Removing step bumper/rusty rear crossmember clean up

[aeo]

I need to remove the rear step bumper and have all but the four bolts underneath/behind the hitch. Any tricks or ideas? It’s actually not super rusty I think they were just really cranked on there and it’s a tight area to get to.

And for the rear crossmember my plan is to grind/clean away the rust and then seal. Any of the rust removal products better than others? And what would you seal rear crossmember with? The bumper is galvanized.

 

[lcdck]

In my experience the only ways to remove rust are to physically remove through abrasive blasting or wire wheel/sanding OR to chemically remove using phosphoric acid or evapo-rust. Lastly, electrolysis is effective but difficult on larger parts.

If the corrosion is minimal, I would use an abrasive (blast or wire wheel) to remove as much rust as possible then paint on a couple coats of phosphoric acid (I like Ospho) to remove any rust left. After that prime and paint.

If the corrosion is heavy the best action is to cut out the rusty sections and weld in new steel.

 

[Siia109]

The issue with this bumper / step are the round "pegs" inserts that sit with in the rear box frame of the chassis

The simple fix that I have found is I lube them up with anti-seize - like with a paint brush. This will get water into it, paint will scratch off either on insertion as you reassemble it or as it vibrates in that hole for years. I have had luck with this for the last 28 years in New England (salt).

Cheers-

 

[aeo]

The issue with this bumper / step are the round "pegs" inserts that sit with in the rear box frame of the chassis

View attachment 28434
The simple fix that I have found is I lube them up with anti-seize - like with a paint brush. This will get water into it, paint will scratch off either on insertion as you reassemble it or as it vibrates in that hole for years. I have had luck with this for the last 28 years in New England (salt).

Cheers-

Thanks for the graphic. I have those two out, I was surprised they actually came out like they did. I thought for sure they would be harder.

It’s the 4 that go from below where the step pad is and the hitch that I can’t get to move.

 

[hillstrubl]

I need to remove the rear step bumper and have all but the four bolts underneath/behind the hitch. Any tricks or ideas? It’s actually not super rusty I think they were just really cranked on there and it’s a tight area to get to.

And for the rear crossmember my plan is to grind/clean away the rust and then seal. Any of the rust removal products better than others? And what would you seal rear crossmember with? The bumper is galvanized.

I have had good luck with wirewheeling the hell out of the area in question, blast air around (wear googles!). I'm a big fan of ospho (thin liquid to spray in cracks) and naval jelly for the larger areas. Leave on longer than they say and rinse thoroughly. Then I use a rust stabilizer primer (POR15 or equivalent) then a paint like eastman. Dry thoroughly then cover with something like rustoleum as a topcoat easy to touch up. Good luck!
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Any rusty bolts to get the bumper off in the first place, honestly don't bother with penetrating oil if you haven't soaked it days before. Just heat it up with a torch and have at it.

 

[MountainD]

If they are through bolts, I have good luck just putting a big ass wrench or strong impact and just intentionally busting them and knocking them out then and cleaning up. Gonna replace bolts regardless If that stuck.

 

[aeo]

The saga continues. Broke two of the four bolts that I believe also hold the fuel tank cradle in place. What is the fix for this? Drill them out and then re-tap the hole? Please say there is a garage fairy that will come do this while I sleep.

 

[gto7419]

Rear fuel tank bolts point from the top down Above the fuel tank you will find large square nuts holding the bolts in place so that you see studs below to put a hex nut on and hold the tank up. Sounds like you need to drop the tank

 

[aeo]

For the broken bolts stuck in the crossmember what is the best way to drill them out, looking for tool/drill bit recommendations. Sadly the garage fairy didn't visit. The installation instructions I found online say they are M10-40 bolts.

And I finally got the step bumper off. I’m trying to decide how much of this black coating that is all over the frame to grind off. Where it is not peeling it seems to be really well attached. It’s like a powder coating but that seems unlikely to me. Thoughts?

 

[Rufus]

RE: painting, I have had an excellent experience with 2 part epoxy primer 3 coats and then 2 part epoxy chassis paint 3 coats. This 2 part epoxy paint is even available in rattle cans (go to Eastman website, etc). it is important that you would only apply primer & paint once you have all the rust completely removed (wire wheel on a grinder / blast / chemical remover). also make sure you do proper prep and all grease/oil/dirt is removed prior to painting. When putting everything back together use new grade 8 hardware with anti-seize on all the threads I wouldnt use stainless on the rear step and tank cradle parts because it is not as strong as grade 8 and you want strength in this area. After the final coat of paint, hit the underside components, including new hardware with plenty of waxoyl inside the frame and out. Waxoly is also available in rattle cans (R North). This is what has worked well in my experience

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