Rebuilding the 8-inch rear end, Part 2

Thought I should give an update, now that the parts have been ordered and cleaning is nearly complete.

The total cost of the parts, shipped & taxed where necessary, was $92.15.  All parts except the Brake Hardware Rebuild Kit were purchased from Rockauto.  A breakdown of what you'll need:

2 Backing Plate Gasket - Outer ($1.14)
2 Backing Plate Gasket - Inner ($1.40)
2 Axle Bearings ($34.56)
2 Axle Seals ($19.64)
1 Brake Hardware Rebuild Kit ($7.55, from O'Reilly's)
1 set of Brake Shoes ($15.39)
1 Shipping from Rockauto ($12.47)
**dang, I just realized I forgot to buy wheel cylinders!**

After going to get my axle bearings pressed off, I found that our local O'Reilly machine shop no longer does this; they ship it off to Missouri to have done.  Ridiculous... So instead, I plan on calling up a friend of mine who works at a shop, and ask him if I can come by and get these bearings pressed on.  In addition to this, he's planning on working on my Clutch Pedal Bracket Support, which I'll post on a little more later this week.  Hopefully I'll get to knock out 2 birds with one stone.

Right now - quickly, before my parts all arrive - I'm finishing off the sanding, and getting the parts prepped and painted.  The idea at the moment is to paint the axle housing black, with the third member red.  The drums will also be painted, but I'm thinking just a "hammered steel" type finish; not a crazy color like red or anything.

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I got a lot of sanding equipment for this very reason, such as a full face shield and earmuffs.  I used them again today when I finished sanding down the axle housing, and began on the brake brackets (is that what they're called?).  I tell you, it's a lot of work getting everything down to bare metal but it should pay off in the prevention of rust down the road.  I'll upload some pictures in part 3 of this little miniseries.

That brings me to one last point before I head to bed...painting.  I've long debated my decision / ability to paint, and after spending a little time doing research today, I think I'm leaning more towards the "set up a paint booth and paint it myself" approach.  While it will be expensive - probably close to $1000 counting all expenses - it's far cheaper than spending several thousand to pay someone else to do it.  One of the biggest costs associated with painting is not the paint, but rather the prep work & post work (wet sanding, etc.).  Time, I have.