underbody cleanup

[dfl701]

I just bought my k5 a month ago and i wanna clean up the underbody. i powerwashed underneath but it still have crap on the axles and frame. whats the best way to get them paintable. on my last truck i just spray painted the frame and axles but that just came off, so my next question is whats best to paint everything?

 

[obijuan]

get a more powerful pressure washer.

i blasted the hell out of my truck and it was nice underneath everything.
i think the oil leaks preserved it!

i just did this axle this weekend, i pressure washed it pretty close. then i wire wheeled it quickly. prime and krylon paint.

here are my springs, i just wire wheeled this with a 7 inch cone wheel and big ass milwaukee buffer thing. then wiped em off clean and painted.

 

[dfl701]

that looks really good. thats what i want my entire truck to look like and so its easier to clean. right now everythings looks brown.

 

[obijuan]

well you need to really disassemble the whole thing then.

you want to get into every nook and cranny on the axles with the pressure washer. and you can just use red scotchbrite pad with ajax and water. then rinse it off. then lay down some paint it will look pretty good.

 

[dfl701]

i really wish i would have thought of this a couple of weeks ago i just put a lift on and had everything apart

 

[Chevy305]

power washing wont remove all the grease. Gasoline will take grease right out. Use it with a stiff brush and wash off. Also brake cleaner works wonders as well as acetone. But both of those will take paint off too.

 

[dfl701]

alright ill give that a try

 

[jonathon]

Simple green on anything that isn't aluminum(trany and t-case depending on the year).

To paint you will need to do some prep work.. scuff and degrease bare minimum. How turns out is almost entirely based on the amount prep work you go through..

 

[offroadblazer764x4]

If the frame is rusty beyond surface rust like mine was and I can probably speak for alot of k5ers here when I say not just mine but alot of k5 frames are, use por 15 just make sure you have all grease off. in the degreasing defence you cant use a degreaser that will leave a invisible film on the metal according to por 15. I just wirebrushed the crap outa what ever i was gona be painting to get the heavy rust scale off. Por 15 works wonders on rust and it doesint come back for a really long time i painted my rusty frame under the bed axles driveshaft ect a few years ago and it still looks good.


________________________

76 k5

 

[dfl701]

well i hope im one of the lucky ones. my frame is in good shape but i might eventually do the por-15 just to be safe for the future

 

[Wasatch K5]

I beg to differ on POR 15.

Some guys like it. I think it's waaaay over rated. I will not use it again and won't recommend it to anyone.

 

[ryoken]

a 200 lb blaster for the day and a 1/2 pallet of sand can do wonders... assembled, partial or apart... a little duct tape and cardboard... some real primer and paint helps too...