paint in the letters. You will get the same effect by hand with a stiff, rubber sanding block.

You will need to do some hand touch up around the edges, and corners. The casting has a porous, spongy look in some areas, and it is this porous, spongy surface that must be eliminated. As you sand, the high points and surfaces will be bright silver, the porous areas will fill with dust and appear dark. Keep sanding until all the dark areas are gone. Do not try and dig into the big gouges... that is not a good idea..... but mine had very few of these.

Also, you might be tempted to use a stone of some sort in your Dremel. DO NOT!! I tried a smooth gray stone in an inconspicuous area, and it left scratches that were too deep to get out in the subsequent steps. Stick with sandpaper. It works.

Now I switched to a 220-grit paper, and sanded by hand. This will take the deep sand marks out and it will start to feel pretty smooth. Just keep sanding until it looks like you have got all the coarse sand marks out of all the sanded areas.

I used a 600-grit wet/dry paper, but left it dry. This is the final smoothing. If you still see deeper lines from the coarse sanding, the 600-grit paper will not take it out. You need to use the 220-grit to get all the deep scratches out. Again, keep sanding until all traces of the lines from the previous paper are gone.

I tried a couple of different compounds and a couple of different polishing wheels on my Dremel. The Jeweler's Rouge on a layered polishing buff did not seem to be the best. I found the I had a dark red Sears polishing compound (in a very small plastic cup, maybe 1" in diameter and 1" high), and that, applied with a felt "bob" (a solid felt cylinder, not a layered cloth buff) gave me the highest gloss. The ID on the Sears/Craftsman polish is NO. 25031. You have to be a little careful of the red letters at this point, and you will get compound on them, but it will likely wipe off. If you do get into the red paint, it would appear to be easy to touch up, or even change to a color that matches your car.

You just need to apply a small amount of the compound to the felt bob, then start buffing the surface. Try not to get so much compound on the bob that it sticks in a layer to the metal surface. Just a dusting is all you need. This will appear as a dark gray coating on the metal, and then as it dries it will start to lift and leave a bright mirror finish. When you are done, get a good aluminum polish, like "Mother's", and do a final pass with a soft cloth. If you see spots that aren't good enough, or still have the porous surface, just start over again, concentrating on the poor spots. In the end, it will shine like a mirror. If you prefer more of a "satin" finish, not so much of a mirror, try limiting the polishing compound and take a look at it, buffed with a clean cloth, after only a few minutes. If the satin is to your taste, stop here. If you want a chrome-like finish, keep polishing with the compound.

I figure at least 2 hours per caliper.... maybe more if you really want the best possible finish.

Good luck,

Fred Forsythe