jeepsonly
10-27-2005, 04:11 PM
I recently installed a Ford 8.8 axle in the rear of my YJ. I'm getting ready to move from the Arizona desert to the rainforests of Tennessee (by comparison) and realize that rust is going to become a part of my life. Before I actually bolted the axle up, I wanted it to be protected from the rust. For years I've heard about POR-15 (the POR part stands for Paint Over Rust), which is supposed to be very durable and especially effective against rust. Since this was the first time I ever used POR-15, I bought their Starter Pack which came with a tiny 4 ounce can of POR-15 and 8 ounces of their cleaner/degreaser and metal preparation treatment. Turns out this starter kit is almost the perfect size to paint one entire axle with two coats. It doesn't look like it but POR-15 goes a long way. When done I had enough left over that I could have put an entire single coat on another axle, so my recommendation is to have some other things ready to paint for what's left over. One 4 ounce can is supposed to cover 12 foot square, one coat. That's a large area. Why did I buy such a small amount? POR-15 doesn't last long with the top of the can off. The manufacturer says to scoop out what you plan on using and then immediately close the can for possible reuse but the darn can is so small that you might as well use it all up at once. Once opened, it's also very sensitive. The instructions say that if one bead of sweat drops into the can, the entire can is ruined. Another nice thing about the starter kit is the price.
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/por15_starterkit.jpg
I bought mine at my local auto paint supply store (Space Age Auto Paint in Mesa, AZ) for $16.99 but you can also buy it from the POR-15 website (http://www.por15.com) for $14.95 + shipping. Incidentally there are a few other companies out there that sell similar products and I've heard good things about most of these alternatives. POR-15 worked for me this time so I'm sticking with what I know works.
Here's what the axle looked like before I got started:
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/P8060033.jpg
I simply used a flap disk on my 4 1/2 inch angle grinder. It worked like a charm in most places. Of course I had already grinded off the remains of the spring and shock perches, which were mostly torched off. Flap disks are cheap and available from your local tool/hardware store. I bought a pack from Harbor Freight for around $8 and only used one disk for this axle. You can't tell but I was using a respirator filter, leather gloves and a face shield. Be careful and you'll keep all your fingers, skin intact.
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/flap2.jpg
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/P8070062.jpg
Here the axle housing is shiny and smooth. I later flapped the diff cover as well.
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/P9300104.jpg
Since POR-15 was designed to be painted over rust, it doesn't adhere well to shiny smooth surfaces. After grinding I used a spray bottle and applied the Marine Clean that came with the starter kit to clean off any oil residue and dirt. After hosing that off and letting the axle dry, I applied the Metal Ready metal preparation treatment to the bare metal. Metal Ready etches the metal and provides a zinc phosphate coating to provide an ample bonding environment for the POR-15. I applied the Metal Ready carefully with a foam brush, waited 15 minutes and then hosed it off (they say it's safe for the environment...it's even reusable). You can see surface rust developed rather quickly (in less than an hour). That's a good thing for this paint job!
Once applied, POR-15 is supposed to dry better when there is some humidity present and I was lucky enough to be doing this on a rare semi-rainy day in the Phoenix area.
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/PA170049.jpg
Since POR-15 dries so fast, I covered the open can with plastic wrap. The instructions say that the lid can be permanently sealed if there is a little paint in the lid grooves and there was. If the plastic wrap became stuck, I could cut it with scissors.
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/PA180062.jpg
I didn't take any pics while I was painting because it's messy and I was alone. Make sure you don't get any POR-15 on you or you'll wear it until your skin peels. Paint carefully!
Here is the finished product. I applied two coats and let it dry for a day until I bolted the axle up. POR-15 is UV sensitive but hopefully my axle won't see many UV rays (this end up please!). If I was painting something that was exposed to the sky, I'd use a topcoat (UV fades the color but apparently doesn't effect the quality of the seal). The axle is now shiny and smooth...new looking. The paint is STRONG. I can't scratch it easily and it's not peeling. It seems baked-on.
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/PA180063.jpg
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/PA210073.jpg
I'm confident my rear axle is ready for all the rain and humidity it will experience in Tennessee. I'm so happy with the way this turned out that I'm in the process of using POR-15 on my M416 trailer axle as well before I move. Since I had some Marine Clean and Metal Ready left over from this job, I decided to buy a 6 pack of the 4 ounce cans of POR-15 so I can open them as needed and not worry about ruining leftovers in larger cans.
Manufacturer website: http://www.por15.com
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/por15_starterkit.jpg
I bought mine at my local auto paint supply store (Space Age Auto Paint in Mesa, AZ) for $16.99 but you can also buy it from the POR-15 website (http://www.por15.com) for $14.95 + shipping. Incidentally there are a few other companies out there that sell similar products and I've heard good things about most of these alternatives. POR-15 worked for me this time so I'm sticking with what I know works.
Here's what the axle looked like before I got started:
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/P8060033.jpg
I simply used a flap disk on my 4 1/2 inch angle grinder. It worked like a charm in most places. Of course I had already grinded off the remains of the spring and shock perches, which were mostly torched off. Flap disks are cheap and available from your local tool/hardware store. I bought a pack from Harbor Freight for around $8 and only used one disk for this axle. You can't tell but I was using a respirator filter, leather gloves and a face shield. Be careful and you'll keep all your fingers, skin intact.
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/flap2.jpg
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/P8070062.jpg
Here the axle housing is shiny and smooth. I later flapped the diff cover as well.
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/P9300104.jpg
Since POR-15 was designed to be painted over rust, it doesn't adhere well to shiny smooth surfaces. After grinding I used a spray bottle and applied the Marine Clean that came with the starter kit to clean off any oil residue and dirt. After hosing that off and letting the axle dry, I applied the Metal Ready metal preparation treatment to the bare metal. Metal Ready etches the metal and provides a zinc phosphate coating to provide an ample bonding environment for the POR-15. I applied the Metal Ready carefully with a foam brush, waited 15 minutes and then hosed it off (they say it's safe for the environment...it's even reusable). You can see surface rust developed rather quickly (in less than an hour). That's a good thing for this paint job!
Once applied, POR-15 is supposed to dry better when there is some humidity present and I was lucky enough to be doing this on a rare semi-rainy day in the Phoenix area.
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/PA170049.jpg
Since POR-15 dries so fast, I covered the open can with plastic wrap. The instructions say that the lid can be permanently sealed if there is a little paint in the lid grooves and there was. If the plastic wrap became stuck, I could cut it with scissors.
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/PA180062.jpg
I didn't take any pics while I was painting because it's messy and I was alone. Make sure you don't get any POR-15 on you or you'll wear it until your skin peels. Paint carefully!
Here is the finished product. I applied two coats and let it dry for a day until I bolted the axle up. POR-15 is UV sensitive but hopefully my axle won't see many UV rays (this end up please!). If I was painting something that was exposed to the sky, I'd use a topcoat (UV fades the color but apparently doesn't effect the quality of the seal). The axle is now shiny and smooth...new looking. The paint is STRONG. I can't scratch it easily and it's not peeling. It seems baked-on.
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/PA180063.jpg
http://projects.jeepsonly.com/project1/graphics/fordaxle/por15/PA210073.jpg
I'm confident my rear axle is ready for all the rain and humidity it will experience in Tennessee. I'm so happy with the way this turned out that I'm in the process of using POR-15 on my M416 trailer axle as well before I move. Since I had some Marine Clean and Metal Ready left over from this job, I decided to buy a 6 pack of the 4 ounce cans of POR-15 so I can open them as needed and not worry about ruining leftovers in larger cans.
Manufacturer website: http://www.por15.com