Wheel hub rust prevention?
 

Hi, I'm in the throws of overhauling the entire front / rear suspension and am slowly taking the parts of the rear trailing arms on my 1980 SC.

I'm about the get to the brake / wheel hubs and have bought a nice resurfacing kit that I'll use the clean up the hub around the bolts. However, made me think about future rust protection as I clean up the areas around it too.

What are the best practices or your thoughts about how to clean up the wheel hub? FWIW I do have some KPhos from KG industries for other purposes and considered putting a thin layer on to help protect from rust build-up once I'm done cleaning. Likewise on the rear I am debating whether I prime and spray that. Again, would love input here.

While I'm here - thoughts on gently sandblasting the hub?

You can media blast the hub. I would not use anything too aggressive. Glass bead is plenty sufficient to cut the light surface rust. The metal that the hub is made from is high strength steel and doesn't appear to fall victim to heavy rust, like brake rotors for example. So point being is that you shouldn't have to blast the heck out of it to clean the surface.

Be sure to protect the shaft of the hub when media blasting. Wrap it with layers of tape. The shaft is precision machined/ground to fit inside the wheel bearing and you don't want to mess up that tight fit by blasting it. I'm not saying blasting it will ruin the press fit and create a problem like the hub coming loose or something else catastrophic. Just saying there's no good reason to disturb that finely machined surface.

After blasting it, I would recommend painting with a cold galvanizing paint. LPS labs makes a nice product that i've had good results with. It sprays on easily (rattle can) and has a nice gray appearance. After it dries, cure it with a heat gun and it's a hard surface that will not easily scratch off like most paints. I've used it on brake rotors and exhaust parts and it is a very durable finish once heat cured.

What’s the collective wisdom on this part of my car? If I remove the caliper and rotor, can I remove the surface rust and then clear-coat the hub?http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1584572709.jpg

I removed the studs, cleaned up the hub, powder coated it in clear and installed new races. Looks awesome.

David

Whenever I work on the brakes, I will clean the hub surfaces with sanding discs and 3M hub cleaning discs.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-07547-Scotch-Brite-Roloc-Cleaning/dp/B0013HHNPY

I lightly coat with with your favorite lubricant afterwards. I use CLP.

Great answers - thank you all!