Anything and everything Spitfire.

Hi All

Just seperated my body from my chassis, yay. A few months of weekends and I've got this far.

Anyway, first plan is to tackle the chassis. It's in generally good nick, a bit of rust but nothing too severe. Most of the previous tar-like rust prevention is cracking and flaking off so I was planning on stripping this stuff of and getting the drill out with a wire brush on to remove the rust.

My real question is what next? What should I put on it. I guessed a coat of black hammerite or something similar, followed by a coat of waxoyl. Is this about right or should I do something else? Anyone done this before and have some experience they could share?

Thanks in advance for any help

Phil

Always put etch primer on to bare metal.
Then a zinc rich primer.
Then a top coat of chassis paint

Hi,

I did the same thing with my chassis over the summer, I found the quickets and easiest way was a &163;15 angle grinder from Machine Mart, and a &163;6/7 twisted wire wheel from Halfords - I started with a regular drill and wire wheel but the angle grinder turned it into a 2/3 hours job rather than a 2/3 month job, and also the weight of my angle grinder was substantially less than my drill.
I also Hammerited my chassis, and I think it looks really good, but as soon as you knock it with anything substantial, i.e. engine, gearbox it chips. Of course with Hammerite it's easy to touch up again. If you can afford it (I couldn't) I would recommend you get it powdercoated, its a helluva lot tougher, and looks mint - the downside is that you have to clean out all the threads, i.e. where the bodytub bolts on, and the powdercoating is as tough there as it is on the rest of the chassis.
With the angle grinder option always remember safety goggles, long sleeve shirt, trousers, gloves/gauntlets etc - the wire from the wheel gradually fly off as my jeans can testify - they can also travel quite some distance, one landed in the back of my mother-in-laws book she was reading 50foot away (almost

...)

Good luck!

Tom

Forgot to say about the waxoyl - my opinion is to waxoyl the innards of the chassis rails, ouriggers etc now, but leave the exterior until you're running the car - if you need to move the chassis it a lot easier while you rebuild - I've had to several times - without waxoyl all over it, and eventually you, your clothes, garage floor and anything else it comes into contact with.

Tom

If you use a knotted wire brush with a grinder

get yourself a full face visor about &163;8.00 i to started

with goggles but with a knotted brush large wirer

strands break away. When wire sticks out of your

forehead it hurts.

If you read older threads hammershite is not

recommended for chassis work . It has no flexability

and will chip very easy i vouch for that.

As for powder coat i have read that this has its

downsides . Corrosion can occur under coating

without being detected .

My recommendation for a chassis is

Blast clean and repairs

Etch primer

Quality primer

2 Pak finish .No doubt other people will have other ideas but this is my choice . I have tried other finishes most have failed.

RAY J

I went down the wire wheel/hammerite root with my car too - I think everyone does with their first chassis (got my doubts if anyone does for a second though...).

I used an angle grinder with a wire cup for the flat/easy to get at stuff and a drill with the wire drill bits (for want of a correct term - basically the ends of the wire are in like with the chuck) for poking in to hindge box corners, the rear suspension hanging gubbins, etc. Id also say full face mask, if for no other reason than it doesn't mist up like goggles! Also a descent mouth/nose mask - blowing paint/rust dust out your nose for days isn't as much fun (or as attractive) as it sounds.

Now if I was to do it again (and I think it's on the cards) I'd go for the easy/best option. Strip the chassis, clean up anything loose, then get it shot blasted.

If you get a half descent power coater rust shouldn't be an issue as it will be fully degreased and dry before coating. You could always try to get it galvanised first of course, but now I think I've gone too far... ^_^

Cheers for all the advice.
I'm afraid I don't have the cash to send it for blasting and powder coating, but I have my braided wire angle grinder attachment, a face mask and a pot of zinc phosphate paint. I'll put a top coat of black over that and maybe waxoyl after.

One more problem, the nut heads of the front body mounting bolts(the ones accessible in the engine bay) have sheared off. I've been regularly spraying them with WD40 but I'm not expecting it to free easily. Is this a common thing (the old chassis I have the body mounted on currently has the same sheared bolts) and does anyone have any ideas for removing them?

Ta

Phil

Philip

Try using plus gas spray .WD 40 is only really a

lubricant spray . If all fails a stud extractor .

RAy J

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