Cleaning the steering column

I had left the steering column intact when removing it. It was in good condition with only minor surface rust. The part shown below however, was open to the element and had a lot of surface rust. It was still structurely sound.


As you can see, I had left the screws and fittings attached. Where necessary these where taped in place. If only I had done this more often when taking her apart!



The surface nearst the camera remained pitted where the rust had attacked it. Should there have been some kind of plastic boot covering the holey section? I'm unsure but it would certainlt help to keep away the dirt = wet = rust!