Should a galvanised chassis be waxoyled?

[WarPig]

Should I bother waxoyling the new galv chassis on my 110?

Ive read that the winter road salt can eat into the galv. Is this true?

I assumed that a galv chassis would be safe from such conditions?

Im confused

[jbs]

Personally I did'nt and have'nt waxoyled my galv'd chassis since I've had it at all and I would've thought the galv would protect it as that what the coating is there for, but I'm sure someone will be a long any minute and tell us what we can and should do

Be prepared for the can your holding,Being opened and all of the worms spilling out- as this could go on a bit

John

[Gazzar]

I own a 29 year old series 3.

This came with a galv front bumper as standard.

I have had to replace the bumper as it had rotted out completely, all the way along the inside. This was 3 years ago.

So, after 25 years the galv bumper had rotted out. The vehicle had done 45,000 miles on the UK roads, and wasn't used near the sea, and you could remove sections of the bumper with your hand.

Draw you own conclusion, but I'd waxoil it, with a 70/30 mix of waxoil/new engine oil, clear on the inside and black on the outside - it also makes it less attractive to thieves.

G.

[brighouse shed]

the simple answer is yes the road salt will eat your galvanising. It's the reason oil rigs have whopping great chunks of aluminium strapped on to the legs, the aluminium acts a sacrificial donor and protects the steel.

So the good news is thats what your galvanising will do.

The obvious worry is how long will you still have any galv, and that is really dependent on how you care for your truck.

For one the salt concentration is low cf the north sea and a salt bath where all the underbody protectors do their proof testing. From personal experience a lot of the salt bath testing is so severe that the smallest break in paint/galv/passivated layer can look like a disaster. This is one reason why I'm not convinced by gallons of thick waxy gloop as you can get very localised crevice corrosion which will produce nice holes under your gloop.

The main thing is to give it all a good jetting if your roads have been covered in salt then you hit a dry spell as the salt will suck up damp moisture from mist etc in the mornings making really concentrated saline solutions which will attack your chassis. if it's typical we usually get a week of rain every two days which will soon hose you down.

Before it all gets doom and gloom take a look at the pedestrian barriers in your town, they are all galvanised or pure aluminium, and then work out how long they have been there.

So opening the can of worms I would say leave alone aside from jetting and having a good look for little brown pin holes where the galv is broken and rust is coming thru. There are plenty of regalv paints if you get some damage but, get a good one like Galvafroid which is more a paste than a paint.

let the worms wriggle

[Maverik]

waxoyl EVERYTHING... well within reason. The galvanising is a protective layer, but at the end of the day its metal too and corrodes under certain conditions. Combined with galvanic corrosion process's too, as soon as my rig has past its MOT after its re-build its getting a bath of the stuff, and yup its got a Galv chassis too. the more protection the better.

[Snagger]

I painted the outside of my chassis in Schutz (six layers in high risk areas like the rear cross member and outriggers), but have not done the inside as minimal spray will enter the chassis - occasional wading in ponds or rivers shouldn't cause internal corrosion, and I have no intention of ever dunking it in the sea! Galvanising is good, but is not as permanent or indestructible as many like to think, so protecting it further is prudent.

[reb78]

It's the reason oil rigs have whopping great chunks of aluminium strapped on to the legs, the aluminium acts a sacrificial donor and protects the steel.

Dont we also have a great chunk of aluminium bolted to our steel chassis?

Seriously though, i'm with the others that say to waxoyl it (or paint....i'd do whatever is easiest and cheapest for you). Its another layer for the rot and rust to work through - even if it isnt perfect, it'll help a bit. Plus, as mentioned above, it disguises the galv chassis from theives.

[WarPig]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

My 110 is having a complete respray soon, so I'll wait until that is done before considering doing anything to the chassis.

I like the idea of disguising the galv, with it being new it kinda says "steal me.."

I might waxoyl the chassis and then find a good black galv paint for the rear crossmember. I assume if I waxoyl the crossmember it will rub off onto my trousers evertime I load up the landy!

Oh, and I rather like worms

[gruntus]

Hi WarPig

I have given mine two coats with the brushable waxoyle.

The first reason for it was to protect it a bit longer and the second to camouflage the big ££££ sign of its value if some theiving git nicks it!

