suggestions on cleaning up rear brake backing plat

[merrill]

66 230 sl, about to replace the e brake pully mechanism, brake cylinder, rubber brake line. pulled the drum today and what a mess.
the cylinder has probable been leaking for a while and on top of that the corrosion from being in hawaii for 18 years did not help.

I am not ready to pull the axles and have the backing plate professionally painted, so I was going to remove all the parts, apply stripper and once that is off attack the backing plate with a wire brush, clean, prep and paint.

here is the question, should I worry too much about the axle seal on the drum end of the axle?  I could use material or something to seal off the axle, just not shure if it is a issue.

any thoughts ?

thx matt

[ja17]

Hello Matt,
Put a drain pan underneath and blast away with "Brake Kleen" or equivalent. Use a brush or scrapper to help loosen up grime also.

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio