• Welcome to the Land Rover UK Forums

    You are currently viewing the site as a guest and some content may not be available to you.

    Registration is quick and easy and will give you full access to the site and allow you to ask questions or make comments and join in on the conversation. If you would like to register then please Register Now

Galvanised chassis....

dsj1979

Trekker
Hi,

What's the best way to make a galvanised chassis last? I'm thinking waxoil, does anyone have a better way?

Thanks,

Daniel
 
Just leave it, in 15 or 20 years time if it starts to show sighns of surface rust, strip it to the chassis and get it sanblasted and hot dipped in galve again, ready for another 15 to 20 years service.

Waxoil is ok but rubs off within the year, plus paint quite often peels off unless a good quality etch primer is used.

Personally I would use old engine oil, ever wondered why chassis never usually rus by the engine mounts or near th eengine. All that oil eeps it nice and rust free. Plus you have free oil every time you do a service from your engine oil change.

Anyway most chassis rust from the inside out, so whatever you put on the outside wont do anything for the inside. One reason a recomment a total hot dip in galve after 15 years, or sooner if corrosion is evident.

You can get th einternal chassis wax oiled, but to be honest I have no idea how effective it is or how long it lasts!
 
I think whatever you put on it it will last just as long if you leave it bare galv, you can always get it re-dipped many years down the line. We rebuilt my dads lightweight on a galve chassis back in 95 and it shows no signs of rust at all and thats been left bare.
 
Sorry to be gloomy but, owning a vehicle will have been made illegal by the time the galvanised chassis rusts away, or if not, you won't be able to get parts for the rest of it anyway.
 
Just to add I'm another one who did it 12 - or more - years ago. Long enough that I can't remember and no signs of rust at all. It was Marsland as well. Great fit. Adrian
 
Considering that some stock chassis last 30-40 years I'd do little or nothing to it. On mine I painted it, the water and moisture will have to get through the roofing paint to the zinc before it starts to even eat away at that.

Keep it clan and if they salt roads where you live then make sure you wash it once in a while, perhaps oil it.
Here the state galvanizes everything, road sign posts, guard rails etc. they are exposed to salt and it does eventually eat away at the galvanizing at an increased rate. So it would be worth rinsing the chassis out if you don't choose to coat it or oil it.
 
My chassis has been fully galvanised too. I've painted the outer surface and Im planning on filling the internal, hollow box sections with high density expansion foam. The foam is simply to prevent the boxsections filling up with water, mud and debris. i.e, as soon as you go wading, the chassis will fill with water, muddy water usually, and that mud will remain and collect in the chassis for years to come.
The expansion foam I have is a high grade, high density cell structure so will not absorb water. Similar to that used on the APGP One Ton amphibian.
The foam bonds well with the chassis so any slight flexing of the chassis will not cause foam to break-up. Box section, mild steel chassis arn't designed to flex anyway.
 
My chassis has been fully galvanised too. I've painted the outer surface and Im planning on filling the internal, hollow box sections with high density expansion foam. The foam is simply to prevent the boxsections filling up with water, mud and debris. i.e, as soon as you go wading, the chassis will fill with water, muddy water usually, and that mud will remain and collect in the chassis for years to come.
The expansion foam I have is a high grade, high density cell structure so will not absorb water. Similar to that used on the APGP One Ton amphibian.
The foam bonds well with the chassis so any slight flexing of the chassis will not cause foam to break-up. Box section, mild steel chassis arn't designed to flex anyway.

We'll just watch you float away with your foam filled chassis

By the way - I have put some underseal on certain parts of the chassis and greased up others (middle cross member) as I find that stones can chip away the galvanizing (even on Marsland)
 
I see your logic with the foam Tony, but there are two schools of thought with it. Many older cars had foam filled sections and they still rotted from inside out. Also having experience of many products which claim to be waterproof, it is a term which is open to debate.
How long will the foam stay waterproof ? in my experience a lot of these materials break down after time. If it does mind you, the dampness it lets through wont do your chassis any harm as the zinc is there to protect the metal. You`re just using it then as a barrier to keep crud out........and the air.
Alex
 
I used POR 15 on my Marsland galvy chassis, but the rear x member paint has come off already!! I used clear waxoyl on/in the bulkhead and inside the chassis and black waxoyl on the outside of the chassis. Intent is to do this once a year.:)
 
Not many paints like sticking to galvanised steel, which isn't a good start.
As for the foam in my chassis, well the foam is there simply to keep the crud and water out. The galvanise is there to protect the steel... unlike those horrible small euro rot boxes, which had no steel protection and foam filled.
 
I think the problem you will have filling it with foam is guaranteeing water nto to seep past the foam. Once the water has been 'absorbed' there will be little chance of the chassis and foam drying out thereby promoting fungicidal growth and rot. The key to success of filling the chassis with foam is water tightness. You will also need to bear in mind the number of bolt holes that will provide leakage points. Just my 2 pennies.

Andrew
 
I think I'm right in saying the Rover P4 chassis (the nearest thing to a LR one, and designed by the same engineers), was filled with expansion foam for sound deadening reasons. P4's do seem to last well (last one built in 1964!), yet I've still heard it said that the foam filling has aggravated chassis rot from the inside out due to trapping moisture. Personally, I'd rather the chassis internals were full of fresh air and well ventilated so they dry out.
 
best thing would be a good galvy and then powdercoating. but that is $$$$$$$

Paint can stick to galvy fine- do some research on it and you'll find solutions. The ruberized paint I used was meant for galvanized sheet metal roofs...
 
Back
Top Bottom