De-rust & paint Tahoe's steering knuckle

[roc_on_the_rocks]

Hey folks,

I'm redoing the whole front suspension of my '02 Tahoe, replacing control arms, hub assemblies, shocks, etc... But since I'm not replacing the steering knuckle, that pile of rust will stand out. This is my daily driver, not a show car, but I wonder if I could chemically de-rust it and paint it with a rattle can.

The knuckle is greasy and has a lot of scaling rust. I'm thinking on initially degreasing it with gasoline on paint brush, but I'm unsure of the next step. I wonder if I should dip it on Evapo-Rust, or a no-brand oven cleaner would work. If oven cleaner, how would you use it? (heavy spray then let in a plastic back for a day, then hose it off before painting?)

What about paint? Engine paint, enamel paint? (it needs to be something available locally: Menards, Wally World, Rural King, auto parts stores, etc...)

Thanks a lot everyone for your input.

PS.: I don't have access to a sandblaster, unfortunately.

 

[mrolds88]

Dollar Tree has some good derusting stuff. Its labeled as Works bathroom cleaner. It works. I did a cast carb and it cleaned everything. including the passages. Had it in there about 3 hours. I would put your knockles in one at a time and just keep watch on it. Try to get as much grease off of it as you can before derusting.

 

[ADSR]

I'd hit it with the pressure washer, then wire brush. Trimclad flat black and good to go.

 

[MarkG]

Why not just buy the stuff that's made for that------engine degreaser and a lot of elbow grease. Then repeat with Dawn detergent. When dry, wire brush (with a clean one----not the same greasy one you just used!) and scrape and wash again. Then spray with Ospho. When dry, spray paint.

 

[hammlm]

Any interest in electrolysis? Overnight would likely get you there. Cheap isn't even the word for it. A little bit of work getting set up, but once you see the results you will find countless things to derustify.

 

[SteveH-CO]

$114 fix + shipping - http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1268558&cc=1380372&jsn=452.

Isn't there a de-rusting solution made with weak molasses that is the stuff of Internet lore (but actually works)?

I would paint it with Hammerite (or Rustoleum's version of this) sold by the quart at Home Depot. Designed to paint right over rust, and has a good film thickness. Apply 2 coats. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Ol...mered-Rust-Preventive-Paint-7215502/100670381

 

[matt_i]

I'd paint it all, even the new parts. The aftermarket parts are notoriously "weak" when it comes to coatings and platings (vs the oem parts) in my opinion. They look great the day you put them on but its a fast downhill ride.

Spray looks good but is very thin.

 

[Whiskeymike]

White Vinegar is the easiest, safest. Just put in a tub and submerge. May need a day or couple days.

Muratic Acid for pools is the next one. Just do it away from your house and shop as fumes will rust other stuff. Probably won't take more than 15-45 minutes. Don't breathe it in. Common sense approach. This is the stuff that's in the bathroom cleaner mentioned above.

Once it's done, make a bucket of baking soda and water and move it from either acid to the baking soda water. It will neutralize the acid and slow down the process of flash rust coming back. Only takes a few minutes.

Then prep and paint. I would use brake caliper paint.

 

[roc_on_the_rocks]

Thanks everyone for the great insights and tips.

For the first piece, I did the following:
1) Engine degreaser
2) Dawn detergent
3) 4-day bath on Evapo-Rust. At first, it wasn't working well, the garage was cold, but I put a small aquarium heater in the bath and it made a difference.
4) Then, skeptical, I used the Central Pneumatic Compact Air Needle Scaler. That thing is amazing, it worked great!!
5) I then applied the Rust-Oleum Automotive Rusty Metal Primer followed by the Rust-Oleum Farm & Implement gloss black. Baked it at 250F for about 4 hours.

For the second piece, I did the following:
1) Engine degreaser
2) Dawn detergent
3) I used the Central Pneumatic Compact Air Needle Scaler. It was working great, but it totally lost power near the end.
4) 2-day bath on Evapo-Rust.
5) I then applied the Rust-Oleum Automotive Rusty Metal Primer followed by the Rust-Oleum Farm & Implement gloss black. Baked it at 250F for about 4 hours.

I did buy Ospho 605 Metal Treatment, but there are some info on the web stating the Rust-Oleum paint to be incompatible with it. In doubt, I skipped it.

I'm very happy with the results. Thanks again everyone!

 

[shedfullatools]

Looks great and will likely hold up very well after that treatment, I always paint the rest of the components when add nice new ones but never bother doing that good of a job

 

[superskaterxes]

wow nice!!!

can you notice a large difference in stability/handling? I have an 05 sierra @220k but most of my front suspension is still in decent shape.

