I'm debating having my spiffy new Rock Assault axles galvanized... Anyone ever seen one? I know some of the Rover guys are big into galvanizing.

I have POR15 on-hand, I have a sandblaster/powdercoater nearby I deal with regularly, and I have lots of Rustoleum hammered finish paint... I just don't know how i want to coat these axles! So many different pros/cons to all of them.

What I really want is to have a super overkill solid rust-proof finish...

 

If you galvanize and then try to weld on it you can end up with cadmium poisoning. If your shock setup's solid and you don't plan on trussing, then why not?

 

Zinc... Zinc poisoning...

 

Wanna spend that kind of money then have it powder coated not gayvanized.

:wabbit2:

 

Everything I've read on here and pirate about the welding issue says that as long as you grind the area you are welding and wear a respirator, there is no issue.
Isn't that true?


I just notice that my powder coated jet ski trailer has lots of rust on it, where my galvanized boat trailer has none. Price is the same as powdercoatign - $50 per axle.

 

Both will get scraped off if you bother to use the truck other than at the mall

Spray it with Rustoleum, be done with it and save the $$$.

:wabbit2:

 

I see all the galvanized railings by the ocean rusting away at the joints. If you scratch it then what will you do?

 

Rustoleum. No matter what you use its going to scrape off and rust.

 

Another vote for Rustoleum - keep a can or two in the rig with you and touch it up after the fun.

Fink

 

i dont know if its true or not but i would have to say i weld galvanized stuff all the time and breath in the fumes all too much and so far i havent dropped dead. i wouldnt worry about it too much like welding certain brake cleaners and getting phosphene gas poisoning

 

But this explains A LOT! You've got dain bramage!

:wabbit2:

 

That makes sense, but the thing is, I don't actually worry at all about the scratches, I worry about the areas that don't get scratched but water and dirt pool up like beneath the shock eyes inside the shock mounts... Those areas are where I always get rust starting, and then it tracks downwards. The bottom areas where it scratches always seem to stay pretty rust free because of the continual dragging over stumps and roots around here.... Not much rock crawling where I live at all.

Maybe I will just POR 15 those areas, and rustoleum the rest.... I just got done dropping $1200 on new axles, and I am wanting to treat them to a little more then spraypaint....

 

so what's the odds of actually rusting out an axle anyway? Is it really worth the extra dough to have them powdercoated or galvanized like a fence post that eventually sho signs of rusting anyway?

If your really worried about it, just POR-15 the whole axle.

 

I doubt an axle would rust out in normal use ever...

I would not waste the money on a factory axle, but it is definitely worth $100-$200 to me to protect a nice set of axles that I just dropped over a grand on. Definitely. Maybe the best answer is the rustoleum answer. I can't argue with that, but if the best answer was $200, then I would gladly pay it. I don't know about you, but $1200 is a lot of money to me. It's like buying a Diamond axle and putting the cheapest Chinese bearings and seals in it. Probably work okay, but is it really the right way to appreciate that fine axle?

Enough of my rationalizations.... I will Rustoleum it, but what would you all recommend for surface prep and primers?

 

Degrease. Paint it. Done dozens that way. Find a scrape or rust spot. Paint it again.

That fine axle is wasted if you don't beat the pisser out of it.

:wabbit2:

 

ha ha ha i uessg hatt xplainse lota hent.