Winter Chassis treatment

[mrbongo]

Ok guys, is this a DIY job that you can do in the driveway, or do I need to get her booked in for a back/sack/crack job?

Any tips on this would be welcome, I've got no way of really getting underneath her, so I'm guessing I've got to get her booked in, but are there any top tips I should know before biting the bullet?

Thanks!

[tvrbob]

This is what I do. It's a biannual effort for me

Clickerty Click

[mrbongo]

Thanks for the tips - I'm not sure how I'd be able to do that though - hose pipe ban... and the water butt ain't big enough!!

Any other ideas..?

[biggiles]

tvrbob, While I think the use of the sprinkler is an excellent idea, do you find that Hammerite lasts on the chassis?

I understand most people use POR-15 or similar polyurethanes (like the Rust Bullet I've bought).

[tvrbob]

biggiles said:

tvrbob, While I think the use of the sprinkler is an excellent idea, do you find that Hammerite lasts on the chassis?

I understand most people use POR-15 or similar polyurethanes (like the Rust Bullet I've bought).

You are right to question this. Hammerite is brittle but it is also very tough so stones don't chip the surface. That said, because hammerite is brittle, it does not adhere well on flexing surfaces like wishbones and body brackets especially where sharp edges exist. Anyone who has examined a TVR chassis will know that hammerite flaking begins at the edges of flat plate. It is true though the hammerite will adhere to hammerite, POR-15 is for application to grease free metal only so painting it on to old hammerite is not recommended.

[cs174]

Have you tried Racing Green in Ash Vale. I plan on taking my Chimaera there in a month or so to have the chassis cleaned and waxoyled.

cs174

[blitzracing]

Ive found a grit blasting gun good for spraying neat waxoyl, but you do need access to a compressor. You can get away with a parafin spray gun if you first warm the waxoyl and then thin it with white spirit to a milky consistency. This is very good for running into tight gaps and joints, but as most of the white spirt flashes off it leaves a very thin seal. This is good for alloy parts, much better than wd40 and the like. It the chassis has been heavily waxed already the white spirit will re-desolve it can help seal any scratches.Its worth bearing in mind if you have flaking paint, the wax just sits on top and leaves a lovely water trap under the paint, so again thin it right down and force it into any paint cracks, and let capillary action do the rest. There are better products than waxoyl, but its so cheap you can afford to be generous and it does work.

[Ed450]

I was looking at getting this job done at a garage until I plucked up the courage and did it myself . It's a dirty job to be sure, but i'm pretty pleased with the results. It took me a good few evenings and afternoons under the car. To be fair my chassis was in pretty good nick for a '98, but even so I made sure I re-painted all the loose areas I could with POR15, and Hammerite in the less exposed areas. I paid particular attention to the outriggers, and spent a good two evenings on these alone. I was lucky enough to have access to a set of ramps (not as good as a proper lift though) although many people are happy to put it up on axle stands to do the job.

With regards to getting it done by the professionals, I had a good look around and mostly you get what you pay for. Most will simply offer a "winter prep" which is basically cleaning the chassis (either steam clean or get the work experience lad under there with a brush!) and then spraying with waxoyl. On average this will be around the £150-200 mark (from what I saw). Other garages will go a bit further and scrape away all the loose paint, and re-paint those areas before finishing with waxoyl. This will obviously cost a little more (around the £300-400 mark) depending on the time they have to spend on it.

Either way, it's a labour-intensive job, and the (not unreasonable) prices reflect this. I was a bit skint at the time which may have influenced my decision somewhat

[tvrbob]

cs174 said:

Have you tried Racing Green in Ash Vale. I plan on taking my Chimaera there in a month or so to have the chassis cleaned and waxoyled.

Ed450 said:

I was looking at getting this job done at a garage until I plucked up the courage and did it myself . It's a dirty job to be sure, but i'm pretty pleased with the results. It took me a good few evenings and afternoons under the car.

There's a message here. Put your car into a garage and they'll do the job for you in a day. How is that possible? Clean and remove flaking takes 6hrs. Rust treatment and 'cure' time perhaps an hour. Paint takes 3hrs and an hour to cure. Wax oil takes 3 hours.

Do the job yourself or risk getting a half a job done by so called professionals.

[richb]

tvrbob said:

Do the job yourself or risk getting a half a job done by so called professionals.

I think that's the issue, I actually quite like getting underneath every couple of years for a good rummage around with a wire brush and a pot of Hammerite! p.s. I simply thin the Waxoyle with thinners and spray it on with one of those garden centre hand sprays (or the ones you get tyre cleaner in etc.)

[mrbongo]

Pretty sure the guys at TVR Fix mentioned it would be a 2 day job... and a cool £500 spoons to do as well...

I've not really got the facility to do it here, so it looks as though I will have to bite the bullet on this one... hmmmm. As long as it does the job I'm not overly concerned, rather do it than have the bottom drop out of the car...!

[that daddy]

as long as it gets done,thats the point.either diy or indi.

[cs174]

I suggest you contact Martin at Racing Green before you part with 500 crisp ones. They will charge you less than half that to remove any surface rust, paint those areas and then waxoyl.

cs174

[puffsorted2]

mrbongo said:

Ok guys, is this a DIY job that you can do in the driveway, or do I need to get her booked in for a back/sack/crack job?

Any tips on this would be welcome, I've got no way of really getting underneath her, so I'm guessing I've got to get her booked in, but are there any top tips I should know before biting the bullet?

Thanks!

Yeap it can be done with stands and a jack on your driveway - takes a while to do it properly

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?p=1&f=9&t=304976&h=0

[mrbongo]

cs174 said:

Have you tried Racing Green in Ash Vale. I plan on taking my Chimaera there in a month or so to have the chassis cleaned and waxoyled.

cs174

You reckon we'd get a better deal on 2 at the same time...? Worth a try?

I get the feeling this is something that is going to be better done by someone with the right tools for the job, and not me on the driveway in my Evel Kineval overalls...

[aaandy]

I have undertaken this myself and it is quite easy to do. Just need have/borrow a trolley jack and pair of axle stands, and put aside a couple of days to do it properly.

It isn't technically hard, you just need to be prepared to roll your sleeves up and get on with it. As previously stated if you want to do it properly, it will need a few hours of effort to prepare, with your head under the car stuck under the car. But if you want it to last and be worthwhile the preparation is key.

But I did get a good feeling of satisfaction of a job well done once it was completed. Also great to know all the little bits where the powder coated had peeled off the wishbones is sealed again.

And it also looks a lot smarter under there (not that anyone will ever see it!!!)