 

[roc_on_the_rocks]

Thanks a lot guys.

superskaterxes, the improvement in handling is minimum, but noticeable at times. Considering the time and money invested, I hoped for a more significant improvement. It feels a little smoother on small road imperfections and slightly more stable, let's say, when wiggling the steering wheel a bit on higher speeds. The occasional clunks and thumps felt when maneuvering at low speeds (e.g. parking lots) are gone.

Below is a picture before this endeavor.

 

[bradpac]

Wow, I still can't get over it whenever people up north post pictures of the rust. Makes me happy to live in Central Texas. I've torn apart cars from the 40s with less corrosion.

 

[MoonRise]

Looks a whole lot better than it did before you did the work!

And a +99 on the HF air needle scaler. It became my one of new favorite tools last year when working on some rusty auto parts as well. It really helps knock off the rust, loose stuff and the not so loose stuff too.

 

[Xander]

Looks nice. I bought new ones for my silverado and tahoe, but next time I might try this.

X...

 

[Bretny]

Looks great! I was going to suggest needle scaler too. I have had really good luck with needle scaling things. Any chemical or "rust fix" has never worked for the kind or rust we see in the salt belt. Coming from NY.

 

[Hefavitzen]

5) I then applied the Rust-Oleum Automotive Rusty Metal Primer followed by the Rust-Oleum Farm & Implement gloss black. Baked it at 250F for about 4 hours.

So, what is the deal with baking it?

• Why did you bake the painted pieces?
• Did you bake it in your kitchen oven or do you have a seperate oven for this type of thing?
• Are you married? If so, how did your wife feel about the baking?

I'm starting the exact same project on my Jeep Scrambler knuckles.

Thanks, Jeff

 

[Bighead38]

So, what is the deal with baking it?

• Why did you bake the painted pieces?
• Did you bake it in your kitchen oven or do you have a seperate oven for this type of thing?
• Are you married? If so, how did your wife feel about the baking?

I'm starting the exact same project on my Jeep Scrambler knuckles.

Thanks, Jeff

I would imagine to help cure the paint especially if the garage was cold.

 

[OhioRandy]

The baking "hardens" the paint. I have had various pieces go much longer over the years before they start to rust again. As for the wife, I heated up a new bearing in motor oil prior to install on a truck rear axle years age in my ex-wife's oven. She was not happy about the smell. For the bearing on the other side I used her crock pot outside. She wasn't happy about that either.

 

[roc_on_the_rocks]

So, what is the deal with baking it?

• Why did you bake the painted pieces?
• Did you bake it in your kitchen oven or do you have a seperate oven for this type of thing?
• Are you married? If so, how did your wife feel about the baking?

I'm starting the exact same project on my Jeep Scrambler knuckles.

Thanks, Jeff

Hey Jeff,
Yeah, I baked it in my kitchen oven because it's cold here in January. I'm just a DYI guy, but read and believe that baking hardens that kind of paint.

I'm the CEO, chairman of the board, president, chief security officer, master chef and janitor of my kingdom, so I didn't need to fill out authorization forms to use my oven . But we do bake/roast food here frequently and I didn't want my oven to remain smelly, so I let it running at 170F with the door open for a while and all the smell was gone.

Good luck brother, keep us posted.

 

[Bert_]

Wow, I still can't get over it whenever people up north post pictures of the rust. Makes me happy to live in Central Texas. I've torn apart cars from the 40s with less corrosion.

What rust? The stuff in that picture looks pretty good.

 

[Monza Harry]

Hey Jeff,
Yeah, I baked it in my kitchen oven because it's cold here in January. I'm just a DYI guy, but read and believe that baking hardens that kind of paint.

I'm the CEO, chairman of the board, president, chief security officer, master chef and janitor of my kingdom, so I didn't need to fill out authorization forms to use my oven . But we do bake/roast food here frequently and I didn't want my oven to remain smelly, so I let it running at 170F with the door open for a while and all the smell was gone.

Good luck brother, keep us posted.

I think that sounds very single to me! I haven't baked any paint jobs since my other half has moved in. Just sayin'!
As an aside to lower your chances of poisoning your selves, it can even work better if you pre-heat the part before painting helps dry the paint from the inside out (in theory). I will add that I have had great results from baking the paint (both before and after). Harry

 

[trs71]

Any interest in electrolysis? Overnight would likely get you there. Cheap isn't even the word for it. A little bit of work getting set up, but once you see the results you will find countless things to derustify.

You can't get it cleaner^