Cleaning Springplates and trailing arms?

[CHILI]

The PO painted the springplates black. I preasure washed them, but there's still some left. What should I use to get the paint off? Something that won't strip the cadnium plating?

Also, I preasure washed the aluminum trailing arms, but they kind of look blotchy. Did they coat them with something? Any ideas on how to get them to come clean and look even?

[DW SD]

I don't think lacquer thinner will remove cad plating. Brake cleaner spray should work, too.
I used a 90 degree angle grinder with a 2" 3M aluminum cleaning pad. They ended up being nearly clean. Took the oxidation off. I wasn't going for concouse, but just clean and presentable.

Check here:

'71 RSR Interpretation - Project Update # 4 - w/ Pics ZINC plated REAR susp Bling
Doug

[CHILI]

Doug, those look nice. Ididn't think about brake cleaner. That should work. Then I'll preasure wash them again to make them look as good as possible. I like the new cad plated hardware you had done. I might do the same for some stuff. I've been thinking about it lately.

[DW SD]

If you CAD plate, buy a 6" braided wire wheel for your bench grinder. Prep everything with that and you'll be good to go. Shipping was the most expensive part of CAD plating out in Michigan.

did you get my note the other day with my build sheet? I hope it helped.

Doug

[cbeers]

Hey Chad,

I just used a wire brush on mine and they came out pretty damn clean. Wire brush on a drill that is.

I am going to go see Jon Sunday and your (ex)roller

-Chris

[911pcars]

Paint? How about paint remover? Mechanical methods (wire wheel) will tend to remove the thin layer of zinc or cad.

For aluminum, you can bead blast for a consistent overall finish.

Sherwood

[DW SD]

You don't want to hit aluminum with a ferous wire wheel. The steel particles will embed in the Aluminum and they will rust. I think a stainless brush would tear them up pretty well, too.

Good luck,

Doug

[CHILI]

Thanks guys! I ended up using miniral spirits and acetone. I had to scrape a little bit with a screwdriver to get in the cracks. They look great!

I'll snap a shot in a bit. Still cleaning the springplates.

[CHILI]

Here's a pic of the stuff. Not quite done as you can see. The bushings on the springplates need to be removed and that last little lip area cleaned up. I cleaned the brake calipers, too. I'm going to paint them gloss black. Subtle, but nice and easier to clean than bare metal.

By the way, I found out Simple Green works very well on cad plated stuff. Esp. the hardware. You can just let it soak for a while then if needed a fingernail brush for the rest.

[CHILI]

Forgot the hardware pic..

[billroth]

Doug,

A bit off topic.

Just looking at you photos of your rear susp rebuild. Nice.

What lift is that that you are using to lift the car? Work well for you?

Lawrence

[Grady Clay]

All this partially depends on the condition, prior cleaning and your intended use.

For a track 911 I would just perfectly clean everything and add a little WD-40 to prevent any corrosion. Track cars should be apart regularly for cleaning and inspection so long-term preservation isn’t an issue.

For street use, I recommend replacing or re-plating the hardware. I prefer the original semi-gloss black in most applications under the car. Shiny plated spring plates detract from my eye’s appreciation of the 911. Of course everyone has a different view. During and after assembly everything should be coated with Tectyl 486 as a preservative. It is easy to remove with Stoddard solvent and reveal a beautiful original finish.

Concourse d’elegance is a whole ‘nother level.

The stuff you are removing from original trailing arms is Factory Tectyl preservative.


I just heard an interesting story. The Importer in LA in ’74, during the oil embargo, had so many 911s sitting on the dock that they coated them all with Tectyl 486 – glass and everything. Apparently they used garden sprayers to apply full strength Tectyl 486. As the 911s were finally delivered they went through car washes using rejected jet fuel and finally soap & water. I’ll speculate those are still the best preserved 911s of the era.

Best,
Grady

[CHILI]

I didn't realize that cad plating needed a preservative. What does Tectyl 486 look like? Is it clear, etc?

[Dixie]

Porsche paints the tube on the spring plate flat-black, with overspray onto the flat arms.

[almostordinary]

Bringing this back to life.

Going to use Simple Green and elbow grease tomorrow to hopefully bring my "weathered" spring plates and hardware back to life.

Anyone else have any pro tips? Hoping I can bring my spring plates back around. Would SOS pads be a good idea? Or maybe a fine 3M pad?

[Danimal16]

I would not use simple green. Use P21s Total Auto Wash. It is a great all around cleaner and degreaser and is safe for use on Mag and AL.

https://www.p21s.com/portfolio/high-performance-total-auto-wash/

[Ctopher]

Or just use SimpleGreen Aircraft. This is all I buy now, it’s safe for aluminum so no worries about causing corrosion or blotching of aluminum.

https://simplegreen.com/industrial/products/extreme-aircraft-precision-cleaner/


CTopher