Protecting chassis without removing the body
Discussion
You'll get as many opinions as there are products that claim to be the best thing since Hengist the Hairy applied Thor's All-New Chassis Woad to his ox-cart.
In essence, anything that keeps water and dirt off is better than leaving bare ferrous steel exposed; the trick is in preparing the metal adequately. Products like POR and Hammerite/ Smoothrite say you can paint directly onto rust and so you can, but since a lot of rust is delaminated or 'dust' just clinging on, it's foolish to expect the paint to keep it all together indefinitely.
If it's rust, clean as much of it off as possible to get back to bare steel. If it's paint (or the mythical powder-coat or extremely rare epoxy) then scrape/ chisel it away. Wire brushes are about as much use as a bogbrush in such cases.
Use emery cloth or aggressive discs like the 3M clean'n'strip things.
Degrease with a fast-evaporating solvent like IPA or petrol.
Then apply your clag of choice: mine is Smoothrite followed a week later by bituminous underseal. B&Q sell a metal paint called Fortress which I'm trialling; it goes on beautifully with a roller but that's not much help on tubular chassis
I replaced some sill plates in 2001, painted with Smoothrite and finished with underseal; last year I had the sill cover off for the first time since and the plate looks like this:
Good for another dozen years, I'd say
In essence, anything that keeps water and dirt off is better than leaving bare ferrous steel exposed; the trick is in preparing the metal adequately. Products like POR and Hammerite/ Smoothrite say you can paint directly onto rust and so you can, but since a lot of rust is delaminated or 'dust' just clinging on, it's foolish to expect the paint to keep it all together indefinitely.
If it's rust, clean as much of it off as possible to get back to bare steel. If it's paint (or the mythical powder-coat or extremely rare epoxy) then scrape/ chisel it away. Wire brushes are about as much use as a bogbrush in such cases.
Use emery cloth or aggressive discs like the 3M clean'n'strip things.
Degrease with a fast-evaporating solvent like IPA or petrol.
Then apply your clag of choice: mine is Smoothrite followed a week later by bituminous underseal. B&Q sell a metal paint called Fortress which I'm trialling; it goes on beautifully with a roller but that's not much help on tubular chassis
I replaced some sill plates in 2001, painted with Smoothrite and finished with underseal; last year I had the sill cover off for the first time since and the plate looks like this:
Good for another dozen years, I'd say
Wedg1e said:
You'll get as many opinions as there are products that claim to be the best thing since Hengist the Hairy applied Thor's All-New Chassis Woad to his ox-cart.
In essence, anything that keeps water and dirt off is better than leaving bare ferrous steel exposed; the trick is in preparing the metal adequately. Products like POR and Hammerite/ Smoothrite say you can paint directly onto rust and so you can, but since a lot of rust is delaminated or 'dust' just clinging on, it's foolish to expect the paint to keep it all together indefinitely.
If it's rust, clean as much of it off as possible to get back to bare steel. If it's paint (or the mythical powder-coat or extremely rare epoxy) then scrape/ chisel it away. Wire brushes are about as much use as a bogbrush in such cases.
Use emery cloth or aggressive discs like the 3M clean'n'strip things.
Degrease with a fast-evaporating solvent like IPA or petrol.
Then apply your clag of choice: mine is Smoothrite followed a week later by bituminous underseal. B&Q sell a metal paint called Fortress which I'm trialling; it goes on beautifully with a roller but that's not much help on tubular chassis
I replaced some sill plates in 2001, painted with Smoothrite and finished with underseal; last year I had the sill cover off for the first time since and the plate looks like this:
Good for another dozen years, I'd say
you might have it back on the road before it needs doing again then???In essence, anything that keeps water and dirt off is better than leaving bare ferrous steel exposed; the trick is in preparing the metal adequately. Products like POR and Hammerite/ Smoothrite say you can paint directly onto rust and so you can, but since a lot of rust is delaminated or 'dust' just clinging on, it's foolish to expect the paint to keep it all together indefinitely.
If it's rust, clean as much of it off as possible to get back to bare steel. If it's paint (or the mythical powder-coat or extremely rare epoxy) then scrape/ chisel it away. Wire brushes are about as much use as a bogbrush in such cases.
Use emery cloth or aggressive discs like the 3M clean'n'strip things.
Degrease with a fast-evaporating solvent like IPA or petrol.
