Powerwashed and found a hole!!!

[Jackal83]

Well i bought a little power washer and washed the whole underside of my car today... getting all the salt and crap from undeer the car... It also brought the loose paint off that was flaking off the chassis... so i know exactly where i need to attack... I've also found a hole in the front drivers side of the out rigger on the corner.. It was pritty packed with damp crap behind there so washed it all out with nice fresh washer and found to have a hole right on the corner... ..

rest of the chassis and that ourigger seem fine... the tunnel is perfect all the diff mounts and everything are still solid.. the suspention arms aint got much powercoating left on them so i'm in to minds whether just paint the arms and weld the out riggers up... Or wait and do a total body off next year and re powerdercoat the chassis...Is a cerbera with a treated and Power coated chassis worth more that one that has just been touched up????

Cheers

Jack

[cerdad]

my outrigger is shot so im doing both of them in stainless steel and its looking good

[Jackal83]

How are you going to attach stainless to main chassis rails buddy?????

Just out of intrested who has the cerbera chassis jigs??? Can you still get hold of decent cerbera chassis????

Jack

[Gazzab]

I think Steve Heath has made up some 'jigs' to enable cerb chassis to be properly repaired and aligned etc.....
I am sure you can still get a Cerb chassis.

[newberry]

Jackal83 said:

How are you going to attach stainless to main chassis rails buddy????? Just out of intrested who has the cerbera chassis jigs??? Can you still get hold of decent cerbera chassis????Jack

i dont know what grade of steel the chassis is but different types of steel can be welded together using special wire.

[cerdad]

You can weld stainless to mild steel as long as you use stainless wire , i spoke to a welder who works on seabourne windfarms and says there is no problem welding the two so goodbye rusty outriggers.

[Jackal83]

cool!! I Thought you would loose some strengh welding stainless to steel.

[BCA]

Hate to say this, but you may want to look down at your transmission tunnel, I reckon there may be some suprises there too.

[shpub]

cerdad said:

You can weld stainless to mild steel as long as you use stainless wire , i spoke to a welder who works on seabourne windfarms and says there is no problem welding the two so goodbye rusty outriggers.

The only problem is that stainless steel is brittle and cracks instead of bending. Not recommended for chassis work. Same reason why stainless bolts are not used on the suspension.

[Tyre Smoke]

You may be sure that if you found a hole then there is a gaping chasm that you can't see. Probably between the body and the top of the outrigger rail.

Agree also with BCA, check the chassis VERY carefully, mine was completely gone on a 'cossetted' 7 year old car (at the time).

[Jackal83]

The Inner chassis seems fine!!!!! I taken all the exhaust off and taken the heat sheild off in the tunnel to fine a nice new propshaft!!! look over the inner chassis to fine thats its spot on!! the bottom of the main chassis rails needs abit of a paint due to toneships put thats about it.

onlt other parts that have had the powercoat taken off it around the suspention and brackets on the side of the chassis... Apart from that chassis seems ok..

Had a screw driver in between the body and outrigger see if there is any play in there surgesting that the tube is knackered... but i cant get it to move at all so i'm guessing the outrigger its self is ok... just the front corner near the front wheel where all the st sits has gone.... Probably repair it with the body still on... you can just bout get to it....

just stop it from rusting any more at the min and paint all the other bits of chassis that are starting to rust or where the powercoat has come off.....

No garage at the min so i'm doing everything in the cold on a graval drive!!! hopefully be getting a house with a LARGE garage in the next few month!!! Then it be body off and total revamp!!!

Jack

[JensenA]

Is it the passenger side? The Driver side is protected ( a bit) with an alloy guard that prevents all the road crap from being blasted onto the outrigger corner, and I've sealed the very small gap between the outrigger and body with Silicone so water/salt/gravel/mud can't be forced down the gap between the outigger and body. But on the passenger side there is a much bigger gap.
This may sound like a bodge job, but it works, if you take a look at the area I'm talking about you'll see there is a nice big opening where all the road crap will just get blasted down the whole length of the outrigger tube.
Get an old 2 litre plastic milk container - This plastic is pretty pliable and retains it's shape well once you have bent it.
Cut an oblong about 5 x 4", and then cut, and trim it to shape so it fits snugly around the outrigger.
Now press and bend it to shape so it also fits snugly against the rear of the arch, and the round the outrigger tube. Then sikaflex it onto the arch, so it sits tightly on the outrigger tube. When finished apply more sikaflex to the plastic to seal it around the tube, and fill in any gaps.
Not particularly clear instructions I'm afraid, but once you start doing it all will become clear, it's simple but effective.

Edited by JensenA on Thursday 3rd December 13:33

[Jackal83]

Yer i like that idea jenson... even tho it sounds quiote crude it will work a treat i think...
the crap sits on the corner guset of the out rigger and when it just sits there getting wet and drying and wet and drying it will start to eat into the steel...

I'll get a a milk carton after i've painted the n/s and stikaflex it to...driverss side will get alot of stikerfex to fill the cap in then put gaurd back on.

[McNasty]

Excelent idea guys, when you have practiced on yours could you just pop round and do mine for me?
Thanks in advance