Rust Free Chassis

[bfrenz]

Thanks to certain people this was topic was axed. Don't be idiots this time and don't ruin my post.

Now that I got your attention you can look at my pics of my new car. Just pick her up today. Just minor surface rust on the front hood. The pics show all the usual spots that the tin worms like to eat. This car was spared. Just the thought of no more rust repair is making me smile ear to ear.
http://home.centurytel.net/picsofsort/r1.jpg
http://home.centurytel.net/picsofsort/r2.jpg
http://home.centurytel.net/picsofsort/r33.jpg
http://home.centurytel.net/picsofsort/r4.jpg
The guy was going to make this a concours car. I got lucky enough to stumble upon it. Now I just have to transfer everything over.
Anybody have ideas on how to rust proof these. Looking through some of the access holes I see surface rust. The car is a bare chassis so now is the time for rust proofing.

[kellzey]

Where I come from, Florida, our 914s are rust-full!

Congrats on the good find.

I have a new (NOS) 1974 Main Body Wiring Harness (front to rear). I won't be needing it. Unfortunatley, if I were to sell it, it won't be cheap (considering what I paid), but nowhere near dealer cost. My dealer's cost (if he could locate one) was $1895.00. Gulp!

e-mail me privately if interested.

Regards,

[bfrenz]

Thanks on the offer. But I have a semi rusty 914 that I will be transferring all the goodies over. If anyone is interested down the road my other 914 will be up for sale. It has Solid trunks, floors, fenders, hoods, etc. It just has the battery acid rot on the passenger side.

[campbellcj]

You're right, sorry 'we' turned your original thread into an OT rant. Nobody has actually tried answering your question about rust-proofing options.

I don't know much about body/paintwork, but I know there are several options. You are probably best off using several of these in combination -

Body cavity wax
Seam sealer
High-build underseal/undercoat
Zinc-rich galvanizing primer
Rust-converting/preventing paint like POR-15

I know that on my former 911, pretty much all of these were applied, in different areas - mostly by the bodyman and some by me.

Somebody around here, I think Lawrence ('Rusty') has successfully sprayed POR-15 into the longs etc. I don't think it was trivial, or cheap, but the consensus is that POR-15 is damn good stuff.

I figure that the modern paints and rust treatments we have today are (hopefully) superior to what was originally used 25-35 years ago. So if you start with a reasonably clean tub and treat it properly, and then try to keep it dry, it should be good for another couple of decades! I'd like for my son to be able to see (and drive) 914's and early 911's when he gets his license in around 2017!

[kellzey]

Is there any kind of dipping you can do with the whole chassis?

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Yes. There are places that will galvanize large and complex objects. Someone on the 914 Rennlist e-mail list (I think it was) had looked into it for a while. I think that the company that did the job was industrial-oriented (instead of individual-customer-oriented) and did things like dumptruck beds for fleets of trucks. And so on.

Not sure how you'd find more info on that, perhaps a Google search?

--DD

[campbellcj]

I dunno for sure, but I would venture a guess that the outfits who can dip n' strip a whole chassis, might also be geared up to dip in some sort of sealer/primer?

That sounds intriguing, if you can afford it (mostly the disassy/reassy) -- acid dip to strip off the old paint and oxidation, zinc galvanizing coat, then a nice white rust-preventitive sealer POR-15 kind of thing...then powder coat the whole sucker.

Last year, I looked at, and almost bought a race roller chassis that had been dipped & powder coated. That particular car (not even a car, really) was too incomplete for me to tackle, but the concept might have some promise.

[SummerSledSix]

I've heard some horror stories about acid dipped teeners having issues with never being able to completely "dry out" the spot welded lap-joint seams and having the stuff leach out and eventually destroy the paint. Better ask about that if you go that route.

I've used both POR-15 and that always-stays-gooey spray on stuff (similar to the old Ziebart coating). A number of people make the gooey stuff in spray cans, including 3M and Wurth.

There are 3.5 "dead spaces" on the chassis to watch out for: 2 each longitudinal tunnels, the center tunnel (that's the .5, cuz it has access holes), and the "box" at the base of the firewall. Might need to drill a few small access holes to squirt your favorite stuff in there.

[Brad Roberts]

We are spraying complete tubs with Por15 and trying not to miss anything in the process.

We have acid dipped in the past. I'm currently looking for another dipping place to do another tub for me. Ca. is not friendly to places with large enough vats to dip a tub.

Be very careful spraying Por15 with a paint gun. It dry's your skin/eyes and everything around you out... RIGHT now. We put water down on the floor and 90% of it was gone in less than the 15 minutes it took for me to shoot the tub front to back.


Scary stuff.

B

[derek_sf]

hey B, have you ever tried using Zero-Rust instead of POR-15? it's a similar product, but all the body guys I have talked to said it is superior and MUCH easier to work with. it also comes in several colors, and I believe is cheaper than POR-15.

[Brad Roberts]

D,

I try not to do full restorations. My body shop guy (ScottY) also told me to use Zero-Rust. I was so tired of brushing on Por15 this last go around that I thought I would spray it. It uses a lot less product but goes on very nicely.

Once I run out of Por15 (bought 1 gallon of Silver and one Gallon of Black) I'll try the Zero-Rust. I like the Por15.

B

[bowlsby]

One thing that no one seems to remember is that hot dip galvanizing is just that...hot molten zinc. Thin metals, when dipped often warp and distort, and a true hot dip galvanized finish looks like one of those HD framing nails...burly, coarse and rough. I can't imagine that would be a good base for a car finish. Electro galvy (EG) is a smoother finish...but thinner zinc...maybe thats what car mfrs do.

There are also cold galvanizing coatings readily available. We haven't discussed them on this BBS before. Anyone have any experience with them on a car?

http://www.zrcworldwide.com/ there are others.

ZRC is an organic binder with suspended zinc particles, but it is mostly zinc particles. It is often used to touch up welds and field cuts on bridges and heavy commercial uses. I have seen it in local hardware stores.

Just another possibility.

[norustscott]

POR-15 is really designed to be used over existing rusty metal. It really is not a rust proofer but a rust deccelerator...

I have lots of POR-15 on my car. I even used the top coat primer over the semi gloss black. It so far has worked well.

My old man swears by Ziebart. he has a 20 year old f-150 with zero rust. and It sits outside 100% of the time. East Coast truck too.


The only problem I see wtihthe Ziebart system is that they will poke a lot of holes in the bondy to fill cavities...

I would go with chrome plating... triple plate! how cool would that be.?

[SummerSledSix]

Chrome plate? You could win races just by blinding the guys around you on a sunny day...