I know, I know, if someone wants it they will take it blahdee blah but its a high value item and if it prevents drawing the wrong kind of attention then its good with me.

It looks sexier in Black anyway!

Cheers

G

[brighouse shed]

just one other thing the gloop does slow down all those bits of grit and cyclists when the hit the underside which will chip off hammerite in time.

So there is a degree of merit in waxoyl, still not convinced as you cant see it rotting prefer to watch mine like some attenborough sunday afternoon fillum.

[pedro]

I am starting a chassis swap this week on a 300tdi 110. The plan is to apply POR 15 primer then overcoat to topcoat the chassis black. When all painted, I am going to waxoil the inside using compressor and flexible hose to apply. There are 2 reasons for the painting, one i dont like the colour, 2 i think it will add to durability, plus the waxoil will help the inside, i hope! Will try and take pics.

[Shant]

I got a new galvanised chassis on one of the landys recently. It's lovely to see the new galvanised chassis; it's lovely to show off your new galvanised chassis......but it's better to know it's still going to be in decent condition in a few years time. My vote goes to waxoyl too! By the way, how much are you paying for your respray?

[reb78]

I am starting a chassis swap this week on a 300tdi 110. The plan is to apply POR 15 primer then overcoat to topcoat the chassis black. When all painted, I am going to waxoil the inside using compressor and flexible hose to apply. There are 2 reasons for the painting, one i dont like the colour, 2 i think it will add to durability, plus the waxoil will help the inside, i hope! Will try and take pics.

Is that a galv specific POR 15 primer? Heard stories of this coming off in sheets and would think this problem could be even worse onto a galvanised coating.

[WarPig]

By the way, how much are you paying for your respray?

Its costing around £1200 for fully respraying my 110 to Bonatti Grey.

[Cartman]

We recently bought a new 1 tonne galv chassis (mucho spendo) for the 109 and that has been externally acid etched (Mourdant solution)/Johnsons galv primer/POR15 chassis black/Dinitrol 3125 then 4941. That should hopefully hold off the oxide for a few years? Oh and Dinitrol 3125 cavity wax in the rear x-mem and all outriggers

I like to play it safe

[Anderzander]

I'm reminded of a scene from 'Once upon a time in the West' - where after Henry Fonda has shot someone he says - 'The man wore a belt and braces - how can you trust a man who can't even trust his own trousers?'

[pedro]

I washed and degreased using marine clean, then keyed using mordaunt solution. After this, the POR 15 gray primer was applied, it is not like normal paint, i tried belting it with a hammer and didnt chip, it is also reputedly flexible. I cannot see how this will come off "in sheets" as it is chemically bonded to the chassis. The company (Frosts) are adamant this will be the case, even on galvanised. One thing is for sure, it adds an extra layer of protection against the elements and i dont fancy another chassis swap in 10yrs having spent £6k in the last week on parts. Will post pics later.

[reb78]

I cannot see how this will come off "in sheets" as it is chemically bonded to the chassis.

Have a search on here - it has been mentioned before. I thought it was worth pointing out to you so that the correct process was followed re primers to decrease the chances of it happening again.

[Disty]

Can't believe nobody has suggested Tetra Schutz! Available from machine mart for about £4 a can, great value.

It dries hard unlike waxoyl, so if you're working on a rebuild imho it's the way to go.

Just used it on my own rebuild and very happy with it so far. Can be hand applied or applied using a compressor and £12 spray gun, also available at machine mart.

[pedro]

"

Have a search on here - it has been mentioned before. I thought it was worth pointing out to you so that the correct process was followed re primers to decrease the chances of it happening again."

I appreciate the heads up, but the process i have followed was confirmed by company selling, ie degrease thoroughly, metal ready/mordaunt solution, wash off with soap and water, let dry then apply 2 coats of POR 15 then topcoat. so far so good, time will tell I guess! Please remember this aint like normal cellulose paint, the reason i know this is because i managed to get some on my hand, and it took a week to come off!

[Nick 1]

I fitted a new galv 90 chassis to mine 15 years ago, I used 2 gallon of wax oil inside and out, and although still solid , the chassis has gone quite white and sort of furry. But where I didnt wax oil it ,ie rear crossmember, it still looks clean and just duller than when new.

It Appears that maybe there is some sort of reaction to the wax oil, although this seems unlikley, anyone else notice this ?