Jonathan Posted March 14, 2022 Author Share Posted March 14, 2022 Saturday was a bust due to it being cold and raining. But Sunday was sunny and a good chance to get more done. The time changed too so now the sun sets later. This will really help me get more done during the week after work since it won't be dark after I finish work now. I did some more work on the axel again near the king pin. It is hard to get around the rotating parts near the end the wheel goes. I was spraying brake parts cleaner first before using the wire wheel and noticed that the cleaner was not removing the rust inhibitor spray I put on the axel end. It seemed to have no affect on it which was very impressive. The only way I could remove it was to use the wire wheel. Perhaps a stronger cleaner may dissolve it but I plan to keep it there anyway and just use paint on the main part of the axel. The grease nipple was not screwed in all the way so I tried to tighten it before greasing again. It never seemed to get tight and I did not want to strip it so I just snugged it up. I added more grease to prevent parts cleaner and other junk from getting inside the king pin. Just needs a little more prep work and I can paint it when the weather warms up. I also got some work completed on the wheel well guard. The brain box leaked out all over it and I was not looking forward to trying to remove it. Surprisingly the first product I tried worked. It was like a black tar mix of dirt and crude that seemed would not come off easily. But using De-Solv-It and the warm sun I was able to scrape it off with a metal scraper. I would of used a plastic scraper but it was so hard I didn't think it would work as well. Under the brain box was fresher crude that looked more like raw honey. Now I need to work on sanding down the scratches. Any advice on this is appreciated. Would careful application of heat also work to remove the scratches? The plan is to paint it using SEM bumper spray paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlisle Posted March 14, 2022 Share Posted March 14, 2022 I also got some work completed on the wheel well guard. The brain box leaked out all over it and I was not looking forward to trying to remove it. Surprisingly the first product I tried worked. It was like a black tar mix of dirt and crude that seemed would not come off easily. But using De-Solv-It and the warm sun I was able to scrape it off with a metal scraper. I would of used a plastic scraper but it was so hard I didn't think it would work as well. Under the brain box was fresher crude that looked more like raw honey. Now I need to work on sanding down the scratches. Any advice on this is appreciated. Would careful application of heat also work to remove the scratches? The plan is to paint it using SEM bumper spray paint. Wow, that looks good. It's not ready to paint? A little heat might work or just some sanding or red scotchbrite to scuff? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat in tn Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 Wow, that looks good. It's not ready to paint? A little heat might work or just some sanding or red scotchbrite to scuff? actually, I refuse to paint these. I clean as you did and also use brillo pads sometimes. clean clean clean. then I use my heat gun carefully and resurface them. glossy, black results. scratches melt back in. just do this slowly and carefully and it works surprisingly fast. I use a wagner heat gun on the low setting and creep up on it. patience and a gloved holding hand and you should be happy and no paint to chip or scratch off and no wait time for paint to dry before install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlisle Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 actually, I refuse to paint these. I clean as you did and also use brillo pads sometimes. clean clean clean. then I use my heat gun carefully and resurface them. glossy, black results. scratches melt back in. just do this slowly and carefully and it works surprisingly fast. I use a wagner heat gun on the low setting and creep up on it. patience and a gloved holding hand and you should be happy and no paint to chip or scratch off and no wait time for paint to dry before install. Does the black come back with the heat? I might try that on mine in place. Freshen it up in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat in tn Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 Does the black come back with the heat? I might try that on mine in place. Freshen it up in place. overall yes. however any place where the plastic has been stretched a lot it gets a whitish look . not all of that goes away with mild heat. I'm cautious about over doing it as you can melt these. certainly you can freshen things up in place just be very careful of wires, hoses, and fuel. that last one says "don't do it" ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gsmblue Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 overall yes. however any place where the plastic has been stretched a lot it gets a whitish look . not all of that goes away with mild heat. I'm cautious about over doing it as you can melt these. certainly you can freshen things up in place just be very careful of wires, hoses, and fuel. that last one says "don't do it" ! The heat gun trick works, I have done it a few times, sometimes successful, other times not, the plastic can bubble if you are not careful. My Land Rover LR3 has lots of plastic trim. The only thing that really works is this stuff: https://cerakoteceramics.com/products/cerakote-trim-coat-kit It is a ceramic coating so you need to make sure the plastic is really clean before applying. but the results are staggering. I treat my LR3 every 12-18 months, it really lasts. You can find the product on Amazon. A little goes a long way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 The heat gun trick works, I have done it a few times, sometimes successful, other times not, the plastic can bubble if you are not careful. My Land Rover LR3 has lots of plastic trim. The only thing that really works is this stuff: https://cerakoteceramics.com/products/cerakote-trim-coat-kit It is a ceramic coating so you need to make sure the plastic is really clean before applying. but the results are staggering. I treat my LR3 every 12-18 months, it really lasts. You can find the product on Amazon. A little goes a long way. My box also leaked down the liner and dripped on the house garage floor where the truck is parked and it will not come off the floor I dont remember what I used on the plastic but may have been a putty knife? Then maybe thinner to wipe what was left off? I got as much of it as I could as my truck is all together and was not pulling it apart to wash this. Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted March 17, 2022 Author Share Posted March 17, 2022 Wow, that looks good. It's not ready to paint? A little heat might work or just some sanding or red scotchbrite to scuff? It needs more cleaning and sanding to get ready to paint. I just did a quick rough removal of the heavy duty crud. There is still a lot of dirt and scratches. Wow, that looks good. It's not ready to paint? A little heat might work or just some sanding or red scotchbrite to scuff? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted March 17, 2022 Author Share Posted March 17, 2022 actually, I refuse to paint these. I clean as you did and also use brillo pads sometimes. clean clean clean. then I use my heat gun carefully and resurface them. glossy, black results. scratches melt back in. just do this slowly and carefully and it works surprisingly fast. I use a wagner heat gun on the low setting and creep up on it. patience and a gloved holding hand and you should be happy and no paint to chip or scratch off and no wait time for paint to dry before install. Thanks for the tips. I will try that technique in a small test area to experiment. I can see why you emphasize cleaning. If you heat the plastic with dirt on it then it will imbed into the plastic. Here are some pictures of the painting method I used before with SEM bumper paint. actually, I refuse to paint these. I clean as you did and also use brillo pads sometimes. clean clean clean. then I use my heat gun carefully and resurface them. glossy, black results. scratches melt back in. just do this slowly and carefully and it works surprisingly fast. I use a wagner heat gun on the low setting and creep up on it. patience and a gloved holding hand and you should be happy and no paint to chip or scratch off and no wait time for paint to dry before install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted March 17, 2022 Author Share Posted March 17, 2022 The heat gun trick works, I have done it a few times, sometimes successful, other times not, the plastic can bubble if you are not careful. My Land Rover LR3 has lots of plastic trim. The only thing that really works is this stuff: https://cerakoteceramics.com/products/cerakote-trim-coat-kit It is a ceramic coating so you need to make sure the plastic is really clean before applying. but the results are staggering. I treat my LR3 every 12-18 months, it really lasts. You can find the product on Amazon. A little goes a long way. Thanks I will check that out! The heat gun trick works, I have done it a few times, sometimes successful, other times not, the plastic can bubble if you are not careful. My Land Rover LR3 has lots of plastic trim. The only thing that really works is this stuff: https://cerakoteceramics.com/products/cerakote-trim-coat-kit It is a ceramic coating so you need to make sure the plastic is really clean before applying. but the results are staggering. I treat my LR3 every 12-18 months, it really lasts. You can find the product on Amazon. A little goes a long way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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