Tomorrow AM I am going to paint my brake calipers. I am VERY worried about a mishap getting the car onto 4 axle stands. Would someone kindly tell me the safest way to do this. Is there a preferred sequence? It there danger of the car tumbling off the stands? Are my concerns valid? (I understand that time is of the essence, as the paint tends to thicken and then harden rather quickly, therefore more or less militating for the car to be up on stands with the wheels off.) Finally, what parts of the caliper need to be masked off? Pictures or detailed description here would be MOST appreciated. Thank you for your help.

 

Just jack the front up and do the fronts. They will take the most time. The rears really don't look that good either way so you can do those last and spend less time on them.

Mask off the brake pad and anything rubber. Assuming you are brushing it on. Just paint the parts that you think will be visible.

If your spraying paint on cover as much as you can. I would put sheets over the body to make sure no over spray gets on the car.

 

As long as you are on level ground, with decent jack stands, you should have no problem with safety. The method I use is as follows:

Jack up the whole front of the car (I use my hydraulic jack under the front jack point).

Place the stands at the load points behind the front wheels.

Lower the car onto the stands.

Repeat for the rear (the rear jack point is on the bottom of the diff).

 

There's a very good write up on how to paint your calipers, but I can't find it in any FAQ's right now. Maybe someone can point you in the right direction.

 

Its not as hard as you think it is... Just follow Destro pointers and you'll be fine.

 

Found this from Foolio:

This is how I do it:

1) Jack up REAR RIGHT JACK POINT, insert jack stand into FRONT RIGHT JACK POINT

2) Jack up FRONT CENTRAL JACK POINT, insert jack stand into FRONT LEFT JACK POINT

3) Jack up REAR DIFF JACK POINT, insert stands into REAR LEFT & RIGHT JACK POINTS.

Quick & Easy. No need for ramps.