Grease and Dirt on Front Suspension

[ChrisMinelli]

I've been doing some work under the car and it looks like there is 68 years of grease and dirt all over everything.  I suspect (?) that isn't a good thing.  If I want to start cleaning it off is there anything I should be aware of or avoid?  My (very rookie) thought process is:

 

1.  It should be cleaned up and whatever anti-rust protection the dirt and grease is providing is moot since I only drive the car when it isn't raining.

2.  I should use primarily mechanical means to remove the gunk, with a scraper / putty knife / brushes.  Grease should be removed with brake cleaner or kerosene and wiped down.

3.  Once everything is clean,, wipe the exposed metal down with some WD40 and re-grease the fittings.

 

Anything else I am missing?

[Mark D]

My convertible front end was encapsulated the same way. Had to clean the brake plates and king pin knuckles all by hand with a putty knife. It was remarkable how much dirt grease oil and sand came off the car. I still need to attack the rest of the front suspension and steering components. A friend of mine has a high pressure hot water washer, and I’m tempted to raise the front of the car and go after it. 

[Los_Control]

You mean the previous owner did not was under the car?  

Myself am doing the mechanical removal of the old grease, then cleaning and painting ... not adding oil to the exterior yet, after brushing on paint, I may spray it with oil?

Just using rustoleum paint from tractor supply and painting the under carriage. Nothing special.

 

My biggest concern was how hard the 70 year old grease was, I suspected the interior grease would also be bad.

With advice from this community,  I pulled out the zirk fittings and using small wire I pulled out as much old grease as I could before re-greasing.

I was pleasantly surprised the existing old grease was not that bad.

Was well worth doing this, a few zirks needed cleaned or replaced, would not accept grease, not 100% old grease removal, but got a bunch out and then replaced with new grease ... just peace of mind.

[greg g]

It's the best rust proofing ever. Effective for 60 plus years and you are scrapping it off???

[rallyace]

I scraped as much off of mine as I could then hit it with the pressure washer. It was all part of cleaning the engine bay in preparation for installing my new motor last year.  I scraped off so much weight that I got my 0-60 time to under a minute!  Nothing to really be concerned about, just be careful around the rubber parts. Make sure you grease everything well once you are done, especially if you use a pressure washer. You want to displace any water that may have gotten past the seals.

 

[Dan Hiebert]

Our D24 spent its life before we bought it in west Texas and southern New Mexico.  When it was new, they would oil the dirt/gravel/caliche roads to keep dust down long before they started paving them.  That stuff was a lot of "fun" to remove, but, the running gear / frame / underside of the car was quasi-pristine.  Used a stiff putty knife, followed by a scrub brush wash with "Gunk" degreaser, then pressure wash with hot water.  Follow-up detailing with tooth brush(es) and more "Gunk".  Only problem with the putty knife was occasionally scraping off still good paint.  Followed up with primer and Rust-oleum satin black, which is still holding up well after 28 years.  We only drive the car once the salt is off the roads, and only in the rain if we get caught unawares, which isn't often.  

[plymouthcranbrook]

Cleaned mine 18 years ago in prep for POR15 treatment.  Wasn't really too bad mostly surface rust and a modest amount of grease on the front end. Hardest part was the old partly loose original undercoating.  Car came out of northern Wisconsin and not even really rusted.  Like most mine never sees snow except through the garage window. Rain does not bother me as much as it does dry. Still it rarely goes out in it.

Edited April 29, 2020 by plymouthcranbrook

[westaus29]

When cleaning the underside of mine, a friend suggested I buy an electric paint scraper to save wear and tear on my wrists, best idea I have heard for a long time. Cost under $40, came with a range of blades, 2 yr warranty, hoped it would last the distance. Still going strong ten years later. Really good at removing underbody sealer.

[tom'sB2B]

During the age of sheltering in place, it might be a nice zenful practice to lie on your back and scrape away. I would suggest to look in the back of your shop manual and find all the "zirk' grease fittings first and clean and push fresh grease into them. You'll be surprised how many there are.

[Dartgame]

As others have suggested do your cleaning and then be sure to apply some sort of paint you like. Rustoleum is effective especially for a garage kept car. You will get a nicer finish if you spray paint, but its messy with the overspray. Brush enamel would be my choice.

[Eneto-55]

I did a frame-off, so I pushed the frame outside & winched it up against a corner fence post so I could get at the underside easily.  Scrapped with putty knife, flat screw drivers, used hand wire brushes, wire wheel, anything that got it closer to clean.  I may have wiped it down with thinner before painting, I don't remember anymore.  I spray painted the larger part of it w/ zinc chromate, then finished up the suspension area with a paint brush, so I could get into the corners better.  I don't think anyone would be able to tell the difference between what was sprayed as opposed to brushed on, because the frame isn't completely smooth anyway, and especially not the cast parts.

 

I used the same "tools" to clean the transmission, and sprayed it with aluminum heat paint, probably from a spray bomb.  After 35 years, there is a bit of rust color showing through.  (The bell housing I cad plated, so it has no rust, and it was also chemically cleaned before I bead blasted it in preparation for plating.)

[ChrisMinelli]

Do you guys suggest removing the brake backing plates and painting those with Rustoleum as well?  If I am doing that to the suspension I may as well, right?

[Conn47D24]

Before and after.  NOS Lower CA's ( etc )

 

POR-15 paint.

 

Clean !

[Dan Hiebert]

2 hours ago, ChrisMinelli said:

Do you guys suggest removing the brake backing plates and painting those with Rustoleum as well?  If I am doing that to the suspension I may as well, right?

Yes, that falls into the ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure category.  If you've got the stuff apart, may as well take the extra few minutes it takes to clean and paint it.  For brake backing plates, I'd suggest POR-15, it is not adversely affected by brake fluid.