Cleaning out rusty vintage axle

[cardiffrob]

Strange one, this. I've popped the diff out and decided to clean out the oily brown gloppy coating to the inside of the axle. Blow me down! It is rusty under the oil!

So, how best to remove the rust down those tubular axle casing 'legs' and then preserve and seal the casing, especially the seams where last bits of magnetic, rusty swarf lay waiting?

I ran a magnet round the inside of the casing with some petrol sloshing about. I pulled out about 1/2 an egg-cup full of rusty metal dust.

 

[rtbcomp]

A grit blaster may do it. Find someone with an adaptor for blasting down the inside of tubes, it's a cone that fits over the nozzle, a little way off with the point facing the nozzle, this makes the grit fly out in a radial pattern.

 

[penfold]

You could pickle the rust away; degrease the inside, stop up the ends and fill with brick cleaner.

 

[langy]

You could pickle the rust away; degrease the inside, stop up the ends and fill with brick cleaner.

And probably buckle it if left too long

Persnally I use the radial blasted method as RTB suggested,

 

[penfold]

And probably buckle it if left too long

Buckle it?

 

[brightspark]

Buckle it?

is there some hidden stresses there then that acid would cause against shotblasting that we dont know about if its that thin it would be knacked anyhow

 

[langy]

is there some hidden stresses there then that acid would cause against shotblasting that we dont know about if its that thin it would be knacked anyhow

Put a bit of thin steel in brick acid for too long and see what happens

 

[brightspark]

Put a bit of thin steel in brick acid for too long and see what happens

i know what happens look at this post
u can burn one and a half thou an hour with acid heres the proof http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=20463

 

[cardiffrob]

Thanks, guys. Obviously you'll never get 101% of the grit out of the casing so what would be the number one paint to seal the inside of the casing? It is a 4-piece casing with the centre pressed in 2 pieces that are welded and rivetted together and then the 2 tubes are slipped in and given the weld/rivet treatment. Lots of places for grit to hide. Same with the grease and glop.

 

[langy]

Thanks, guys. Obviously you'll never get 101% of the grit out of the casing so what would be the number one paint to seal the inside of the casing? It is a 4-piece casing with the centre pressed in 2 pieces that are welded and rivetted together and then the 2 tubes are slipped in and given the weld/rivet treatment. Lots of places for grit to hide. Same with the grease and glop.

I wouldn't paint the inside personally, Another option for you is to have it hot tanked at a engine rebuilders.

 

[Terrapin]

Done this many times, hot tank in caustic to remove the grease/oil residue and then blast clean. Wall thickness of tubes can be checked with ultrasound if needed. Usual internal corrosion is caused by oil emulsion (water ingress, condensation etc.) . There are various oil resistant coatings that can be used internally if you see this as a future problem. I used a paint designed for engine internal painting (Frosts I recall) and it worked well.

 

[cardiffrob]

Glyptal rings a bell. I also have some 2-part garage floor enamel (courtesy of the RAF stores) in a nice shade of Pongo green.

Since it is a budget job following enforced early retirement I have saved the cost of the blasting and have run scotchbrite and stainless oven scouring pads through it on the end of an electric drill extension. It has come up quite well so I'm hoping I can seal in the seams internally with one of the above paint systems.

It only has 19 hp to contend with so I'm not going to be toooo fussy.

 

[stuvy]

now thats a nice little motor, im gonna be the first to ask. What is it?

 

[cardiffrob]

It's a Morris Minor, circa 1932.

 

[stuvy]

really different from the minor my dad had!!

 

[garethp]

Very nice, my dads just finished rebuilding a '32 jowett which looks similar. great fun to drive but a bit breezy!

 

[octo0072000]

32 moggie

here's one with the roof on etc a 32 moggie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69U2idN1d0k

 

[graffian]

Glyptal that sounds right, I had a block that had been preped and painted with it, the inside of the block that is. But that's on cast iron. I am told people
used rustoleum for the same thing, I never fancied paint on the insides of
things really.
Phosphoric acid would probably be ok for cleaning the axle, you can leave it and it doesn't do a lot to the steel once it's cleaned it.

 

[langy]

Glyptal that sounds right, I had a block that had been preped and painted with it, the inside of the block that is. But that's on cast iron. I am told people
used rustoleum for the same thing, I never fancied paint on the insides of
things really.
Phosphoric acid would probably be ok for cleaning the axle, you can leave it and it doesn't do a lot to the steel once it's cleaned it.

Yep Glyptal or Rustoleum is used on the inside usually after a little smoothing is done, this helps the oil drainback faster, these days epoxy is used.

 

[cardiffrob]

Epoxy. Just wot it sez on the tin of 2-part floor paint! Sounds like we have a winner.


(I love it when I don't have to go out and actually BUY anything)