DIY corrosion care
Discussion
This last weekend was the first time the Chim has been out of the garage this year due to the bad weather. Saw some patches on the garage floor where rusty water had pooled near the wheels - I suspect probably just from the brake discs. Decided to jet wash the underside of the car to get rid of the salt, and looking at the chassis there are signs of rust on the tubes where stones have got the better of the powder coating. All the rust appears to be cosmetic at this stage, and the factory said nothing about it when the car was serviced there before Xmas.
What I would like to know is how to best tackle the rust? I don't just want to slap a coat of Smoothrite all over the chassis and just find rust creeping along below it or just chips away easily. I would like something that I can do myself but be cosmetically acceptable on the silver chassis - any ideas folks???? I guess the rust needs tackling before applying Waxoyl?
What I would like to know is how to best tackle the rust? I don't just want to slap a coat of Smoothrite all over the chassis and just find rust creeping along below it or just chips away easily. I would like something that I can do myself but be cosmetically acceptable on the silver chassis - any ideas folks???? I guess the rust needs tackling before applying Waxoyl?
Oh man, do I know about corrosion. I have spent the last three weeks under the TVR sorting the chassis. I bought this, erm, 3 weeks ago and to say the chassis needs TLC is an understatement. Rust all over really. Outriggers totally bare of powder coating. Large swathes missing on chassis cross members. Surface rust in many places. Everyone has a view on how this should be done, but this is my regime (and remember - this is a bad case!)
1. Vow never to drive the car in the wet again.
2. Use a small hammer. Be ruthless. Be absolutely sure the chassis is still sound. Hit everything. Especially near suspension mounts. If it sounds strange, hit it harder. If the chassis punctures, go and see the Bank Manager.
3. Strip the chassis back. Remove all dodgy or bad coating. If you touch it and it breaks or crackles. Strip it. Use a drill and brush, screwdriver, or wire brush or something similar. Take it back to where the coating is sound (i.e. doesn't easily come away).
4. Depending on how bad the rust is, I used either Jenolite (to remove rust) or for inaccesible areas, I used Kurust (which cures the rust to hard paintable surface). Get as much off as you can, but at least make sure the surface is sound (i.e. it is not the end of the world if it is not shiny gleaming bare metal, but must be stable for the top coat).
5. I used No. 1 Rust Beater, 2 coats to stabilise the surface.
6. Hammerite - silver Smoothrite to be exact. 3 coats, or as many as you have time for. Blends in nicely with my chassis colour.
7. On exposed areas (the outriggers) or areas where the coating is sound I used Waxoyl underseal straight on the coating or the Rust Beater. Also pay attention to the suspension mounts. Wishbones may also be badly corroded. Didn't worry so much about saving them as they will need replacing at next service (look ugly, but are sound).
8. Wait 6 weeks (Hammerite curing time).
9. Waxoyl the lot. I will use a combination of spray cans and a hand pump to get at areas my brush can't reach (top of outriggers and box sections).
The job is now about three quarters done. I need to get the offside rear wheel off, and both front wheel to complete the chassis rear and front suspension, and then of course, the wait before the Waxoyling. Will post pictures to a website when complete.
>> Edited by beljames on Tuesday 5th February 09:49
>> Edited by beljames on Tuesday 5th February 09:50
1. Vow never to drive the car in the wet again.
2. Use a small hammer. Be ruthless. Be absolutely sure the chassis is still sound. Hit everything. Especially near suspension mounts. If it sounds strange, hit it harder. If the chassis punctures, go and see the Bank Manager.
3. Strip the chassis back. Remove all dodgy or bad coating. If you touch it and it breaks or crackles. Strip it. Use a drill and brush, screwdriver, or wire brush or something similar. Take it back to where the coating is sound (i.e. doesn't easily come away).
4. Depending on how bad the rust is, I used either Jenolite (to remove rust) or for inaccesible areas, I used Kurust (which cures the rust to hard paintable surface). Get as much off as you can, but at least make sure the surface is sound (i.e. it is not the end of the world if it is not shiny gleaming bare metal, but must be stable for the top coat).
5. I used No. 1 Rust Beater, 2 coats to stabilise the surface.
6. Hammerite - silver Smoothrite to be exact. 3 coats, or as many as you have time for. Blends in nicely with my chassis colour.
7. On exposed areas (the outriggers) or areas where the coating is sound I used Waxoyl underseal straight on the coating or the Rust Beater. Also pay attention to the suspension mounts. Wishbones may also be badly corroded. Didn't worry so much about saving them as they will need replacing at next service (look ugly, but are sound).
8. Wait 6 weeks (Hammerite curing time).
9. Waxoyl the lot. I will use a combination of spray cans and a hand pump to get at areas my brush can't reach (top of outriggers and box sections).
