refurbing rear axle

[corndog]

Hi guys

 

Doing a bunch of work on the back end of my Ibiza

 

I have the rear beam out to polybush it but might want to derust and paint it whilst i have it off.

 

I might consider getting it powdercoated but i think the rust removal alone will be the hard part.

 

Does anyone have an idea what would be a good way to protect it that is achievable at home. Not overly concerned with it being pretty

 

Unsure whether to take the rust back to bare metal or use some rust inhibition paint etc.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Edited 16 April, 2020 by corndog

[Titanium_Man]

I was considering this job myself. My initial thought was buying some Hammerite Straight to rust, but came across an engine sway thread for a caddy van and they used something called Por 15 Rust-preventative paint.  
 

 

[paulkennedy]

I did mine with a wire wheel then sprayed with stone chip cheap and wonderful

[sepulchrave]

Regular paint will flake and fall off because the beam is constantly flexing, whatever you put on it needs to be flexible like the paint formulated for plastic bumpers.

Finnegans number one is pretty awesome and you don't need to bother removing the rust which is win-win.

[Titanium_Man]

1 hour ago, sepulchrave said:

Regular paint will flake and fall off because the beam is constantly flexing, whatever you put on it needs to be flexible like the paint formulated for plastic bumpers.

Finnegans number one is pretty awesome and you don't need to bother removing the rust which is win-win.

 

Is Finnegans/Hammerite Number One the same as Hammerite Direct To Rust stuff?
 

The Finnegans/Hammerite Number One doesn’t seem to come in black, only brown, beige, grey and white?! 

[sepulchrave]

28 minutes ago, jars said:

 

Is Finnegans/Hammerite Number One the same as Hammerite Direct To Rust stuff?
 

The Finnegans/Hammerite Number One doesn’t seem to come in black, only brown, beige, grey and white?! 

 

No idea, since everything on the underside of a car ends up brown anyway who cares what colour it was to start with, personally I wouldn't even bother painting it, just rebush it and refit it, the rest of the car will rot out long before that beam does.

[Breezy_Pete]

Sourcing a secondhand one in much better condition might be considerably easier and not massively expensive.

[Johnnynapalm]

Personally I would rub it down with a wire brush and then hammerite it black . 

[corndog]

10 hours ago, sepulchrave said:

 

No idea, since everything on the underside of a car ends up brown anyway who cares what colour it was to start with, personally I wouldn't even bother painting it, just rebush it and refit it, the rest of the car will rot out long before that beam does.

 

Yeh probably right it will be fine anyway. Tempted to do a good job as i might make this a summer only car and try to make it good as new but the list would be endless! It's in ok condition overall but some bits are really quite rusty. Think the car must have had an interesting life before i bought it a few years ago!

 

Now i just need to figure out how to get the rusted as **** brake carrier allen bolts free. they are apparently m10 but far to rusted to get any purchase. might try an easiout or may just cut the carrier off as i'm guessing the carrier is threaded but wishbone not. Going with 256mm rears so don't really need to keep carriers

 

Thanks for all the replies!

 

 

[rum4mo]

31 minutes ago, Johnnynapalm said:

Personally I would rub it down with a wire brush and then hammerite it black . 

 

That is what I do, maybe use sharp chisel or screwdriver - and repeat every year as the rusting will increase with age, really only to make myself feel like I've tried to slow it down, which I am not doing - exactly the same on wife's 2015 6C Polo, so no change there!

[rum4mo]

3 minutes ago, corndog said:

 

Yeh probably right it will be fine anyway. Tempted to do a good job as i might make this a summer only car and try to make it good as new but the list would be endless! It's in ok condition overall but some bits are really quite rusty. Think the car must have had an interesting life before i bought it a few years ago!

 

Now i just need to figure out how to get the rusted as **** brake carrier allen bolts free. they are apparently m10 but far to rusted to get any purchase. might try an easiout or may just cut the carrier off as i'm guessing the carrier is threaded but wishbone not. Going with 256mm rears so don't really need to keep carriers

 

Thanks for all the replies!

 

 

 

Sometimes what you think are hex cap headed bolts turn out to be Spline cap headed bolts!

[corndog]

36 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

 

Sometimes what you think are hex cap headed bolts turn out to be Spline cap headed bolts!

Yeh could be! Going on data from parts list on 7zap.com and just looking at it so could be wrong

[corndog]

Hey guys

 

Anyone know the how to fit the powerflex rear beam bushes?

I have them like this but wonder if i am supposed to use the platic end from the old bush to cover the protrusion on wheel side

 

Thanks for any help!

 

 

Just as an update to the rear beam:

 

I used a multitool scraper, wire brush etc to take off the loose rust then washed and painted on bilt hamber hydrate 80. Next i primered it then bilt hamber epoxy mastic. I might put a top coat on it but probably going to leave it like this

 

I've no idea how it will hold up considering i didn't take it back to bare metal but no big deal if it doesn't last, not that important really!

 

Did much the same on the nearside wheel arch and rear of the car where there were rust spots. On the chassis i mostly managed to get it back to bare metal then used deox-c gel and also used tiger seal after primer to replace damaged seam sealer/underbody protection. Will do more of this over the winter on other areas of the car

 

polycarbide disc in my angle grinder workes so well for getting back to bare metal but not damaging the metal. Not so easy to get into contoured areas or tight spaces though

 

 

 

Edited 23 May, 2020 by corndog

[sepulchrave]

I don't think it matters as long as they're good and tight.

[corndog]

3 hours ago, sepulchrave said:

I don't think it matters as long as they're good and tight.

They are pretty tight in the rear beam.

 

Unsure if i explained what i mean correctly

 

This bit sticks out the side of the rear beam and fills the gap.

 

with the powerflex one there is only that narrow end to it + the metal insert. Unsure if that is correct or not. Any ideas?

 

Thanks

 

 

[TMB]

Looks to me like you've got it right. This is a pic from another member's installation (Tech1e)....

 

Edited 23 May, 2020 by TMB

[corndog]

Thanks TMB

 

great

 

I know Techies ones are superpro but imagine it is much the same

[TMB]

He says the ones in that pic were Powerflex. It was his estate from ages ago...

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/179847-anyone-modded-the-suspension-on-a-fabia-estate-rarb-now-fitted/

 

 

Edited 23 May, 2020 by TMB

[pyromorph]

I've recently done the rear axle on my Fabia 2003 vRS, and I'm not impressed with the Por-15. Albeit the unopened tins/cans where many years old, I found that the black top coat didn't bind to the etch-primer even through the instructions say it would.

 

The Por-15 top coat is like hammerite, but thinner. I did 3 - 4 coats and find the surface quite hard, but once you chip it, it peels away from the etch primer. May have needed an undercoat before the top coat.

[fabdavrav]

I removed & refurbed all of my old Fabia suspension...I wire brushed the whole metalwork, applied Hammerite "cure rust" & then two coats of gloss black Hammerite 

 

& as for the bushes I used Powerflex all around & my OEM bushes did not have that spacer....so the Powerflex bushes went back in as shown..