Rusty balls? (1 Viewer)

[TobyB]

Ok, I DID search, and didn't find anything...

On the short list is to redo the front axle.
However, the normally- shiny pivot 'ball' surfaces on the
front axle that serve to protect
the Birfs are rusty. Not structurally rusty, but bad enough that
a new seal kit's going to get chowed in short order.
The truck's been off the road under a pine tree for
10 years, and everything underneath has significant surface
rust...
...including the balls.

So how does one go about shining said objects up to give
the new wipers a chance at surviving?

Or is this one of those 'If you have to ask....' sort of things?

t

 

[asu4runner]

i dont see any approach thats worth your time aside from tearing down the knuckles until you can sand off the rust. yeah its a pain and its time consuming but in the long run it will be worth it. while your at it you could paint the axle and diff (go with an obnoxiously bright color)

 

[ntsqd]

I painted the whole housing under my live axle Mini with gray POR-15, including the knuckle balls. After the POR had cured I then block sanded the balls until they were smooth using successively finer grit paper. The POR itself was thick enough to fill-in the minor rust pits that this housing had.

 

[Radd Cruisers]

I painted the whole housing under my live axle Mini with gray POR-15, including the knuckle balls. After the POR had cured I then block sanded the balls until they were smooth using successively finer grit paper. The POR itself was thick enough to fill-in the minor rust pits that this housing had.

Flapper wheel on the drill prolly 80 grit then por 15

 

[TS888]

Flapper wheel on the drill prolly 80 grit then por 15

Whoa! 80 grit will destroy the seal surface of the swivels. Might as well do nothingl

As stated above, cleaning the rust off is the only way to get a proper seal. You want to use 600 or 1000 grit paper, and lubricate with wd-40 or some other very light oil.

If the surface has pits or significant grooves, one solution is JB Weld. I've coated swivels with a thin layer of JB weld, and then used 1000 grit to smooth it, and it has sealed and held up for years.

 

[KLF]

Get as much rust off as you can, especially in the pits, then mix up a big batch of JB Weld, smear it all over the balls so it fills the pits. Let it dry for several days. Then gently sand it off smooth with emory paper.

 

[serenity]

Garnet blasting and POR-15 worked well for me. Just be careful to cover up sensitive areas, such as where the king pin bearings and inner axle seals seat and the diff gasket face.

 

[FLNewt]

I just had to clean up a rusty pivot ball on my FJ62. I used a wire wheel on an angle grinder and primed it with a rust inhibitor primer and painted it. The wire wheel took care of my rust pretty well, but it may not have been as bad as yours after sitting 10 yrs.

 

[woytovich]

Or buy my front axle housing, cut the ends off mine and yours, swap on mine and do a spring over!
just sayin....

 

[darwink1]

I vote for cleaning up the rust a bit and then leaving the old leaky wiper seals on the axle. Especially if youre gonna be drivin in salty winter conditions. A nice layer of grease on your balls will go a long way to prevent rust.

D

 

[TS888]

A nice layer of grease on your balls will go a long way to prevent rust.

And chafing...

 

[ntsqd]

Two coats of POR (where needed only) was enough to fill in the pits on my housing's swivel-balls. However you get there, the outer surface of the swivel-balls needs to be a good one. We know what a rough seal surface will do to a wheel bearing or similar lip seal. This is no different.