Hey I recently went in to one of our RTA offices here in Perth, and I was talking to the guy for a little while. I asked him about mods, strut brace in particular. His reply was along the lines of 'as long as theres no structural change/weakening, or any interference to the safety/standards of the vehicle, we don't care/mind'. Saying that, it also comes down to the cop (if he/she wants to pull you over) or the person inspecting the vehicle, and if they want to give you a hard time. For WA people, here is the link for mods that don't require approval. I don't know how this would differ in other states. Failing that, look into the NCOP if your worried. Edit: there's a write-up on this forum (I think) on painting calipers, or alternatively, search the toymods forum, there's a good write up there. Sorry, but I can't find the links at the moment.