Body off chassis repair/replace

[walt762]

I am looking for some advice guys,
I have removed the body to repair/replace the chassis and the outriggers are in reasonable condition with no holes but there is holes on the main upper rails where the rear of the wishbones meet the rail, hence the body off!
The plates coming up into the rear wheel arches for holding the seatbelts to the chassis are also pretty rusty and could be probably be broken off with little effort.
The car is a Nov 96 500
Should I get the chassis repaired or would it be better to bite the bullet and replace it?
I don't want it powder coated as I bought new upper wishbones 2 years ago and they are already rusting badly, so what coating would be better?
I like the idea of Galvanising it but worried about twisting.






not sure if the pictures will work as it's been a while since I posted any & forgotten how.

[walt762]

Thanks, I have have a note of RT Racing & Sportmotive, I will give them a phone once I have more of a plan.

[walt762]

As you mention above, the big worry with a new chassis would be hoping all the mounting holes line up.
I would be hoping they do but it wouldn't surprise me if some of the holes weren't drilled to place making each one unique.

I really don't want to have to do this again in 5 years time which is why I like the galvanising option and will not be going with powder coating.

I am thinking of laser scanning the chassis then modelling it and getting some Finite Element Analysis done on it but I will need to decide before I get that far unfortunately.

[walt762]

Thanks portzi, I like the idea of epoxy resin it sounds pretty tough and good to hear yours is still in good nick after 3 years.

[walt762]

I am coming round to fixing the existing one however as I mentioned above i bought new wishbones from a well known dealer and after 2 years the powder coating is flaking off badly which isn't the end of the world as they can be fairly easily sorted however I want the chassis to last a long time.
what I was doing today.


note; - the gaps in the chassis are not holes I struggled to get it to scan these areas and since it is a straight piece of tube I wasn't bothered.

[walt762]

Looks powder coated to me, was very smooth but whatever it is it didn't last nearly long enough.

[walt762]

It was a Creaform Exascan portable laser scanner I used.
I am hoping to model the chassis when I get back to work but that may take a bit of time as work comes first.
I am only planning on replacing the front lower wishbones & getting the rest blasted but the rears may need replaced I will see when they are cleaned up.

[walt762]

Cheers Scott, pity I feature in them but certainly a good bit done in an afternoon.

Thanks again for the help.

[walt762]

Haha, I think I can live with the "fame"

[walt762]

The anti roll bar and mounts are actually slightly below flush of the ends of the chassis so the body passed it without a problem, I did jack the body up passed the arb mounts and checked for missed connected wires so I was only about a foot away from it as I jacked it from the front.
It was lucky I jacked it up first as I had missed the earth to the near side back of engine that connects to a stud.

[walt762]

Finally got the chassis back, time to start the re-build.

[walt762]

Thanks, long way to go though, I don't even have all the parts yet.

[walt762]

Hi Scott, went for the refurb by Brayon Classic Eng then etch primed and 2 pack then a clear coat.
A bit disappointed with the paint if I'm honest but I am ussured there is now 7 coats of paint on it so time will tell.

While I am on,
1. what is the best way to tighten the rear Hub nut while it is off the car as the bearings have been changed but not re-assembled?
2. What is the best way to tighten the front ball joint nuts (to tighten the taper) while the hubs are off the car?

Anyone?

[walt762]

It's a bit rough in places as if it had grit painted onto it and the top of the chassis looks better than the underside.
As long as it keeps the rust at bay I will be delighted but only time will tell.

[walt762]

J400GED said:

Why not do the hub nuts and balljoints on the chassis?
It will definitely make rebuilding the front suspension a lot easier, also, you don't have to torque the hub nut until last thing anyway so why not wait until you've got some weight over the back end of the chassis or at least the handbrake reconnected?

I haven't tried either way yet but saw a video from "big500" on you tube which said they were easier to assemble on the bench, I hope to fit them one way or the other tonight.

[walt762]

Is there a trick to fitting the clutch release arm?

I am having trouble engaging the spring clip at the back of the arm at the same time as fitting the release bearing carrier is there a method for this? I checked the bible but it doesn't mention fitting.

[walt762]

Not great, I have rebuilt it but the wipers aren't working & the brakes have been bled 4 times but are still soft-ish so I have driven it home and I am waiting on my local garage to tidy it up & get the MOT..
I am sick of looking at it at present but once I get it back on the road I will be happier.

[walt762]

portzi said:

can't belive the state of those wishbones after a few years, they must have had poor preparation before zinc prime and powder coating.

To be fair the car has been mostly outside since I fitted the wishbones but I did expect better hence why I got everything stripped and 2 pack painted.

[walt762]

a few photos of the project, there is over 300 other photos on my flickr account if anyone needs a particular image.

20150624_175231 by bucky762, on Flickr

20150626_123030 by bucky762, on Flickr

20150721_163826 by bucky762, on Flickr

20150724_135428 by bucky762, on Flickr

[walt762]

She is running but I am struggling to bleed the brakes properly and thr wipers aren't working.