Rotten chassis ?
Discussion
spartacus said:
I've been welding cerberas up for a couple of years now .. nothing as late as 99 though .. but early cars are suffering around the outriggers and chassis top tubes in the engine bay.
Is that a body off job to repair?
nah .. i just take the manifolds off and chop the inner wing out in the footwells .. it's still a 2 day job though
not cheap! .. but you'll all have to have it done at some point 
Joospeed said:
I've been welding cerberas up for a couple of years now .. nothing as late as 99 though .. but early cars are suffering around the outriggers and chassis top tubes in the engine bay.
Is that a body off job to repair?
nah .. i just take the manifolds off and chop the inner wing out in the footwells .. it's still a 2 day job though not cheap! .. but you'll all have to have it done at some point
So presumably the chassis paint finish flakes off due to the heat around the manifolds and stone damage on the outriggers?
Ceramic coated manifolds and epoxy painted onto the chassis might be a good preventative measure, but sadly not cheap either.
I've been experimenting with a 2 part epoxy paint on my own car, as i know an epoxy manufacturer, i'm very impressed so far, the chassis needs to be thoroughly degreased first and it is horrible stuff to paint as it drips easily, not really a DIY / front drive job though.
Tim
I've been experimenting with a 2 part epoxy paint on my own car, as i know an epoxy manufacturer, i'm very impressed so far, the chassis needs to be thoroughly degreased first and it is horrible stuff to paint as it drips easily, not really a DIY / front drive job though.
Tim
So what is the best way to rust-proof a chassis? Anything that relies on a powder or 'gunk' coating seems a flawed concept to me as water will always get in eventually when the coating gets chipped or scraped off and worse, once in it'll stay in and eat away from the inside. Is zinc plating a more permanent prevention? Any other treatment options...?
I'm going to be doing this shortly with my LSx project Cerb so more than just curiousity here.
Don
I'm going to be doing this shortly with my LSx project Cerb so more than just curiousity here.
Don
Ffirg 005 said:
I'm going to be doing this shortly with my LSx project Cerb so more than just curiousity here.
Don
Sounds very interesting indeed! Care to share a few details? via my profile if you dont wish it to be public. Not stealing ideas (im a student, cant afford to do anything) - just very intrigued...
spend said:
Tim,
I find it very hard to tell the difference between fibreglass & POR15. In fact I use the stuff to waterproof inside the body panels, the finish on fibreglass is amazing. It seems to have most of the qualities of an epoxy paint.
Dave
The main issue is chipping, where as polyesters (typical glass fibre resins) are brittle and easy to crack, epoxy tends to give a tougher finish and adhere better to rusty metal,
Tim
RUSSELLM said:I've just had a new chassis put in to my 98 Chimaera at the factory (because of corrosion near the suspension mounts). Should be back later this week (wooo hoooo!). In my case, the car had been serviced by TVR dealers and had chassis waxoyled. The factory have been extremely helpful and the replacement included lots of 'extras'.
I know of a 99 Cerb with a rotten chassis (holes in it)
Apparently the factory's response to this was to ask "where has the vehice been kept?"
Has anybody else seen any rotten chassises & if so anything later than 99 ?
I was a bit concerned that the new chassis would only last as long as the old one but was assured by the factory that they've completely changed the coating process. Coating now involves a coarser grit blast, self-etching primer and better quality powder coating with higher zinc content. Compared to the old process where you could practically scrape off the coating with your finger nails on corners, the new coating practically needs an angle grinder to get it off... here's hoping.
MC
MajorClanger said:
I've just had a new chassis put in to my 98 Chimaera at the factory (because of corrosion near the suspension mounts). Should be back later this week (wooo hoooo!).
Had followed your story that you were having a new chassis fitted - delighted to hear that you're only a few days away from the re-union and that the factory have added a few sweeteners while the rebuild was going on. Sleeping must be a problem as the excitement builds! Did you ever get any further understanding about the cause of the premature demise of the chassis, once they had lifted the body off? (Presume you weren't parking the Chimaera in the surf while you were scuba diving!)
The worst scenario is when the powder coating lifts slightly but can trap moisture, this will ensure that the chassis will rot through in a few years , if it were bare metal it would last longer, i have seen a few dealer serviced cars where the chassis has been left unattended and the customer non the wiser, this is not caring for your customers, simple chassis preparation/ care should ensure that the chassis lasts indefinately.
hut49 said:...nor hooning on the sand at low tide like Top Gear did! Find the Chimaera a bit limiting to carry two lots of dive gear... no room for the sun cream!
Did you ever get any further understanding about the cause of the premature demise of the chassis, once they had lifted the body off? (Presume you weren't parking the Chimaera in the surf while you were scuba diving!)
They haven't said anything as such about the cause although the comment I stated earlier about the old chassis coating pretty much came from them.
I presume the old chassis has gone straight in the skip. The main section of the chassis (the box section tubes) was in pretty good nick - maybe watch out on e-bay if not in the skip! Only the smaller, tubular structures i.e. outriggers and arms were a problem. The outriggers had virtually no coating adhering to them i.e. you could practically peel the outriggers but underneath was pretty badly corroded. For sure, the worst sections were those exposed to debris from the front wheels and had no coating left at all.
Not sure whether the sleepless nights are in anticipation of getting the car back (it's been over 6 months) or seeing the bill!!! The latter shouldn't be anywhere near as bad as you'd think.
MC
2 sheds said:
The worst scenario is when the powder coating lifts slightly but can trap moisture, this will ensure that the chassis will rot through in a few years , if it were bare metal it would last longer, i have seen a few dealer serviced cars where the chassis has been left unattended and the customer non the wiser, this is not caring for your customers, simple chassis preparation/ care should ensure that the chassis lasts indefinately.
Yep - that had happened on our 98 it, had been waxoyled by main dealers but they had just sprayed it over the lifting powder. It looked great till I started chipping it away to find the rot just starting to take hold every where, a few more years & there would have been big problems.
So, I'm still trying to work out the optimal method for protecting a body-off chassis (chassis is a '97).... would the best treatment for long term protection be shot blasting and zinc primer followed by a thorough waxoyl coating? Then check and top up the waxoyling once every year or two?
Hmm... that'll have me wondering all week! Ffirg 005 said:I've heard good things said about POR15 range of products. Waxoyl is very basic (good for squirting inside cavities but not particularly durable)... worth persuing your research if you've the body off and doing a complete refurb.
So, I'm still trying to work out the optimal method for protecting a body-off chassis (chassis is a '97).... would the best treatment for long term protection be shot blasting and zinc primer followed by a thorough waxoyl coating? Then check and top up the waxoyling once every year or two?
Also worth using a high quality paint finish over the primer... something like an epoxy based paint should do it.... but again I think POR have something to offer.
MC
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