ricknyc23

Hey Guys,
I just traded my black C5 with 107k for 2007 Silver Metallic with 43k. the rotor hubs are rusted pretty bad. how do you suggest i remove the rust or do you think i should just get the caps to cover the rust?

thanks!

tonyasc6

I took my wheels off, cleaned up the hubs with very light sandpaper.Then painted them with brake caliper type paint.. got rid of the rust that way & it will prevent them from future rust..

Knob Jockey

Cleaning/sanding/painting them on the car is the easiest and cheapest.

The problem that bothered me the most was that they would fling rusty water from the inner vanes, onto the clean wheels after every wash.

If they are old/worn, or you can easily afford it, pulling them off and replacing them with either plated rotors or ones with hats, or both may be the best option.

If you take them off the car (I know it's a bit of a hassle) you can paint the hubs and the cooling vanes too. I recommend very high-temp paint.

Either way, congrats on the 'new' car.

george vee

I used Rustoleum high heat BBQ paint

ricknyc23

so im guessing that a steel brush and caliper paint shoud do it?

designerRob

I'd clean the hubs up and then treat with this:
http://www.eastwood.com/ew-fast-etch-1-gallon.html

I'd dip the rotors in a bucket of this as well.

ricknyc23

so what do i do with this, just spray, wipe, and done? to i have to tape anything off? or can this stiff hit the rotors withoud causing damage?if it leaves a zinc coeating then i wouldnt heven need paint!

VETFEVER

Does this stuff gets the rotors really clean and shiny as I've seen on some cars at shows? I don't mean chromed or anything, but I've seen some impressively clean rotors (vanes include) on cars that are driven regularly and wondered how the owners kept them looking so nice??

vetfever

ricknyc23

i just ordered the 16oz spray. if it works the way it says, ill let you know

VETFEVER

Thanks - will be watching this thread...

Thrash

Eastwood USED to have this great stuff that would clean off the rust and leave a zinc coating, but EPA made them quit using it. The rust remover stuff only works for a couple of weeks. Not sure of why you'd paint rotors, so find a zinc plater (they are easy to find) or buy plated rotors.

VET4LES

I painted mine with high temp engine enamel 4 or 5 years ago. They look as good today as when I did it.

jxhunte

At 3K miles I changed out the OEM rotors on my 06 Vert for Baer's Decela Rotors that are drilled and slotted. The Baer Rotors come with a nice, shinny silver finish. At about 20K miles and 17K on the Baers, they were showing signs of rust after washing, leaving rust stains on the inside, barrel of the rims. I ordered Eastwood Company's Fast Etch, dipping the front rotors. I soaked the fronts in a gallon of Eastwoods Fast Etch which removed the rust and replaced the shinny silver finish with a duller gray finish. After seeing the results, I did not dip the rear rotors and now wish I had not dipped the front rotors. The Vette is once again in storage (22" of snow today). I will dip the front rotors to remove all rust and paint with VHT silver. After my initial application of the Fast Etch, rust retured within the first 1K miles. The rears, which have never been dipped in the Fast Etch look great when compared to fronts. I'm hoping the Fast Etch and VHT silver paint will return the fronts to their former luster.

toomuchcar

2-piece rotors with AL hats solve problem too. I painted my iron rotor vanes with high temp paint and still look great a year later.

blueyeszr1

I painted mine black also, high heat gloss. You can always buy the Zinc coated, they are nice and do not rust.

ricknyc23

OK i tried this stuff. It removed the rust, but left a white coating behind... looks like I will be upgrading the rotors... I guess it was worth a shot...

MB2

I just painted my rear rotors and hubs the other day. I will do the front next week. I removed the wheels one at a time by jacking my vette at the rear side jacking points with the sissor jack from my wife's car and a 3/4 thick wood block between the jack and the car...removed the wheel and cleaned it up real good and waxed the entire wheel inside and out. I removed the rust from the rotor..the wide rusty part close to the hub and the thin (appx 3/16 in) rusty area at the outside edge of the rotor. I removed the rust with an abrasive pad wheel that I bought at ACE hardware. I really did a god job of removing the rust. I then used blue painters tape to tape off the part of the rotor where the brake pad touches the rotor. I stayed a bit off the former rusty areas near the hub and the out side of the rotor to make sure the paint would cover the entire rusty area. I then spray painted three coats after each coate dried good, with aluminum Rustolium 2000 degree heat resistant paint. I remove the blue tape after the third coat dried and some paint was on the part that the brake pad hits, as I expected. I put the very clean wheel back on the car, took it for a ride and the brake pads removed the excess paint in a perfect circle. It looks great. I am having new tires installed at an independant shop Monday along with new brake pads, if needed. My only question is what happens to the painted area if someone has to true the rotors in the future? Can they just true them where the brake pads hit? Hope so. I noticed that the new Chevy rotors come already painted in these rusty areas. Take a look at a new Camaro on the dealer lot.

Joe_Planet

to remove rust use a wire wheel on a power tool such as drill.
then you can paint. they also have products that actually turn rust into another type material... do some research

C6FirstVette

East Wood Fast Etch...

Start with this>>


Soak in Fast Etch (use a brush to work in and also do the hubs)>>



And you end up with this (the zinc phosphate on the rotor to brake pad surface area just comes off after a few braking cycles)>>


And then to really top things off get the rotors zinc plated (in this case a 'bright' finish as opposed to black finish)




IMO, covers simply hide the rust and that rust will work its way out and continue to get over wheels etc.

AORoads

all the suggestions look good!