wildjeff

iTrader: (1)

What is the factory finish on the rear axle and control arms for the early third gens?

Most of the ones I have seen are rusty. Were they bare metal from the factory or did they have a coating?

When I took my rear axle out and started cleaning it I noticed the center section was blue. The rear axle looks original to the car but I have never seen a blue rear end in a thirdgen. The rest of the suspension from my car does not seem to have a coating.

Here is my rear axle. after cleaning i discovered the rear differential was blue.

gt4373

bare metal from the factory

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

Bare metal except for 9bolt rear and inspection marks.

9bolt and rear control arms are semigloss black but different levels of gloss.
Also, most of the black brackets/control arms used a semi gloss black that has a heavy brown tint to it.

wildjeff

iTrader: (1)

are you saying the rear control arms are semigloss black regardless of what rear end it has? any thoughts on the blue pain in the diff?

Didi any GM vehicles come with blue pained rear ends?

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

AFAIK no GM cars were ever issued with blue rear axles.

What you have there looks like random rattle can overspray from some much more recent unrelated activity, almost certainly while the axle wasn't installed in a car.

Yes AFAIK the RCAs are always black. However all it would take is finding ONE car with something else to turn me into a liar, so let's just leave it at "usually" black. The paint they used on most of those parts wasn't very good; wasn't designed robust enough to endure decades of random road conditions; it was only enough to keep the parts clean and free of things like fingerprints, up through assembly. It was usually mostly gone within just a few years, especially if driven in rainy places alot.

I would STRONGLY urge you to have the axle tubes straightened up and welded securely into the pumpkin, since you've already got it torn down that far. Have them welded all the way around, and the weeeeenie plug welds filled in completely, so they quit leeeeeking. Then have it powder-coated in some non-garish color... I used a dark metallic grey when I had mine done that way. Back around the turn of the century I had all that done to the housing when I put about a 91 or 92 rear with PBRs into my 83 L69 car, with an Eaton posi and just the original stock weeeenie 3.73 ratio. (new gears of course)