The job is now about three quarters done. I need to get the offside rear wheel off, and both front wheel to complete the chassis rear and front suspension, and then of course, the wait before the Waxoyling. Will post pictures to a website when complete.
>> Edited by beljames on Tuesday 5th February 09:49
>> Edited by beljames on Tuesday 5th February 09:50
I have been working on my three year old for the past couple of weekends - I have stripped the worst areas back to bare metal & applied 3 coats of Hammerite and am waiting the six weeks before Waxoyling.
Beljames, I have never used Waxoyl before. Do you put it on with a paint brush, or do you need to buy that pump spray thingy?
Beljames, I have never used Waxoyl before. Do you put it on with a paint brush, or do you need to buy that pump spray thingy?
Mine is 9 years old - imagine what I'm facing!
Waxoyl comes in two varieties.
1. Yellow cans of either clear or black liquid. You can get a tin (like an old oil can) - which can be applied with a brush or sprayer, a round tin (that can be used with a crude pressurised hand-sprayer, which Waxoyl also sell), a straightforward aerosol (good for small areas - bad value for money), or a schutz can.
2. Black tins of Underseal (not actually Waxoyl, but contains it). Nasty horrible bitumen based product that dries to a tacky mess. Look under any mainstream car made in the last 10 years and you will see a similar product all over the bottom of it. Great for undersealing. Bad for hair. Also available as aerosol or schutz can. Ignore the instructions. Apply 2 -3 coats. I have never found one to be enough.
Use black underseal on exposed chassis areas (i.e. outriggers). For slightly less protection on the same areas, and for other areas, use yellow Waxoyl. The hand-sprayer is worth the money if you don't have a schutz gun. If your chassis is immaculate and you don't want to get bitumen yuck everywhere, dilute yellow waxaoyl with 50% white spirit and 'mist' your chassis with the handsprayer.
The hand-sprayer is also very useful for spraying the neighbours cat, which you don't like because it hisses at you. This is okay because the neighbour is a miserable git, and it amuses me that he can't help wondering what his cat has been up to, why it smells and feels funny, and appears to be highly inflammable, if eminently waterproof...
Waxoyl comes in two varieties.
1. Yellow cans of either clear or black liquid. You can get a tin (like an old oil can) - which can be applied with a brush or sprayer, a round tin (that can be used with a crude pressurised hand-sprayer, which Waxoyl also sell), a straightforward aerosol (good for small areas - bad value for money), or a schutz can.
2. Black tins of Underseal (not actually Waxoyl, but contains it). Nasty horrible bitumen based product that dries to a tacky mess. Look under any mainstream car made in the last 10 years and you will see a similar product all over the bottom of it. Great for undersealing. Bad for hair. Also available as aerosol or schutz can. Ignore the instructions. Apply 2 -3 coats. I have never found one to be enough.
Use black underseal on exposed chassis areas (i.e. outriggers). For slightly less protection on the same areas, and for other areas, use yellow Waxoyl. The hand-sprayer is worth the money if you don't have a schutz gun. If your chassis is immaculate and you don't want to get bitumen yuck everywhere, dilute yellow waxaoyl with 50% white spirit and 'mist' your chassis with the handsprayer.
The hand-sprayer is also very useful for spraying the neighbours cat, which you don't like because it hisses at you. This is okay because the neighbour is a miserable git, and it amuses me that he can't help wondering what his cat has been up to, why it smells and feels funny, and appears to be highly inflammable, if eminently waterproof...
quote:Inspired, I'll have to remember that one!
The hand-sprayer is also very useful for spraying the neighbours cat, which you don't like because it hisses at you. This is okay because the neighbour is a miserable git, and it amuses me that he can't help wondering what his cat has been up to, why it smells and feels funny, and appears to be highly inflammable, if eminently waterproof...
Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)
It's a spray-head that is connected to an air-compressor. A 'schutz' gun is particularly suiited to spraying undercoats (can handle thick nasty stuff rather than runny paint used to do the normal paintwork).
If you have a compressor it's probably worth the money. I don't have a compressor, would like one, but just bought a Chimaera, so I'm scared to spend any money in case all four wheels fall off...
Come to think of it, these things fire spray at a hell of a speed and distance. Imagine how much further I could hit that cat.
>> Edited by beljames on Wednesday 6th February 15:06
If you have a compressor it's probably worth the money. I don't have a compressor, would like one, but just bought a Chimaera, so I'm scared to spend any money in case all four wheels fall off...
Come to think of it, these things fire spray at a hell of a speed and distance. Imagine how much further I could hit that cat.
>> Edited by beljames on Wednesday 6th February 15:06
quote:
The hand-sprayer is also very useful for spraying the neighbours cat, which you don't like because it hisses at you. This is okay because the neighbour is a miserable git, and it amuses me that he can't help wondering what his cat has been up to, why it smells and feels funny, and appears to be highly inflammable, if eminently
Then flick match across matchbox towards cat...
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