Anyone paint their rear axle/pumpkin?

[Robert M]

wow lot of work but looks good!!

Yes, a ton of work. The painted axles look good too. There are many nice detailed black (or other color) axle assy's. that I have seen. I kinda went over the top with mine. Most owners I know would not at all be interested spending more than a couple of days on their axle, like a weekend........


Would I do an axle to this detail again? It depends upon the car. It is nice to look underneath and see a new looking axle, I hate rust and I do like "correct". When I brought my car to a local Ford dealership for an alignment it had to be driven onto the alignment rack. My friend at the dealership had a crowd of technicians (and some sales people) gathered around just to see the detailed axle, I was kind of enbarassed........I mean really.....did I really have to be that anal?!?!? :shrug:




R

 

[anarchyx914]

Yes, a ton of work. The painted axles look good too. There are many nice detailed black (or other color) axle assy's. that I have seen. I kinda went over the top with mine. Most owners I know would not at all be interested spending more than a couple of days on their axle, like a weekend........


Would I do an axle to this detail again? It depends upon the car. It is nice to look underneath and see a new looking axle, I hate rust and I do like "correct". When I brought my car to a local Ford dealership for an alignment it had to be driven onto the alignment rack. My friend at the dealership had a crowd of technicians (and some sales people) gathered around just to see the detailed axle, I was kind of enbarassed........I mean really.....did I really have to be that anal?!?!? :shrug:




R

Your axle really looks amazing. I would not mind spending that much time on mine, I just have fears that I will mess it up or something. I guess I always have that fear when working on my car though lol. Wish someone lived near me and we could make a weekend of doing our GT500 axles

 

[Robert M]

Your axle really looks amazing. I would not mind spending that much time on mine, I just have fears that I will mess it up or something. I guess I always have that fear when working on my car though lol. Wish someone lived near me and we could make a weekend of doing our GT500 axles

^^^Thanks.

There really is not a whole bunch to mess up. If you don't like the way something looks, wipe it off with lacquer thinner. If something gets under the clear, or if the application is too thick (a run etc.) wipe it off and respray. Before you get to that point, it is using a paint brush and applying the rust remover and then wiping it off with lacquer thinner and applying another application for a little more rust removal........it is the time that really sucks. I used Navel Jelly because it clings to the metal, a liquid rust remover like Ospho would run off and the area would dry quickly. The rust removal takes a few applications before the rust is completely gone, doing a small section at a time. I think I spent a full 10hr. day and maybe more just on one axle tube from the center out, this did not include the center, just the steel axle tube and bracketry. <<This also did not include the buffing with steel wool and then clearing that side. You also have to remember humidity........if you are doing this in a humid garage, the freshly cleaned/derusted metal is bare and the rust will begin to discolor the metal quickly so "if" you get to a stopping point were the rust has been removed, clean the area with thinner and spray the bare/rustfree area with a clear just to seal it until you get back to the project. When you start again, wipe it off with thinner, and continue with the next step, buffing with steel wool, etc.


I went 2 or 3 weeks without even looking at that axle after the first 10hr.+ day........then I finally was ready to work on it again for a couple hours at a time over many weekend days.

Always remember to take detailed pictures of the assy. line markings. As you use the rust remover and you wipe the axle with thinner, the markings (which are paint) begin to fade. Some of them will not even be visible to start with and only as the rust is slowly removed do they begin to appear. Remember, where the paint marks are, the bare steel was painted so there is minimal rust, but the markings became invisible over the years until the rust is slowly removed, then they begin to appear.






R

 

[5spd07gt]

Mine right before I changed my suspension to air ride...