cleaning an axle

[bburris]

I need to figure out a way to clean all the grime off the axle I'm about to start ordering parts for...

Is there a way to dip an entire axle or does anyone know of someplace that can do it?

[Fredo]

get a crapload of engine degreaser, or oven cleaner, then take it up to the local car wash after it's soaked for a bit and rinse the **** out of it. Should get it pretty clean.

[Cajun]

Angle grinder and a whire wheel. It's tedious and dirty work, but it's effective. Also, grab some metal etching primer (I use Ospho) and spray it down once you're done, or it'll rust up on you.

[bburris]

I've somewhat tried the engine degreaser/carwash thing, but it was nighttime when I went to the car wash, so I didn't get all of it off. I guess I'll work on that again this weekend unless it decides to keep raining...

I've done all I can with the grinder, the tubes and bigger parts are stripped down to bare metal. I'm trying to get it ready to paint.

Should I use anything as a primer, or will Krylon flat black be enough?

I'll post pics in a little while when I finish up with supper and feel like going out to my garage.

[bburris]

this is it...can't really see it, but I've got all the big parts done that I can

[bburris]

I made the turd shiny

[bburris]

this is the grime...I don't know how I will be able to get inside the tubs and how to get into the tight parts

[bburris]

inside the tubes...I know it's anal to want to clean this, but I want to get a pseudo-fresh start with this thing

[bburris]

and here's what I think of dropping money on a D30...

[Chadnutz]

Offer someone $20 to sand blast it and quit wasting your time..

[bburris]

I don't really know where to take it to be blasted...that's why I was asking

[Graystroke]

if you have a compressor you can buy a sand blasting kit at sears. not to expensive and has many uses later down the road. I use the white sand for blasting and lay out a tarp on the ground, that way you can recycle the sand. also, if you're feeling really industrious you can build a drier out of copper pipe to get rid of moisture in the air lines. after you blast it take it back to the car wash and flush it good to get rid of the sand. my 2 cents.......

[Chadnutz]

And if you don't want to buy the kit look in the yellow pages under
alien plasma ray. If it isn't there, it's probably under sandblasting.

[Shaggy]

Originally posted by Graystroke
that way you can recycle the sand..... after you blast it take it back to the car wash and flush it good to get rid of the sand. my 2 cents.......

you can recycle the sand but if you do it gets finer and harder to get the "grime" off
if you do this it will have instant water rust... blow the sand away with air... it works great

[Doug Krebs]

I built an attachment for my drill to clean out the tubes. Used a 2" wire wheel and ground it down to fit, then welde a bolt on the end. Then i bought a piec of 1/4 inch rod and welde a nut on it. So i stick the rod down the tub into the pumpkin attatch the wire wheel and then pull it down the tube. This way I can detatch the wheel and start over again so i don't push crud into the pumpkin