Then apply your clag of choice: mine is Smoothrite followed a week later by bituminous underseal. B&Q sell a metal paint called Fortress which I'm trialling; it goes on beautifully with a roller but that's not much help on tubular chassis
I replaced some sill plates in 2001, painted with Smoothrite and finished with underseal; last year I had the sill cover off for the first time since and the plate looks like this:
Good for another dozen years, I'd say
Stu
Wedg1e said:
You'll get as many opinions as there are products that claim to be the best thing since Hengist the Hairy applied Thor's All-New Chassis Woad to his ox-cart.
In essence, anything that keeps water and dirt off is better than leaving bare ferrous steel exposed; the trick is in preparing the metal adequately. Products like POR and Hammerite/ Smoothrite say you can paint directly onto rust and so you can, but since a lot of rust is delaminated or 'dust' just clinging on, it's foolish to expect the paint to keep it all together indefinitely.
If it's rust, clean as much of it off as possible to get back to bare steel. If it's paint (or the mythical powder-coat or extremely rare epoxy) then scrape/ chisel it away. Wire brushes are about as much use as a bogbrush in such cases.
Use emery cloth or aggressive discs like the 3M clean'n'strip things.
Degrease with a fast-evaporating solvent like IPA or petrol.
Then apply your clag of choice: mine is Smoothrite followed a week later by bituminous underseal. B&Q sell a metal paint called Fortress which I'm trialling; it goes on beautifully with a roller but that's not much help on tubular chassis
I replaced some sill plates in 2001, painted with Smoothrite and finished with underseal; last year I had the sill cover off for the first time since and the plate looks like this:
Good for another dozen years, I'd say
that looks pretty good - sounds like a plan - will have to spend some time this summer getting under the car and treating it I think ...In essence, anything that keeps water and dirt off is better than leaving bare ferrous steel exposed; the trick is in preparing the metal adequately. Products like POR and Hammerite/ Smoothrite say you can paint directly onto rust and so you can, but since a lot of rust is delaminated or 'dust' just clinging on, it's foolish to expect the paint to keep it all together indefinitely.
If it's rust, clean as much of it off as possible to get back to bare steel. If it's paint (or the mythical powder-coat or extremely rare epoxy) then scrape/ chisel it away. Wire brushes are about as much use as a bogbrush in such cases.
Use emery cloth or aggressive discs like the 3M clean'n'strip things.
Degrease with a fast-evaporating solvent like IPA or petrol.
Then apply your clag of choice: mine is Smoothrite followed a week later by bituminous underseal. B&Q sell a metal paint called Fortress which I'm trialling; it goes on beautifully with a roller but that's not much help on tubular chassis
I replaced some sill plates in 2001, painted with Smoothrite and finished with underseal; last year I had the sill cover off for the first time since and the plate looks like this:
Good for another dozen years, I'd say
The chassis is probably the one thing that scares the living shizzle out of me. I bought mine with a refurbished and painted chassis, six years later I'm getting surface corrosion in the usual areas.
What the hell do I do? Go for a body lift (chim) and sand blast the dodgy areas? or just find some treatment?
What the hell do I do? Go for a body lift (chim) and sand blast the dodgy areas? or just find some treatment?
rain,and it stays greathallsie said:
you might have it back on the road before it needs doing again then???
Stu
Aha, yes indeed. Gave the fuel tanks a second coat of paint this last weekend, now it's the eye-cakingly fun task of emery-clothing and repainting the chassis (from the gearbox back) and then I can start to hang things back on it Stu
Needless to say we now have some big projects coming off at work that will keep me at the wrong end of the country for most of the summer so when I'm home I won't feel like working on the bloody car...
luckily I have the bike to give me a hooning fix 
Toby Tram said:
I know it's a body-off task- in fact a complete strip down- but what is the view on galvanising the chassis?
I would quite like to do that when I do a body-off resto. But I seem to recall I have heard some stories about chassis distortion from the heat.
Any thoughts?
Adi
Adi These guys aren't to far away from you ... http://www.southwaysautomotive.co.uk/services/trac... they can give a complete strip down service or do as Matt did and give them your chassis to rebuild !! They include Thermal Zinc coating in their approach in rebuild of the chassis so once done your chassis will be protected for many years to come !!! This explains the process of Zinc coating... http://www.zinc.org/info/zinc_thermal_sprayingI would quite like to do that when I do a body-off resto. But I seem to recall I have heard some stories about chassis distortion from the heat.
Any thoughts?
Adi
Hope that helps in your decision bud !
Edited by chapperssx on Tuesday 3rd June 08:53
Gassing Station | Wedges | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff