Chassis Inspection
Discussion
Yep, dead easy, for the most part. The worst bits for rust are in the wheel arches, anyway, but even the runners under the sills are easy enough to see if you get under the car. Good prod and a poke with a screwdriver should see right!
There are some bits which can catch you out (eg. top chassis rails under the exhaust manifolds, where the heat can scorch off the paint and encourage corrosion, but most cars seem to rust at the outriggers near the wheels, so if they are sound, you'll probably be ok.
There are some bits which can catch you out (eg. top chassis rails under the exhaust manifolds, where the heat can scorch off the paint and encourage corrosion, but most cars seem to rust at the outriggers near the wheels, so if they are sound, you'll probably be ok.
HeyAndy said:
How easy it to inspect the outriggers on a Griff?
My Wedge was straight forward and will change up to a Griff very soon, but are the outriggers easy to access for an inspection?
It's impossible to see on top of the ouriggers though where they run under the sill. Do your best with one of those mirror on a stick things and a torch. The outriggers will likely be worst where they've been pounded by stones thrown up by the wheels or where water collects. So check very carefully around each of the body mounting plates as well.
On mine ( I know they are not all the same ) it is possible with the rear wheels removed to look down the top of the chassis rail. I do this when applying Waxoyl to check that all is covered. You need to shine a bright light up from underneath, 500W fitting from a security lamp does the job. In addition to the outriggers have a look above the diff and along the main chassis members where cable ties are attached. If a stone has been trapped rust can start. Also check the front top wishbones, if they are not new then they are probably rusty.
steve-v8s said:
On mine ( I know they are not all the same ) it is possible with the rear wheels removed to look down the top of the chassis rail. I do this when applying Waxoyl to check that all is covered. You need to shine a bright light up from underneath, 500W fitting from a security lamp does the job. In addition to the outriggers have a look above the diff and along the main chassis members where cable ties are attached. If a stone has been trapped rust can start. Also check the front top wishbones, if they are not new then they are probably rusty.
He's right - also check the seatbelt sill mounting points on the outriggers just forward of the wheelarch (not only the inertia reel mouting plate which is in plain view) as these are er... critical.
crankedup said:
And don't forget its not only corrosion you should look for. Accident repair damage is also enough to put you off a purchase perhaps
Very true.
My heart sank when I was checking and waxoyling the chassis for the first time. Front wheels removed, I noticed that the vertical tube that runs up to the coilover top mounting on the nearside was buckled inwards.
It's been crashed was my first thought. ...but then I couldn't figure how any sort of impact could make the tube buckle in that manner, without causing serious, visible distortion elsewhere.
Checked the other side of the car, to find a matching buckle in the tube on that side, seemingly giving clearance to the steering column...
Checked the photos of Griffith chassis' in various books and magazine articles...
TADTS!
Obviously, there is a little man employed up at Blackpool whose job it it to give a hefty, but carefully aimed whack with a 6 pound lumphammer to the offending tube on every chassis, so that it clears the UJ of the steering column for both left and right hand drive steering installations.
Dontcha just love the precise and careful engineering that goes into each and every TVR?
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