Axle paint?

What do you guys usually use to paint your axles? Does the good ol' rattle can work pretty good, or are you using a spray gun? I woke up this morning with that question in mind so I had to ask. I'm not even working on axles right now but I figure when I build some dana 44s i wanna know ahead of time.

could have them powder coated or if not in budget, Por-15 or something to that effect.

If your on a budget, Krylon Gloss Black looks nice and mud cleans from it very nice.

Rust-Olem and a sponge. Rubber gloves and safety glasses if it's still under the Jeep. Maybe thin it just a little. Gives much thicker coverage in one coat and no over spray.

I usually Rustoleum with a brush. Rattle can doesn't seem to put enough on, even after many coats.

POR-15. After it's on, you can try to chip the paint by hitting it with a hammer, but it won't come off.

Eastwood sells a rattle can paint called
'Chassis Black" it works about the best of all the rattle can brands. I work in an auto restoration shop and this is the best we've found. IT holds up very well and dosent come off with break or parts cleaners. It wont hold up to hammering like POR-15. It also comes in gallon cans.

alxe paint huh?

im going to go with 2 coats primer (make sure to get galvanizing primer - it is high in zinc content and resists rust more) and 3 coats Ace Rust-Stoper spray paint in yellow...

Hammerite works very well. It has a rust stabilizer in it and it gets very hard without chipping.

Powder coat is problematic. I own a powder coater and I wouldn't do it. It is tough to do on an axle and unless you get just the right powder and do the profile just right, it tends to be quite brittle and chips from minor road sand impacts. I powdercoated my front bumper and recently sanded it down and did regular paint. It was extremely pitted.

I spray bombed one of my dana 44's.

It had no rust on it, so it was a pretty easy job. I cleaned off whatever grease I could, then took it to the carwash and cleaned it off thoroughly.

I then applied some cheap .99 cent matte black spray paint from walmart. The paint has held up for 4 months now...and still going. It sees hours of off-road aswell.

The good this is that the paint is so cheap.

stoneattic said:

I usually Rustoleum with a brush. Rattle can doesn't seem to put enough on, even after many coats.

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stoneattic said:

I usually Rustoleum with a brush. Rattle can doesn't seem to put enough on, even after many coats.

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I've used both methods and found out, if you have matching can of spray Rustolium, a light coat over the thick coat (sponge or brush) removes many of the imperfections. Just spray over it lightly, when it tacks up. If you prep some and spray a light coat of Rusty Metal Primer first the top coat really adheres well.

old_man said:

Hammerite works very well. It has a rust stabilizer in it and it gets very hard without chipping.

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I use Hammerite on a bunch of stuff, when it's cured it's on there to stay. It goes on thick with a brush though and hard to get a nice finish. I've found a small foam roller works well. The trick to using Hammerite is to try and lay it on with a single coat and don't brush on it too much, instead of smoothing it out, you just end up leaving more brush marks or whatever. It tacks up quick. I've seen some Hammerite in spray cans, I'm gonna try soon.
I weld up a lot of hand rails and outdoor iron work, Hammerite is all I use.

The brand name slips my mind, but i use the flat black rust prevenative stuff that wally world sells in pint sized cans. Brush or sponge it on and let it dry overnight...works great to keep your axles free of rust, doesnt chip and looks good to boot.

Now i just need to get my lazy butt under my XJ and do it!

Mine was relatively rust free, so I just cleaned it well with a degreaser and sprayed on some of Duplicolor ceramic engine paint (flat black). That stuff sticks instantly. Been on more than a year now and still looks like I just did it.

Krylon Gloss Black