painting suspension parts

[nightvision]

Hi all,<br />I'm restoring my trailer an now I'm at the suspension. The suspension is a leaf suspension with five bars. It's rusted pretty good. How do I tackle this task. Do I and can I remove each of the leave and remove the rust to paint or just leave it alone and paint the outside. Thanks.

 

[DJ]

Re: painting suspension parts

I wouldn't take them apart. If you want to have them serviced, have a spring shop do it.<br /><br />You can paint them if you want, however it probably won't stick very long. Thus, If you paint them, I would paint them black.

 

[Dan Beisel]

Re: painting suspension parts

The Eastwood Company makes some good products for auto chassis restorations that I've used before. I would recommend leaving the spings together, rough them up the best you can with a wire wheel on a drill, wipe 'em clean with lacquer thinner and then prime/paint. Prime them with "Corroless", it comes in a spray can and covers and seals rusty parts well. Then topcoat it with "Chassis Black", also in a spray can. Just be sure to follow all the directions on the cans regarding recoating or the black can lift off. The Corroless is expensive but I think it's worth it if you want a job that will last.

 

[Dan Beisel]

Re: painting suspension parts

...thumbing through Eastwood's latest catalog the other day, looks like they are calling Corroless "Rust Encapsulator" now...