Transaxle is out so I want to give it a face lift, what do I do? Repaint the axle tubes and backing plates with POR15? Replace the boots and axle seals? What else? How do I clean the gearbox? Bead blasting or just a wire brush and lots of elbow grease?
Thanks
Raf

What model car are We talking about?

IRS or swing axles..??

but cleaning the transaxle ,

If there is a lot of gunk on it, scrap it off with a thin paint
scraper or screwdriver [will take longer]
when You have most of it off..

then spray degreaser all over it and wait a few minutes
then use a cheap paintbrush to disolve any grease left...
the cheap degreaser is OK so long as its the foaming type

get it as clean as possible using the degreaser and spraying with hose with nozzle..

then use a cheap wire brush in a drill...
electric or cordless..

once its clean... another spray with degreaser and water will clean it ready to paint...

You can use a cheap undercoat or etch primer and then paint it with the same brand of paint...
as its not in the sun, it will not fade...

or to paint it properly, use auto spray cans of undercoat or etch primer [and top coat] like Motorpro or Auto one brand..
this paint will last a long time and will look good every time you lay under the car.... lol...

If You want to polish Your transaxle...
You will need some serious cleaning and polishing and many many hours of polishing....
this IS a Big job...

Lee

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug 

here is My yellow transaxle painted about 10 years ago
and My new grey one painted about 6 months ago.. Lee

Thanks Lee, its a swing axle
I don't want to paint it, just factory clean look, is this what you are referring to by polishing?
Raf

Hi,

soapy steel wool will give it a nice finish....
probably even better than factory..
or a wire wheel in a drill...

but polishing is like a polished mag wheel...

[if someone polishes a mag wheel , it costs a packet as its very time consuming...]

polished alloy is VERY shiney.. similar to chrome..
and I'm sure You don't really want that..

just try steel wool and see how it goes...
the more you rub the shinier it will get...
or try a wire wheel in a drill...

cheers

Lee

Ok, will try it, thanks

There is a small breather hole in the nose cone at the top.
Make sure you stop any water or soap getting in there when you wash it.

lots of ELBOW grease good brush and kero to wash it down

Dont take any LSD when you are cleaning it up. You might wake up and find its red and yellow and blue and gold and grey and orange and... sorry lee, couldnt resist.

Pain in the bloody #%$@. I spend a whole day on it so far and still about 1/4 of the way. Can't I just get it bead blasted or something?

get your wife to do it

i just cleaned up my steering box great in a bucket of hot water and laundry powder and let it soak for a while...bit hard with a gearbox tho

Maybe a High pressure washer could do some sort of job as they can have very high pressure..

Once its totally clean

a wire brush in a drill does a good job
but its a slow process..

I just recently wire brushed all the paint off My tinware and fan shroud..
took a long time..

but the finished product is great..

I just layed under my beetle today and looked at the nice colors...

really I was just looking for oil leaks after doing 400kms over the weekend..

If You have money to spare, I suppose You could get it bead blasted... as they bead blast cars..
could be costly though..

Lee

PS: I work with colours....

I am building/restoring a couple of VWs and did two filthy gearboxes in one day recently. You will find much of the grease and grime is a mix of mud and dried grease and easily chips off in big 'chunks', leaving almost-clean metal. Then us a cheap scraper and screwdriver from Super Cheap or Bunnings to get the stubborn stuff off. Ten cans ($20 at Super Cheap) of pressure-pak degreaser is also handy... have fun!

degreaser, more degreaser and then more degreaser. then borrow a gurney and go nuts.

but yeah, watch out for the breather.