removing surface rust from brakes?

Hi again. My engine and transmission are out of the car. I took them out in the fall to install Carrera cam tensioners. I have noticed that there is surface rust on the brake rotors as well as he clutch, how should I remove this? Is this normal or exremely weird? I will be putting the clutch back in as it is only 1 year old with minimal wear.

The car was in the garage all winter, that is how it happened.

Shawn

Shawn,
Have you tried steel wool? I would think that it is just, as you said, surface rust and come off pretty readily.
Good luck!
Craig

Rotors will rust in a week on a car that is not driven. Just check out the cars sitting in car dealerships. Steel wool will clean them up just fine if it is only surface rust.

Kurt V
72 911E

You might try a synthetic-type pad such as Scotchbrite. The steel wool tends to remain around and, since it is steel, rusts in thin hairlike strands where it sits.

Jw

Beware!
If you use that steel wool stuff, make absolutely certain that you get every last piece of those little scraps of Fe out of there cause they can make your wheels look like @#$*! Don't ask me how I know. I didn't learn on a P car. Same deal if you use a wetstone. If it isn't too bad, just clean and reassemble. It may be a little rough on the friction material at first, but it is ordinary.

You would be surprised how much cooler it is under a car on a concrete slab where there is no breeze. Great place for condensation! Maybe that was the real reason to put the old tin Lizzie up on blocks.

Dan

well, the scrubbing gets the outside clean, inside requires caliper removal, at least. now you could just drive down and get a burger and let the pads do it. they're used to it. deep, crusty pitting is another story.

Kurt V is absolutely correct. Car Dealerships have yards full of cars with rusty rotors..

The rust won't hurt the rotors at all, it's due to having a nice, clean, recently finished surface on the disc/rotor. Being machined all the time by the pads (in a fashion) simply means that they're not oxidised and open to O2 corrosion.

The best way to clean the rust off the rotors?

When the car's running again, Go for a drive!

In replacing pads, if I do not have the rotors 'turned,' I will at least use scotchbrite to rough them up (break the shiny glaze). This helps the pads to seat properly. There are little approx 2" round pads that fit onto a special drill bit, so the drill can do the work.

For what you're describing, I drive the car aroudn the block. The brake pads will remove the rust on the rotor. No problem.

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'83 SC