Cleaning up a Rear End????Sand Blasting It????

[ecgate]

Just wondering if you guys use a sand blaster to clean your rear end before painting it. I am not sure if it causes problems with getting the media inside the rear end or if it is something i shouldnt worry about. As of now I have been using a wire wheel and it is hard to get into all of the tight spots. Any info would help. Thanks.

[chewychevy67]

i took mine to a engine shop and had them dip it in their tank. worked real nice and only cost me $60.00. they left it in the tank overnight and i had it back the next day.

[HotRod C/10]

I wire wheeled mine........looks great!

[ecgate]

Chevy67 Would that require me to pull the axles and gears out of the rear axle or would I have it dipped in a tank as one unit?

[gearys 5600]

I just had my 55 rear end blasted and powder coated. I used two layers of gorilla tape to tape all the openings real good before the blasting.

[midniteblues]

I did it in my camaro I didnt tape anything up but I did plug the vent and change the oil and gasket afterwards I havent had any problems in ten years with it knock on wood

[69GWC]

I wired wheeled mine as well worked great.
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[truckster]

I blasted mine with aluminum oxide. Even though I was pretty careful taping it up, I got some inside and had to clean it out. I like the idea of dipping it in a hot tank. The only part you'd need to replace are the wheel and pinion seals and the cover gasket.

[ChevLoRay]

I had mine sandblasted, by a friend who is also a car guy. He knows his stuff and how to take care of the parts. I used some Gorilla tape on the outside of the yoke. The diff cover was bolted into place. The vent was covered. After he blasted it, he painted it. The backing plates were left in place. I did pull the axles after we got it back, just to check it out and replace the axle seals. As an aside, my son got a bit energetic with the seal puller and trashed the cage on one of the bearings. So, a trip to NAPA to buy a new tool, a bearing and pair of seals....and life is good.

[chewychevy67]

yes i did disassemble the whole thing. guess that may not be in everyones plan but it sure looks good.

[Chvy2NV]

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[cleszkie]

I use Easy-Off oven cleaner. Spray it on, let sit, use a brush to work it into all the small areas, rinse off. Cuts right through all the oil and grease. Squeaky clean.

[54belair]

What Ive done before and will this time as well is to soak the rearend in some type of solvent to soften the oil/soil caked on it, then scrape most of that off followed by sand blasting.

You can use about anything as a solvent: gasoline, or any spray on degreaser. I used some spray on bug and tar removed to degrease the underside of the cab. You can also soak it with dawn dish washing liquid and then pressure wash it (if you have a sprayer).
The sand blasting just does a good job of preparing the housing for primer/paint.

BTW: I like the easy off oven cleaner idea too!!!! (wonder if I could sneak it out of the house without getting caught?)

[ecgate]

Thanks for all the input guys. But after all the sleepless nights I have decided to stick with the ol wire wheel and sandpaper. I might try to use some easy off oven cleaner in the tight spots(if I do I will inform you how well it works).