Topic: Upper Control Arms

[KDunne]

Hello

I have a set of original 68 upper control arms.  Unfortunatley, they have been phosphated.  Can anyone tell me the easiest way to remove the phosphate coating?

Thanks

[CharlesTurner]

Glass bead will take it right off.

[TLea]

I think his dilema is in addition to being phosphated they have also already had new ball joints riveted in

[KDunne]

Yes Tim is correct.....

[Bob Gaines]

If the zinc phosphate is that pronounced and you want to get rid of it you could use the spray on acid product Eagle One "Wire Wheel Cleaner" and it will dissolve the zinc phosphate . Work it with a rag. If you use fine steel wool it will start to heat up because of the chemical reaction.   The tricky part is you will have to duct tape or similar liquid proof tape off the plated boot retainer plate as the acid in the wire wheel cleaner will attack that plating as well. After you get the zinc phosphate dissolved I would go over it with a regular wheel cleaner to neutralize the acid and then wipe it down and towel it off dry. You can use water as a alternative to neutralize the acid but you must towel dry rather quickly. If you blow dry it will slightly flash rust and leave a slight orange hue from the rust. You must then treat it with Boe shield or the like for rust prevention. I hope this helps. Bob

[CharlesTurner]

Yikes, sorry about that.  Bob's method should work great.

[KDunne]

Hi

Thank you for the excellent responses.........I will report back on how this works.

Thank you

Kevin

[68 S Code]

Not sure about phosphate but i know a diluted mixture of muratic acid and water will strip plating like zinc and zinc dichromate off bolts and brackets. Then just rinse with water. Its readily available at a hardware store so you can try it on some phoshated bolts as a test and if it works then go for it.

[RocketScientist]

My view is why would you want to remove the phosphate coating as it is a reasonably good anti-corrosion coating anyway? The only reason why you would want to do so is if the phosphate coating has broken down and there is rust or corrosion on the part. If the phosphate coating is good then I would detail the part using a primer and then some good paint.

If you strip the phosphate coating the part will have to be repainted anyway as it will begin to look untidy in a very short time. Natural parts are great, I have a lot of the on my car but the six weeks worth of re-detailing parts every year gets a bit tedious after a while.
Cheers, Brad.

[CharlesTurner]

I'm guessing he wants to remove the phosphate coating since it is an incorrect finish on control arms.

[KDunne]

Correct...I realize that the phosphate will look better over time,  but I would like the finish to be correct.  Again,thank you to all for your inut and suggestions

Kevin