pig of a job

[jesfirth]

not being able to drive the car beacuse the engine is out i thought i would attend to the chassis.

I have spent about 30 hours so far and I have only done the fornt half, but the result should be a good solid chassis for the future. the car is a 95 preserp 500. I found that the original chassis colour was silver but that it had about 10 years ago been overcoated in pale off white which i think might have been a later colour. has anyone else seen this other colour. The chassis was in great condition - i have attacked it with a centre punch and 2 1/2 lb hammer around the outriggers etc to check for rust and problems but it was all solid. Probably saved by that recoat a few years ago

Anyway with chisels to remove loose paint and rust scrapers, wire brushes by hand and on disk, rust eater, 2 coats primer and 2 coats of silver hammerite and I now have the below result.

Lying under the car is a pita - i even resorted to swimming googles to keep the crap out of my eyes in the end!

[blueg33]

You missed a bit

Just kidding, looks great!

[haircutmike]

I gotta say, you're dedicated, I don't mind any mechanicals but chassis and the like,...arghh..

Apart from that, looking really good, if you do mine i'll change your plugs, can't be fairer then that .

[chromosome17]

You are dedicated, there is no doubt. You will have huge satisfaction when its done, plus big bill for back surgery!
I gave up and booked into rt, it may cost but better on health lol.

[TVR Beaver]

Looks great... Mine is white but silver does look better I think ... I did my outriggers 2 years ago... and have now done the wishbones and shock mounts.... but when you think of the time your spending... May be 80 hours on the 6" lift and another 20-30 hours this time on the mount areas (see yours is about the same!)... I'm sure it would have been quicker to strip out the chassis and get it blasted and re-powdered!
.
Think that has to be on my list in the next couple of years... but although it's a bit 'patchwork' at the moment... I can't justify a full strip as it's in great condition... no rust and now no flaking paint
.
It's just thoes bit's on top around the gearbox you cant get to... and around the top of the diff.... Would be nice to get it in bit's but that would lead to other things I'm sure ... Whilst the engines out etc..

[andy450]

respect !! doing mine at the moment with drive train in (just front suspension out) , ,and yes "pig of a job"
yours is looking great!

[7 TVR]

Respect for all that hard work! I'm not to good with a welder so sent mine to RT Racing don't know if my knees would of stood up to it iether

[The Moosehunter]

My thought are with you How long til you get to drive the bugger ?

Just finished the same process except my gearbox was out too

Went for the less conspicuous black option myself

Rewarding when completed, although I can't help feeling likeit's a Forth road bridge scenario as the wishbones I did 7 years ago are looking like they may need doing again

Maybe next year

Cheers

Moose

[jesfirth]

Thanks - yes bloody hard work. My outriggers were badly stone chipped just behind the front wheels- mainly form track use i guess. I want to apply some form of flexible adhesive stone guard protection to them to stop it happening again. Has anyone used adhesive type materials here with any success?

[andy450]

my diaganals and outriggers are coated in a kind of rubberised underseal/schuz type of coating,thought the worst when i first got to look at it as i thought it may have been hiding something rotton,but before buying it i scraped some areas off and it seems to have done a good job as protection from "road rash" stone damage,having some trouble replicating the stuff though,i beleave fernhurst may have coated it previously so will be phoning them asap,i am also led to beleave that some supplying dealers coated in similar when new ?
did wonder if a thick "vynal wrap" type of thing may offer some added protection if it had been painted and you wanted it all to match
( pics of diaganals/chassis in "suspension out" chim forum....yes i know . .i will get my coat im leaving! )

[Johno]

jesfirth said:

Thanks - yes bloody hard work. My outriggers were badly stone chipped just behind the front wheels- mainly form track use i guess. I want to apply some form of flexible adhesive stone guard protection to them to stop it happening again. Has anyone used adhesive type materials here with any success?

General consensus has been that sticking anything to the outrigger is a way of trapping moisture.

One of the things I have considered but not done is to use the spray on Stone Chip that get's used on the underbody of cars, the tar/rubberized spray on stuff as this would seem to me to deliver the required protection from stone chips whilst being a fully 'bonded' coating that won't trap moisture underneath.

A load of different 3M products that do this

For me it's a balance between having a nice shiny chassis and keeping the actual integrity of the structure, which can mean allowing oil all over it and applying something like this in the areas where it is known that it will get shot blasted.

Edited by Johno on Wednesday 2nd March 10:38

[jesfirth]

Johno - thanks - might try one of those

[Marty V8]

That looks great. I'm in the middle of doing something similar myself. Ive got the POR 15 ready but wasnt sure what colour to overcoat it with - white or silver Hammerite. I was going for white, but am now not so sure after looking at your photos.

[jesfirth]

Marty, from experience I think that the silver is more forgiving to imperfection beacuse when finished it has a sort of brushed effect rather than being a solid colour so I think it will be easier to touch up