Originally Posted by
shoota
I had this conundrum with my latest high end project. I finally settled on just coating the internals with PB Blaster and building it and riding it. It's lasted this long, I'm sure with a good coating of penetrating oil the rust isn't going to get worse and will probably last at least another 35 years.
I did something similar on the inside of a set of handlebars. I treated with diluted OA, then rinsed with water and dried using a heat gun. After drying, I coated the inside liberally with WD40. I suppose I will eventually pop off the grips and do a spot check to see how things are, but that's well down the road still. I've had fairly good luck with WD40 displacing water and preventing rust in the past. I've also used Ballistol in some applications, but it is slower flowing and has a smell. Fluid Film also is an option, but it leaves a greasier residue.