Tim Watson
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| posted on 9/8/10 at 10:09 PM |
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Galvanised Chassis
Hi,
My mate does up Land Rovers and has had one of his chassis galvanised. Says the chassis will last a LONG time.
It got me thinking, has anyone on here done that with their car? Would it solve the problem of rust where aluminium meets steel when driving on
previously salted roads?
And on a side note, would it add significant weight to the chassis?
I'm saving up for a Raw Striker chassis, want to take my time and get everything right as I slowly build the car and so thought that could be a
good investment.
Tim
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Dangle_kt
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| posted on 9/8/10 at 10:12 PM |
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others will know much more than me, but I beleive there is a danger of the chassis warping in the hot dip.
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nitram38
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| posted on 9/8/10 at 10:14 PM |
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Galvanising is a pain!
You cannot galvanise a sealed box section so you have to drill opposing holes in all the chassis sections so when dipped, galv can run in and out of
the box. We are talking 10-12mm holes.
Also galv can become trapped inside sections adding serious weight and also increasing the cost to you.
They weigh your chassis before and after and charge for the weight added!
You will be better off using a decent paint or using a cold galv spray paint.
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JF
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| posted on 10/8/10 at 04:31 AM |
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For a relatively simply landy chassis it's easy. Two runners and a few crossmembers. But spaceframes like used in sevens are almost impossible
to do right. Way to many holes to drill and difficult to get the stuff out again afterwards. If you don't drill enough holes some tubes/box
sections might/will explode.
And as you have to drill a minimal of 2 big holes in every single box section you are seriously weakening the chassis, or risk it turned to scrap.
So no... stick to good paints, primers and sealants...
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adrianreeve
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| posted on 10/8/10 at 05:46 AM |
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I used to work at a galvanisers, and saw then ruin a very expensive 1950s Ferrari spaceframe race car chassis with distortion. Molten zinc used in the
process is 460 deg c, so very easy to distort stuff. Also, as has been mentioned, sealed section is a no no, so strength is reduced by drilling every
tube.
I wouldn't!
Cheers
Adrian
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adrianreeve
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| posted on 10/8/10 at 05:46 AM |
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I used to work at a galvanisers, and saw then ruin a very expensive 1950s Ferrari spaceframe race car chassis with distortion. Molten zinc used in the
process is 460 deg c, so very easy to distort stuff. Also, as has been mentioned, sealed section is a no no, so strength is reduced by drilling every
tube.
I wouldn't!
Cheers
Adrian
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mad4x4
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| posted on 10/8/10 at 07:04 AM |
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Look for a product called ZINGA (www.zinga.co.uk) and see if there is a local agent to you. I had my chassis done with this and 6 Years on not a
spot of rust.... Cost about £100 to get it done
Scot's do it better in Kilts.
MK INDY's Don't Self Centre Regardless of MK Setting !
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Bluemoon
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| posted on 10/8/10 at 07:25 AM |
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You could think about hot zinc spray. The zinc is sprayed on, it works really well without distorting the chassis; I wanted to do this but need some
welding done latter so it was not really an option... This process is as good as hot dip but without the heat distortion or needing holes drilling.
When I looked at this 5 years ago the cost was not much more than powder coating (about £300 at the time).
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Tim Watson
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| posted on 10/8/10 at 08:00 AM |
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Cool, thats a no then  . I'll look into those other products though cos they sound useful.
Tim
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omega0684
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| posted on 10/8/10 at 09:02 AM |
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Tim you want steel frame and then powder coat.
I love Pinto's, even if i did get mine from P&O!
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Bluemoon
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| posted on 10/8/10 at 11:34 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by omega0684
Tim you want steel frame and then powder coat.
Probably... That's the powder coat is the "normal" way (but you can do it your way if you know what you want..)..
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MikeR
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| posted on 10/8/10 at 12:58 PM |
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My experience was speaking to a professional powder coating company when i was looking at doing my chassis, they "confessed" that powder
coat isn't really designed for outside use and they wouldn't recommend it for long term protection.
(this is from talking to BG Penny in Coventry who advised me that they would do it (with preferably a zinc coating underneath) but would recommend
that on top of the zinc its painted with a few layers of paint instead.)
I have to admit this confused me as another company in coventry advertises that they do car parts specifically! I guess saying I spent 10 years
building the chassis had them thinking i wanted it to last 50+ years hence their comment.
[Edited on 10/8/10 by MikeR]
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procomp
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| posted on 10/8/10 at 03:12 PM |
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Hi
A very good etch primer either by hand or spray painted. It can be touched up very easily when stone chips appear and they will appear if you drive
it.
