GuruGuy

I have rust on my wheel hubs (not the actual wheels or brake rotors) and wonder if other have had this issue, and how to best fix it. I have seen this on quite a few Corvettes. Can these be sanded and painted, coated somehow or do they need to be replaced ($$$$$$ !)? Any help or comments will be appreciated!

Vet Interested

Take them off. Sand and paint with high-temp spray paint. Very easy fix.

sledmaster

I bought some siver caliper paint but i think i'm going to paint mine with some cold galv. paint. The cold galv. is gray like the factory color.

C6FirstVette

Do you mean something like this>>

From


To




From



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What I used was a product call Fast Etch by Eastwood>>>>
"This specially formulated rust remover is a powerful, rust-fighting liquid created to meet the needs of auto restorers. It reaches even inaccessible areas, quickly dissolving iron oxide completely and leaving a zinc phosphate coating. Fast Etch can be sprayed, brushed, or used as a parts dip. It is non-toxic, non-flammable and reusable. This is not a primer. Treated surfaces should be wiped with PRE Painting Prep (10041 Z) or thinner before priming and painting. Only the quart size comes with a sprayer."

rmiller86

That looks good!! I've used that stuff in the past on other parts, works great!!

GuruGuy

Exactly! It looks like you did this while still on the car? How did you protect the rotors & calipers? Also, how long has this lasted? Any chipping or wheel balance issues? Thanks very much for the reply and info!

edcologne

ok, first off, these ARE the rotors.

fwiw,
I can tell what I did in spring this year:
- bought new oem z51 rotors from amazon,
- had them (silver) zink coated,
- installed all w new oem ceramic pads,

( I also added another step that I WOULD NOT do again, after the plating I painted them w caliper/heat resistant paint, that would not adhere well and is peeling off but the zinc underneath is fine, so I'm kinda waiting for all the paint to peel off. )

there wasn't much rain since, (its pretty much my dd), while i'm happy right now I can't speak yet about the long term corrosion result which was obviously my goal.

one thing though, the first bunch of miles were quite "interesting" until the coating wore off at the pad area of the rotors

also, I tried the fast etch method on my existing rotors first, actually got a gallon of that stuff from eastwood, submerged the rotors into it, while ok for a while it did not last for me.
I assume due to the fact that the rotors were used with the chances of getting them real clean being slim before the treatment, just my comcliusion.

Jameskapp001@gmail

I just wiped the rotor down with thinner and used high temp black paint
(barbecue grille)and they were fine all summer.

C6FirstVette

First, absolutely no issues with what I did initially (Fast Etch), but I decided to take things to the next level and sent the rotors out for zinc treatment (basically hot dip). With that said the hubs remained fine with only the Fast Etch treatment.

I removed the calipers and brackets (which is very easy to do) then placed the rotors (one at a time) in a bucket with the Fast Etch and worked in with a brush



The hubs I just did in place…again worked the Fast Etch with a brush and some steel wool and let dry



About a year later (and the treatment last quite fine for that period of time) I decided to do the zinc treatment

GuruGuy

Just an update. Thanks to everyone for their input - it was really helpful. I am taking my 'Vette to WheelMedic, a local (Columbus, OH) company who does amazing work to repair wheels. They fixed a chrome wheel for me a few years ago and it was like new. They are going to clean off the rust and paint with caliper paint, and do it all for a total of $100! Worth the money to me to have this done by professionals who have all the tools and knowledge.