Rust removal

[gruhsy]

Removed some rust from a couple slave cylinders that are low mileage and relatively new.

Also prepping some hardware for plating with a home kit. Small stuff amongst hardware in the pics that could easily be lost at the local plating shop.

Getting a kit from Caswell

https://caswellplating.com/

There are other rust removal liquids but this is the first one I have tried. Going to try some other rust removal products.

The Por 15 worked well to clean the hardware also 100% isopropyl alcohol.

[Tom]

Slave cylinders look better than new, literally. I got into caswell zinc plating a few years ago. It was a lot of work, but if you follow the instructions to the tee, it really does work. The minute I'd cut a corner, the zinc or yellow chromate would get blotchy and want to rub off. I've since learned that you can use their yellow chromate to make shiny silver hardware store bolts look like Porsche originals. I only got good results on mild steel parts. Anything made of spring steel or stainless just didn't hold any kind of plating for me. We have a plater pretty close by, so I'm still inclined to use them for bigger parts/batches (quicker and easier), but the Caswell stuff is nice to have, especially for little one-offs that don't justify the minimum charge at the plater and/or for things you can't risk losing....

[gruhsy]

Great info thanks Tom.

Yes some of the stuff could only be replaced through buying another car

[Tom]

In case inspiring, here are some shots...

Hardware store bolt....before

silver.jpg (100.14 KiB) Viewed 1269 times

After yellow chromate.....

yellow chromate.jpg (107.33 KiB) Viewed 1269 times

Mercedes alternator bracket, plated and yellow chromate at home....

yellow bracket.jpg (151.19 KiB) Viewed 1269 times

This bottle alone is all that's needed to transform hardware store bolts....

yellow chromate bottle.jpg (86.23 KiB) Viewed 1269 times

[gruhsy]

I dismantled the worst of the the 3 slave cylinders.

Can’t believe how much better it is.

Cleaned the hell out of the body then soaked it in rust remover.

Cleaned the 3 seals with alcohol and then with the rubber restoration products.

Just need to put back together and paint.

All the seals are in fantastic condition

Slave seals are FAG H1932 which show up as a Mercedes seal

None of these were leaking they just had rust

[Tom]

Do you have any immediate use for the slave cylinder -- just to validate all your work/parts? My only formal training in automotive stuff was a high school auto shop class. The teacher was really big on rebuilding parts and not just throwing parts out and getting new ones. His point was that you'd understand the parts way better that way and most likely use much better replacement parts that a cheap auto parts store rebuild. This seems to be a good example of that

[gruhsy]

Do you have any immediate use for the slave cylinder -- just to validate all your work/parts? My only formal training in automotive stuff was a high school auto shop class. The teacher was really big on rebuilding parts and not just throwing parts out and getting new ones. His point was that you'd understand the parts way better that way and most likely use much better replacement parts that a cheap auto parts store rebuild. This seems to be a good example of that

Kinda comes down to more than a few reasons a couple of which are:

Due to my job I have developed the habit of ripping things apart completely to inspect and rebuild, upgrade etc.

When it comes to things like the slave cylinder it’s always bothered me how much money we spend on whole assemblies that are made up of far less expensive smaller parts

Also I have wasted way too much money on shipping items across the border. If I can buy smaller components locally it saves me a ton of money.

Shipping a new water pump for example has about 100.00$ just in shipping costs…..taxes, customs fees, brokerage fees, insurance.

Parts will be stored as spares. I am hoping to have everything ready for the reassembly of my cars once I get my engines done and two chassis restored. Also frees up more funds for engine parts and the chassis restoration.

I hope my work also helps others out to try do more work themselves.

I agree 100% with the philosophy your teacher has. It’s the best way to learn.

Funniest one to me I have seen over the years is the amount of fear there is over electrical issues. It’s actually the easiest component of our cars. Everyone just overthinks it.

The amount of wiring and circuits on the stuff at work is astronomical in comparison.

A good multi meter and the factory wiring schematics is all one really needs and possibly a little simple guidance or quick electrical lesson

[Tom]

Yeah, I've learned the hard way what it costs to ship things to Canada. I'm thinking we could use some kind of treaty or agreement between the two postal departments, but I suspect both countries are just fine and dandy collecting the current rates.

Funny you say that about the multi-meter. I occasionally try to help 944 people on Facebook and am routinely surprised how many people can replace a head gasket but can't check the resistance of temp sensor. I'm almost inclined to do another Carpokes 'how-to" in the tech download section, but seems like the kind of thing that most people could figure out in 10 minutes on YouTube except that, for whatever reason, they put it in the "too complicated to learn" department of their brain....

The other nice things about rebuilding your own parts is that rebuilt everythings won't always be as available as they are today (like lifters...).

[gruhsy]

Yeah, I've learned the hard way what it costs to ship things to Canada. I'm thinking we could use some kind of treaty or agreement between the two postal departments, but I suspect both countries are just fine and dandy collecting the current rates.

Funny you say that about the multi-meter. I occasionally try to help 944 people on Facebook and am routinely surprised how many people can replace a head gasket but can't check the resistance of temp sensor. I'm almost inclined to do another Carpokes 'how-to" in the tech download section, but seems like the kind of thing that most people could figure out in 10 minutes on YouTube except that, for whatever reason, they put it in the "too complicated to learn" department of their brain....

The other nice things about rebuilding your own parts is that rebuilt everythings won't always be as available as they are today (like lifters...).

Concerning everything you just said!
I believe there was a nail and you hit square smack on the head.

Worst thing with shipping is the actual shipping companies. Their fees are worse than the taxes and customs and duty.