Cheers Matt
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coyoteboy
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| posted on 10/8/10 at 04:35 PM |
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Had very good results with galvafroid on marine boat trailers, lasted a good 10 years left out in the rain and annually immersed in the sea off and on
for 2 weeks. Lasts longer than wheel bearings in the same trailer!
It is rather agricultural in appearance though, very thick paint so leaves brush strokes if you're not careful and it's matt silver.
[Edited on 10/8/10 by coyoteboy]
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wilkingj
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| posted on 11/8/10 at 09:55 PM |
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Whatever you do, Shot or Sandblast the chassis FIRST.
The finish is ONLY as GOOD as the Preparation.
1. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
2. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Best Regards
Geoff
http://www.v8viento.co.uk
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Benonymous
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| posted on 12/8/10 at 11:09 AM |
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Powder coating
I'm another -1 on the powder coating. I had a 7 style chassis done in powder coat and it was over baked. I didn't find out for a while
but it made the plastic very brittle. It was flaking off all over the chassis I used a 2 pack paint to try to repair it but the task was
hopeless. i would recommend a good, gooey enamel or even Hammerite. These products stick like the proverbial and can easily be touched up or
repaired. Powder coating is good for small parts like brackets and such but when you think about it it's a lot of work/expense and all
you're really trying to achieve is a nice even finish and no corrosion.
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kb58
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| posted on 12/8/10 at 01:23 PM |
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I'm sorry to hear that powdercoating didn't work out for you. Perhaps in addition to overbaking it they used the wrong powder? There are
probably a dozen different kinds, and each is best at in a certain environment. In any case, saying that a process wrongly applied is no good
isn't proof that it's defective as a whole. Thousands of cars have been coated without issue.
Mid-engine Locost - http://www.midlana.com
And the book - http://www.lulu.com/shop/kurt-bilinski/midlana/paperback/product-21330662.html
Kimini - a tube-frame, carbon shell, Honda Prelude VTEC mid-engine Mini: http://www.kimini.com
And its book -
http://www.lulu.com/shop/kurt-bilinski/kimini-how-to-design-and-build-a-mid-engine-sports-car-from-scratch/paperback/product-4858803.html
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mrwibble
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| posted on 12/8/10 at 03:09 PM |
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can i interest you in a can of dinitrol 3125
cheapest on the bay at the moment ?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220649654591&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
shameless i know
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interestedparty
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| posted on 12/8/10 at 04:48 PM |
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Powder coating a quick and simple (therefore cheap) option for manufacturers. As long as it looks ok for a couple of years that's all most of
them are bothered about.
I would never specify powder coat even if I could afford to buy a complete kit.
As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list-- I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed-- who never would be missed!
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Bluemoon
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| posted on 12/8/10 at 05:24 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by interestedparty
Powder coating a quick and simple (therefore cheap) option for manufacturers. As long as it looks ok for a couple of years that's all most of
them are bothered about.
I would never specify powder coat even if I could afford to buy a complete kit.
Ditto, that's why I used acid etch+topcoatx3, if you use radiator roller you can get a good finish.
If I was to paint my chassis again I would use acid etch, then normal external gloss under coat and a external gloss top coat as it remains flexible.
I would also choose a color that shows stress cracks like gray..... I might even do this over the top of the hot zinc spray (the etch primer will
stick to this).
Dan
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scootz
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| posted on 12/8/10 at 05:42 PM |
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I use an acid-etch and then epoxy-mastic.
A bit of faffing about, but do it right and you'll reap the rewards. I absolutely HATE it when the chassis starts to get tatty!
It's Evolution Baby!
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Tim Watson
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| posted on 14/8/10 at 08:22 AM |
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Going back to one of my original questions, with the right treatment (such as mentioned above) would this mean that you were confidently rust-proofing
where the chassis meets the suspension - i.e. salty water where steel meets aluminium? I would be opting for newly fabricated suspension bits as
opposed to Sierra/Capri.
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scootz
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| posted on 14/8/10 at 08:54 AM |
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It'll do it just as well as anything else this side of silly-money technologies!
It's Evolution Baby!
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dinosaurjuice
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| posted on 14/8/10 at 09:11 AM |
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seems like a lot of you on here have had experience of bad powdercoaters. Ive used a couple in midlands and now ONLY use Redditch shotblasting and
powdercoating. They always shotblast first, and achieve a near perfect finish everytime. The finished coating can be attacked with a file, pliers,
grinder anything and it behaves like its part of the metal. None of this flakey nonsense you get from cowboy powdercoaters.
So, adding to the wilkingj's comment of preperation, its also definately worth going somewhere that actually knows what there doing. although it
will cost more 
just my opinion
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interestedparty
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| posted on 14/8/10 at 10:27 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by dinosaurjuice
although it will cost more
Any idea how much for a chassis?
As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list-- I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed-- who never would be missed!
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