Eric, they original had no rust protection on those metal pipes besides a
cad plating which is usually used to keep things from rusting while it is
sitting on a shelf somewhere, not really suited for underneath a vehicle
rust prevention.  If the rust is slight then cleaning it up with sand paper
and painting it with some rust inhibitor paint, and then painting over it
should extend the life of it.  If it is already very fuzzy with rust then
we have a power steering hose kit we sell that replaces the metal lines
with high pressure hydraulic hose and low pressure hydraulic hose.  That
way you should never have to deal with rusted out pipes again.  They are
very easy to install, you can leave your old metal pipes in place if you
wish and just run these next to them.  There is a void above the gas tank
in the center.  That is where I usually run the new hoses instead of
dropping the tank and it works out great.  Just tie wrap every foot and you
are good to go.  We developed this kit ourselves about 15 years ago when
these tube originally started rusting out.  They are made in the USA from
US made parts and support US workers, and a nice US based list vendor
(me).  The kit is $225 and comes with instructions.  Here is a link on the
site:
http://www.vanagain.com/shop/power-steering-metal-line-replacement-kit/

Let me know if you need any more information.

Ken

On Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 7:29 PM, Eric Caron <ecaron1@comcast.net> wrote:

> OK folks,
>
>         Spending many hours under my van preparing for the CV work I
> cleaned and explored my engine and transmission area.  I made a few
> discoveries I need advice on.
>
> First, my van is pretty much clean of rust.  However, the two metal lines
> I’ve identified as the power steering lines show a lot of rust.  It is
> interesting to me that this is really the only rust I’ve found.
>
>         So, What do I do next?  I’m assuming I should have them replaced
> so is this a job that would require other areas to be affected? drop the
> gas tank? Motor mounts?
>
> Is it possible that surface rust is common and the lines thick enough for
> me to simply try to sand them down a bit and spray with some type of
> preventative in the exposed areas?
>
> If replacing are there better lines then these that seem to be failing
> pretty quickly considering the van is a garage queen and never had a winter.
>
> I vaguely think there was some discussion of these lines with regard to
> metal verses hoses.
>
> Power steering rehab advice appreciated.
>
> And, I suspect despite my recent success with the CV joint I don’t think
> this is something I should tackle!
>
> Or, is it?
>
> Eric Caron 85 GL Auto Westfalia
>

-- 
Thanks,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com