Paiting the steering rack

[voucht]

Hi,
I cleaned my Escort steering rack to re-paint it with black Hammerite. But I discovered that it is not 100% steel : I tried with a magnet and it doesn't hold on the the gear housing which looks to be in cast aluminium (?).
IMG_1510_1.JPG
I read that non-ferrous metals need to be primed before painting with Hammerite. Is that really needed, or do you think I can paint directly the whole rack?
Second question, I'd like to have my front upright sand blasted. Do they need to be dismantled first and rolls removed, or can I make them sand blasted like that without the sand damaging the rolls ?
Thank you for your help.

[robo]

Car parts were normally given just a single coat of black quick drying paint. Not that this is correct but this all that they think it needs to give it a shelf life. if you want to do it by the book give it a coat of multipurpose etch primer then a top coat.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-ETCHING-... tem56320ffa2b

Bob

[flyerncle]

I had the hubs etc blasted to remove the rust and the sand got every where and knocked holes in the rear caps where they were rusty as I left them in one peice so as not to damage the bearing seats.

[voucht]

Thank you Bob, OK, I'm gonna buy some primer, it is safer I think.
flyerncle, thank you for the experience. Could you please be more specific: at the end, was it a good or a bad idea to leave them in one piece before sand blasting? Have the bearings and seats been damaged or just the caps?

[flyerncle]

Good idea in my expierience to leave them whole as no internal parts got blasted or damaged with grit and as I said the caps where in need of replacement.

[voucht]

Thank you for the tip Paul That is what I did, and I just come back from the sand blasting company (I'm so glad I have found one 5km from home), and the uprights are now all clean and in shiny. Now it is time to paint them black, as well as the pedal box, and to prime the steering rack.
Thank you.
Bye.
Sylvain