Removing rust from brake rotors

R

ry26smith

New member
Im looking at taking off the wheels and removing the rust from the brake rotors do you guys know how to go about doing so?
 
Usually if you just hold your foot lightly on the brake while moving the car forward or reverse the friction will clean the rust right off the rotors. If that's not an option, steel wool or a scotch brite pad works.
 
ry26smith said:
Im looking at taking off the wheels and removing the rust from the brake rotors do you guys know how to go about doing so?
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Are you talking about the surface rust that forms on the swept surface or the more serious rust that almost all rotors have on 'em?



For the more serious stuff, I recommend Rust Bullet's "Metal Blast" product, used with a brass or even steel brush. It's like a super-strength Navel Jelly and really works better than any other such product I've ever tried (and I've tried a lot of 'em). Use that to remove/neutralize the rust, then maybe some Brake Caliper Paint or something else that can handle high temps.
 
I just took a look at that Rust Bullet product and it appears to me it's kind of like a product I've used, Kano Labs' Exrust. That works very well,especially on lighter rust. It erases the rust more or less instantly in that case and you can soak heavier rust and it works rather well. I'm going to use some on (the entirety of) my Cadillac's exhaust pipe before I paint it.
 
Yeah those acidic rust-dissolvers have come a long way just recently. Simply incredible how today's stuff works compared with the products I used to use.
 
FWIW, I've started using a silver VHT paint to coat the vents in the rotors when they are new/fresh. It goes a long way in preventing them from looking crappy:



wheel5kmile.jpg
 
I like the VHT paint, too, though I am a bit disappointed at it's hi-temp claims. I always paint my rotors and rotor hats when new and touch them up annually. The glossy VHT paint is a lot eaier to keep clean than the stock matte grey painted coating or plain rusty steel.



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BBQ paint, prior to assembly / fitment :



DSC02547.jpg




Note that it's not patchy on the rotor surface due to being hard to paint with, I actually concentrated on the vanes and didn't even mean to fully cover the braking area !



WD :D
 
You guys who did your rotors before installation have me :wall again for not having done that on mine. Just seemed impossibly inconventient at the time, but now I'm living with the consequences for years on end :o



The hats are one thing, but doing the vents/etc. would be a huge PIA to do now...



Did the drums on the Tahoe, only to have a mechanic mess 'em up dis/mounting wheels. Yeah, they did hear about it...
 
Bill D said:
Just for clarification, VHT paint, is this what you guys are using?
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Bill, the stuff I got came from Home Depot. (I have purchased this paint in the past at the places Brad mentions.) I went there with the intention of buying BBQ spray paint and ended up purchasing one of the VHT products. I don't know if one would be better over the other. Maybe the paint mfr could advise on that topic.



Home Depot had a LOT of selection for this job !
 
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