Is there a way to prevent new SAWs from rusting?
 

Ok, my SAW's are still on backorder, but I keep hearing about them rusting up after being on a vehicle for a period of time making it difficult to make adjustments to the threaded collar. I've read about putting antiseize on some of the parts to prevent this from happening, but what kind of off-the-shelf products are we talking about here? Is there anything I can do to prevent this?

Thanks for you input.

Where are you in the country? The climate can have a lot to do with the stories you've heard. I've had mine on for about a year and haven't had an issue.

I'm in Charlotte, NC and I know it doesn't snow much here, but everything still rusts. I had new OEM factory shocks put on less than a year ago and those are already rusted.

I'm not trying to hijack here but I was wondering the same thing and was getting ready to make a post about it. I live in west virginia and we get quite a bit of snow and they use a lot of salt on the roads. Any advice on this would be great as I am getting ready to order some coilovers (not sure what kind yet) but I may not even bother if I'm going to lose adjustability and looks after the first winter with them.


Have a good one :drink:

Shawn

cover it in WD40? that stuff fixes everything! :hillbill:

Honestly i have no idea, but that seems like itd work, cant rust if the water slides off it right? :dunno:

If you have a lot of rust on a piece of metal use Naval Jelly to get rid of it.

If you don't want rust to form on that or any piece of metal use Boeshield T-9 to keep it off.

I used T-9 in Nebraska last winter, and it held up like a champ. It was designed for Boeing aircraft, but is used heavily in the Marine industry.

First of all Sway-A-Ways are made from aluminum and aluminum doesn't rust. It can however oxidize or corrode. To combat this, Sway-A-Way has recently started to nickel plate all of their shock bodies. I am sure between the nickel-plating and maybe a light coat of lubricant, seizing will no longer be an issue. There are also many other options for our trucks besides Sway-A-Way for bolt-in coil-overs link here for more info

Thanks for the heads up on the Boeshield T-9. I will definitely look into it. As for the Sway-Aways, I thought they had steel bodies (which made them more affordable) versus the more expensive coil-overs which (I think) were more corrosive resistant.

Sway-A-Way's are less expensive than some due to being smaller diameter, having only one heim (lower mount) and a few other features. If the bodies ever were steel (not positive), they would have to have been coated with something (galvanized?) otherwise they would begin to rust immediately. I think the reason it seems like people have had more issues with Sway-A-Way's is because there are many more of them out there on people's trucks than any other brand.

Where did you order your SAW's? I ordered mine from Mike @ Extreme a month ago (backordered)...Should have shipped last week..

Same as you. I ordered them from Mike @ Extreme a few weeks back and they shipped out yesterday I believe.

Thanks for the T-9 tip. SAW recommeded a marine-grade lubricant/protectant with my new set of coil-overs and that stuff looks perfect. The big hardware store near downtown even has it in stock. I will probably have to get the mega can since I'll go through a lot trying to keep the Minnesota winter at bay.

Easy, leave them on the shelf and they won't rust... :D

Good one! :lol: I'm gonna have to do the same with my sliders, hi-lift, winch, and everything else that's starting to corrode from all the damn salt they use on the roads here. Or I can coat everything with vasoline and T-9 and be able to slip through the narrowest trails!

i was thinking boeshield when i hit the view button :p.

the problem is actually the parts above the coilover, debris thrown on the body, that sort of thing. i had a great deal of oxide drip from my upper mounting plate (an adapter, i have heims top and bottom) down the body as i didnt seal the plate before leaving colorado (no rust) to move to f@#$ing ohio (doesnt snow, but they get salt storms during the winter), to the point where i couldnt adjust them and had to cut the old collars off (chop saw, hacksaw and large hammer) and install new ones.

boeshield for the bodies, and rustoleum (or better yet por-15) for anything above the coilovers ie the top and inside of the mounting cup.

use grease and lots of it under the adjusting collar, anti-sieze didnt work, it looks like the gobs of cv grease i used might work tho. something i considered but didnt use as i didnt have enough is teflon grease, it will keep the collar from galling &| freezing if you need to adjust the coilover while it's on the truck.

-sean

Thanks for another great tip on addressing the upper mounting plate. I think I'll give it a quick scrub with a wire brush, then squirt it with some Rustoleum before installing the SAWs.

The big misconception is once you put it on, your good to go for the winter. That couldn't be further from the truth; If you have a long hard winter like I did last year in Nebraska, you have to apply that stuff once every other month. I tried to do it once a month, but I got lazy. Anyway, it held up great and I used it on everything. I mean everything. Good luck, Eh!

The threaded collar is certianly made of steel (aluminm also galls like crazy when used for threads) and is likely only zinc plated to resist rust for a short while but a short time in a rust belt will definately eat right through that. I remember Gadget compaining that his SAWs were beginning to rust up in MD so I can imagine what would happen to them a little further north. I wanted to get a set too but that was one of the major reasons I just went OME all the way around.

no they most certainly are not, as i cut the old ones off with a chop saw after realizing i was about to do something stupid and potentially lethal with a cutoff wheel. they are anodized aluminum. the rust is from other things landing on the threads, dribbling down the threads behind the coil, sitting, building up, and eventually causing a lot of cursing and beer drinking when you go to adjust them after yet another winter where the !@$#kickers in the local DOT decided to skip mag chloride or good ol dirt and continue to treat the roads like a giant pretzel :mad2:.

my apologies if anyone here is one of those guys working for the DOT who has already mentioned using anything other than salt, including teaching the NDFs in their state how to drive in winter conditions.

eeeeaauuuhhhHHHHHHHHHdeepbreath...once you get a good amount of rust in there, it iirc will react with the aluminum, making matters worse, at any rate it sticks and builds up as more corrosion drips down the threads...hence coating the mounting cup and upper mounting plate (if your coilovers have one) with por-15 or rustoleum, and the aluminum body with boeshield.

there's rust above (and behind) the adjusting collar on the threads on my saws, but it's not the shock body corroding, just residual funk from above...maybe one of these days theyll quit with the salt, but i doubt itll be in my lifetime.

-sean