I pulled my T5 in order to service the clutch. Was surprised by the amount of surface rust on the driveshaft. Are there any do's and dont's for rust removal and finishing a driveshaft? (I know to avoid paint at the critical connection areas). I have several questions:
Can they be too rusty and unsafe?
Is balancing the final step, or can one do this after rust removal but before painting?
Can you media blast or sand blast without risk of inducing stress or large imbalance?
Are oven temps used for powder coating OK, or cause imbalance?


Any advice about balancing would be appreciated as well. Thanks!

 

Your's is pretty hammered, This coming from a California boy. I would price out a new driveshaft from a local shop. I know I had a custom one made I think it wasnt much over 100 dollars and it came painted black. That's what I would do rather then try to restore your stock one.

 

There are some pretty deep rust pits in your stock drive line that I would be concerned about if it were mine.