I have never cleaned my 35 year old John Deere 318's mower deck other than quick hose offs now and then. It's faded, but no rust. I think the grass sticking to it, once dried out actually protects the surface, lol.
I'm currently working on the same project. I called my usual HVAC contractor and told him what I was doing and he gave me an old unit for free - one less he had to cart off to the dump. He even had one of his men make a sheet metal replacement panel for one that was missing.
I went to Home...