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I got a bit tired of looking at a rusty axle so I painted it with a product called Chassis Saver. It's similar to POR 15 in that it is intended to be painted directly over rust with minimal prep. I chose to try it because you don't have to brush on acid and rinse with water like you do with POR 15. Instead, all you need to do is a light wire brushing and a thorough manual wipe down with Xylene. Much less mess.
I went with Chassis Saver's silver aluminum first as a primer coat. It is supposed to be heavily filled with ground aluminum to fill in pits and irregularities.
I then wanted to top coat the silver aluminum with Chassis Saver's antique satin black.
Here is how my axle looked to begin with. Lots of ugly!
Next up, I chose to tape off some of the factory stickers and mask off the work area with painter's plastic.
The next few pictures are after wire brushing everything and thoroughly de-greasing with Xylene.
At this point I was ready to put on the first light coat of the silver aluminum paint. I followed this with a second coat once cured.
I then originally intended to coat the entire axle with the antique satin black paint. At the last minute I had the idea to just do the center section in black for a tough-looking two tone look.
Here is the finished product after removing all the masking. Looks like a proper muscle car axle now Don't fret about my 100% stock suspension, incoming mods are on the way!
I think it looks good. I've got some por15 in my garage and was planning on painting my axle with it. This thread here might be that nudge that I needed to get the wheels turning.
Nacs... wow, that looks amazing. Sadly, I (currently) have the axle look that your before pics depict
I might have to do this as well. It's probably embarrassing at car shows
Question: What did you use to paint on/with the stuff?
Thanks man! I went out to some local home improvement stores and purchased a variety of different shaped brushes. Some broad for the larger areas, and some long and skinny for getting into tight spots. I did get a few brush marks here and there, but most of it leveled out nicely. This paint is really tenacious though, so consider your brushes a one time use for this job. I tried soaking some in lacquer thinner and xylene to clean them, but once the paint starts to harden that's it for them.
I appreciate all the nice comments guys. This is one of those jobs that is kind of a PITA and you hate your life at the time, but very rewarding in the end lol.
Wow, the entire undercarriage of your car is so freaking clean!
I know right? I was going to say that next. Heck, I don't drive mine in any form of precipitation, but I think his is way cleaner than mine
Originally Posted by NacsMXer
Thanks man! I went out to some local home improvement stores and purchased a variety of different shaped brushes. Some broad for the larger areas, and some long and skinny for getting into tight spots. I did get a few brush marks here and there, but most of it leveled out nicely. This paint is really tenacious though, so consider your brushes a one time use for this job. I tried soaking some in lacquer thinner and xylene to clean them, but once the paint starts to harden that's it for them.
I appreciate all the nice comments guys. This is one of those jobs that is kind of a PITA and you hate your life at the time, but very rewarding in the end lol.
Very cool man. The brushes should be a no big deal - throw away - because you can buy a bunch of cheap brushes probably from Lowes or Home Depot, right? I wouldn't bother saving those brushes. It's not like we'll be painting these axles every year. lol
Thank you for the thread. Mine looks about like yours did in the beginning, except for less rust on the drivers side due to the axle vent leaking. I have been thinking about doing something about it, but was not sure about what to use. This thread was very helpful and provides a good option to cover the rust.
How many hours and ~ $ total cost you think you have in this project? Thanks!
Thanks! It took me a solid weekend to complete with all the prep/masking and what not. Plus you have to wait 3-8 hours (humidity dependant) before the recommended second coat. The brushes were probably less than 20 bucks and I still had a few left over.
One 8 oz can in black and one in silver at $12.96 a pop.
The cans are tiny but I surprisingly had a good amount left over to save for future touch ups. I poured the paint into a disposable cup and worked from that. The paint is moisture-curing so you want to keep the can sealed when not immediately using. The more humidity, the faster it cures.
I didn't even know the GT axles weren't painted until recently.
That's what I was thinking... I'm almost positive mine is nice and black from the factory. I originally opened this thread thinking "so what" but you did a great job and it looks fantastic, so nice job and thanks for the posting!
7/19/16, 11:05 AM
Don't fret about my 100% stock suspension, incoming mods are on the way!
