Lots of Rust Around Rear Diff/Axle

Been meaning to make this thread for a very long time. Long story short, my rear differential/axle is super rusty compared to the rest of my frame etc. I can get pictures if needed, but I was just wondering what I could do to fix it cause it kinda throws off the look of my otherwise “clean” truck. Maybe wire brushing and some kind of spray can from Wally world to protect afterwards?

 

I just went through this with my truck. I have an '01 as well and my frame was replaced before I purchased it, so everything is rust free except for the rear end (I redid the front end last year).

I used a chisel to chip off all the shitty undercoating that was cracked and peeling away on the axle. Then I wire-wheeled down the whole axle. Then, I painted the whole thing in POR-15 (after prepping accordingly according to their instructions - cleaner/degreaser then metal prep which etches the metal). Looks pretty good and hopefully this will give the axle some additional protection from the winter. I am also going to be applying fluid film to the underside of the truck yearly in the Fall.

 

Wire brush and Rustoleum paint and primer in one has held up great for the one year Ive had my truck. Really surprised it hasnt worn off yet. Did my entire underside minus the frame due to it being coated by Toyota.

 

I just bought POR products for my trucks undercarriage. I saw a video on youtube, sponsored by Jay Leno, and I was sold. Doing it within the next two weekends. I'll post my findings!

 

Any pictures of process or before and after? It would be a huge help.

And what wire brushes did y’all use?

 

Cheap ones of various sizes from homedepot. I just went until I couldnt get any more to flake off from an area then hit it with the spray paint. No need to go to bare metal or use power tools, just get the big stuff off and paint. My dad used this process on his '92 pickup 14 years ago and is just now needing to be done again.

 

before repainting, apply a rust killer or converter to neutralize what's left of the rust, or else it will come back

 

POF is great stuff and if I have good access I use it. A very good and easier product is Corroseal. Get off any loose scale and paint it on or spray it on with a garden sprayer. It converts the rust to a very durable and solid black coating with no need to paint. POF requires painting anywhere that sun contacts. I use the Corroseal on my farm equipment and it is very durable and easy to apply. Again the POF is great but you need good access to use the product/pretreatment correctly

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMxCWNUHNoU

Jay Leno POR-15