Wrinkly paint / outrigger cleaning / threaded oddity
Discussion
Hi,
I've been doing a fair bit of cleaning and painting on the chassis recently and during this work three questions have popped up.
1) What is the best method for cleaning the top of the body mounts where they are attached to the outriggers? I have recently done the drivers side by using an old screwdriver to remove stones and most of the muck. I then threaded rags through the gap between outrigger and body to remove the finer debris. This method was OK, but, I'm thinking of blasting a pressure washer in this area when I do the passenger side. A possible disadvantage of this approach maybe that the pressure from the washer will get under the pads that the body sits on (& remianing coating) and accelerate rusting. Any thoughts?
2) There is a strange thread & nut sticking out of one of the outrigger struts inside the front wheel arch (see pic below - its above the steering UJ). Any idea what this is?
3) Once I have applied waxoyl to my nicely hammerited chassis the paint goes wrinkly (see pic below). Any ideas why? My process for painting is: clean chassis with wire brushes, clean with white spirit, apply kurust to any metal, wait 24hrs, apply 2 coats of primer, apply 2 coats of paint, wait 48hrs, apply waxoyl. I wait 24hrs between paint coats. The paint shows no signs of drips or runs but I have been painting in an unheated garage.
Thanks,
Ralph
I've been doing a fair bit of cleaning and painting on the chassis recently and during this work three questions have popped up.
1) What is the best method for cleaning the top of the body mounts where they are attached to the outriggers? I have recently done the drivers side by using an old screwdriver to remove stones and most of the muck. I then threaded rags through the gap between outrigger and body to remove the finer debris. This method was OK, but, I'm thinking of blasting a pressure washer in this area when I do the passenger side. A possible disadvantage of this approach maybe that the pressure from the washer will get under the pads that the body sits on (& remianing coating) and accelerate rusting. Any thoughts?
2) There is a strange thread & nut sticking out of one of the outrigger struts inside the front wheel arch (see pic below - its above the steering UJ). Any idea what this is?
3) Once I have applied waxoyl to my nicely hammerited chassis the paint goes wrinkly (see pic below). Any ideas why? My process for painting is: clean chassis with wire brushes, clean with white spirit, apply kurust to any metal, wait 24hrs, apply 2 coats of primer, apply 2 coats of paint, wait 48hrs, apply waxoyl. I wait 24hrs between paint coats. The paint shows no signs of drips or runs but I have been painting in an unheated garage.
Thanks,
Ralph
1. I think you're right about water getting under any remaining coating. I think you just have to take your time - I uses a putty knife, a wallpaper scraper, various shapes of wire brush, and a hooky scraper that I made.
2. If you look on the other side you'll see it's used as an electrical earth. Why they don't use both, I don't know - maybe TVR realised that you can't have too few earths on a fibreglass car if you want electrical stability. Whether thaat's what they were originally meant for, I don't know.
3. Hammerite doesn't dry like ordinary paint, it takes weeks - if you look at the tin it says something like "apply second coat within hours, if not you have to wait 5-6 weeks". I decided that because waxoul is white-spirit based and Hammerite isn't, I should allow one lot of solvents to evaporate as much as possible before applying another. Rather than waxoyl after a couple of days, I waited at least a fortnight (some of the paint was older than that - it took me weeks to do it!) - and I didn't get any paint wrinkling.
2. If you look on the other side you'll see it's used as an electrical earth. Why they don't use both, I don't know - maybe TVR realised that you can't have too few earths on a fibreglass car if you want electrical stability. Whether thaat's what they were originally meant for, I don't know.
3. Hammerite doesn't dry like ordinary paint, it takes weeks - if you look at the tin it says something like "apply second coat within hours, if not you have to wait 5-6 weeks". I decided that because waxoul is white-spirit based and Hammerite isn't, I should allow one lot of solvents to evaporate as much as possible before applying another. Rather than waxoyl after a couple of days, I waited at least a fortnight (some of the paint was older than that - it took me weeks to do it!) - and I didn't get any paint wrinkling.
do you not think the hamerite is too slow a process with all those coats etc?
I have been using POR15 for the last 4 years all over my chassis in various stages of restoration, & if you do a good job cleaning down to the bare metal I have found that even just 1 coat (2 in nasty areas such as trailing arms etc) is plenty protection. My front wishbones look as if they were done last week - 4 years down the line.
tvrgit - I copied your idea with the brake pipe & velcro bendy thing for getting behind the body at the sides - megger!!!
sorry, just my thoughts....
Richard
I have been using POR15 for the last 4 years all over my chassis in various stages of restoration, & if you do a good job cleaning down to the bare metal I have found that even just 1 coat (2 in nasty areas such as trailing arms etc) is plenty protection. My front wishbones look as if they were done last week - 4 years down the line.
tvrgit - I copied your idea with the brake pipe & velcro bendy thing for getting behind the body at the sides - megger!!!
sorry, just my thoughts....
Richard
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