When the warm weather starts coming, get awful condensation rust on rotors of cars when dew point > rotor temp. I'm thinking a zinc phosphate conversion coating spray on? (or maybe even removing rotors and soak in bucket) Have read about zirconium but that seems to be in the world of auto manufacturing. Driving car will wipe all the rust off, but car is on jack stands for months while doing repairs, mods, maintenance, etc. Main concern is photo do***entation Planning further protection once cleaned... again.... to cover entire suspension with large garbage bag like you protect plants from frost. Also looking into those rust preventative papers that outgas a rust preventative - I think they can be purchased in the form of bags/sacks - haven't actually looked yet to see what is available for reasonable cost. A 3ft square of the stuff could be crumpled around the rotors and then the garbage bag.
Look for VCI bags or paper. Although the bags would cut out the garbage bag step. you’ll still need to clean them off before putting a pad near them come time to drive it. So you could just mist them over with Gibbs?
Holy cats, do you live in a swamp? I've never seen condensation rust like that. I believe some rotors come with a phosphate or zinc coating when new, but of course it gets worn off quickly after they're put into service.
Dehumidifier would work but in carport w/3 sides enclosed. Keep rotors inside, could work, would have to take calipers off. Swamp(!) When a warm blast comes in, everything is cold and humidity can be very high. The bottom 6 inches of the car cover will be soaked. The concrete slab will be wet for days. Found this vast, impressive comparison from a gun perspective: https://dayattherange.com/gun-care-product-evaluation/ Three top pics: Frog Lube Hornady One Shot WD-40 Spe******t
Ok...I have to say it. Creosote? Seriously, here in the Kansas swamp we have the same problem with any outdoor storage. Paint or grease will do it but a pain to remove. Any bagging will have to be airtight. I've had good results with spray "cavity wax" products too.
Found this stuff: Dry Coat Rust Preventative by Work Shop Hero Some kind of water based film that can be washed off with soapy water. Should be allowed to air dry in 10-20 minutes. One detailer recommended usage when detailing wheels: spray onto rotor thru wheels spokes. Obviously, the sprayed liquid would contact the edges of the pads and capillary wick into the friction contact area as well as wick into pads - to a small degree. But having done this for a few years, there must have been no issue. If I would use: wipe onto rotors and let dry before any contact with pads.
How's this sound? Find a sign shop in your area that prints vinyl signs or does vehicle wraps. See if they might have any unused vinyl s****s or maybe some roll ends. The stuff stretches and sticks well and removes pretty easily with a heat gun. And it doesn't leave any glue residue behind (unless you maybe left it on there for several years). You could put it on in strips just over the wear surfaces.
Move to the desert or live with the rust. As you said when you drive it it comes off so no big deal. There is always WD40
About fifteen years ago I did project that the owner wanted me to paint the rotor’s and what I did was sandblast them and then have them power coated. I then recut the faces of each side. This worked out well I made sure the vanes were coated well so no rust slobber came from them. The car had five spokes so everything was visible from outside the car, I dis***embled the calipers and had them powder coated as well. The powder coating worked well for years but brake fluid will dull the color so you don’t want to be sloppy with it.
That looks like an interesting product for short term storage. But from what I'm seeing online it sounds like something that should be washed off the rotors' wear surfaces with soap and water before using the brakes. I'd avoid WD40 or any other petroleum based materials. Brake pad and shoe materials don't work well if they become contaminated with brake fluid, grease, oil or other petroleum products.
I've heard of having new rotors zinc plated. The braking surface would wear to bare iron, but the non contact surfaces stay new looking, I'm told.
I would focus on enclosing the area and running a small dehumidifier. That’s exactly what I do and it works fine.
Yes, zinc plating is all over the place. Now Thinking copper flash plate: Dip rotors in copper sulfate solution. Easy and cheap.
Almost all of the calipers and rotors I have been getting through Rock have listings for parts with a corrosion resistant coating as well as the slightly cheaper non coated versions. Not sure what the coating is, but I suspect it’s a flash zinc. Obviously it wears off the rubbing surface, but it does seem to visually help on the other surfaces.
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