Should I galvanize OE Chassis?

[NRutterbush]

Hello Everyone,

I have an interesting issue, one I never expected to have with a rover.

I bought a Craigslist find, 61 88" up in the mountains. It had not been registered or run since 1969. I stripped it to the bare chassis, thinking that I would repair the rust and paint it with POR 15 or similar chassis paint. What I found, after dis-assembling the entire Rover, and scraping all of the asphalt / rubber undercoat from the chassis, was almost all of the original black paint from the factory.

I still plan to have the chassis cleaned / sandblasted, to remove the little surface rust that is there, but what to do next is a question. There is a local shop that can hot dip galvanize the entire chassis. Cost is not an issue. The blasting shop has suggested powdercoating on other projects, but he does that for a living, so I'm sure that suggestion makes sense to him.

The real question: Will galvanizing an original chassis be effective? There seems to be a lot of spaces within the chassis tubes that will not be reached by the blasting, and thus not cleaned well enough for the hot dip to coat them effectively.

Are reproduction chassis designed differently, to allow effective galvanizing?

Should any reinforcements be made prior to treatment?

I'm looking for any and all opinions here.

No the rover is not for sale.

Thanks,

Nate
'61 88" Diesel
'63 88" Petrol
"I'll let you know when one is running!"

[leafsprung]

sure

[Skeeball]

If you are talking about having the chassis hot-dipped don't worry the whole thing gets an acid bath then the hot dip treatment the molton zinc will reach every nook and cranny and you will have zinc stuck everywhere..

[KevinNY]

The chassis gets dipped in a caustic bath before the zinc that will get rid of any rust inside. Get it dipped.

[mongoswede]

what does galvanizing cost these days?

[yorker]

If it really is in that good shape sure go ahead and galvanize it. It has been done before plenty of times.

[redmondrover]

I have heard that parts of the chassis (or whatever you dip) that are completely sealed can "explode" when they are hot dipped and that to avoid that you should drill at least a couple of drain holes.

Our chassis was already galvanized but we did send our bulkhead, core support, new T posts, bumper, side steps and just about every other ferrous part to the galvanizer. I think all of that cost about $400. Our bumper has a tube steel brushguard and our side steps are tube steel as well so I drilled lots of drain holes in them. They came back nice and shiny--no explosions.:thumb-up:

[crankin]

I say that if your frame is in that good of shape, hot dip it. If not...in abotu 30 years someone will have to purchase a new frame.

I was able to find a galvanizer that does large commerical products. He quoted me $100 for 100 pounds. I was able to get the whole lot of stuff (minus frame) dipped for $100.

[109 Pretender]

Yep! A galv. orig. chassis would be very nice indeed!
I've been told by my galvanizer that drain holes have to be adequate not just for drainage of the liquid metal as they pull the part from the bath (logical), but also because a closed "box" type part w/no drain holes will have a tendency to float on top of the liquid zinc (and they don't like to have to try and force it under the liquid bath because of the danger involved). And they won't dip anything that is totally closed.

Another important point to make with your galv. company is to ask for the parts to be air dried naturally to prevent warpage. Normally they spray water on parts while still very hot to get some of the flashing crud to let loose. Also, they tend to hand grind away excessive zinc and can many times grind through the new coating. You might not notice it for a few years because of the sacrificial nature of zinc - but eventually those areas will begin to rust. (They will 'blacken' around the zone where steel is exposed 1st).

My galvanizer (North American in Tulsa, OK.) had an accident years ago that involved a new hire who stepped off into a 4' deep vat on his 1st and only day at work. Unfortunately, he didn't die immediately so I can only imagine the pain before his brain said enough.

Good Luck!

[NRutterbush]

Well, thanks for the info. I wasn't sure that a cleaning dip was part of the process, because the guy told me that there could be problems with cleaning nooks and crannies in the frame. Apparently, this is not the first rover chassis that he has done. He said he remembered doing one for his uncle, and maybe one other in the distant past.

If anyone is looking, I'll be heading to Moore's Galvanizing, in Madera California. I don't have a price quote yet, he wants to see the chassis first. He did tell me that cost is on a weight basis, plus time and materials for any blasting or additional cleaning needed.

I'll keep you posted.

-Nate
61 88" Diesel
63 88" Petrol
"I'll let you know when one runs!"

[Monkeyboy]

Be careful that all the vent / drain holes in the frame are open.

I discovered first hand that even the smallest trapped air spaces will expand to distort the frame :(

[NRutterbush]

I've heard some doubt that the chassis condition could be good. I got it back from the sandblaster last night, and will be headed to the Galvanizing place today (if they don't close for holidays).

Thanks for the advice about drain holes. I'll talk to the guy for sure.

3827

3828

[J!m]

If this was my truck, I'd probably paint it semi-gloss black over etching primer and a mid-coat of sealer.

Why? Well, how often do you find an old Rover like this with the original frame? Pretty rare.

I know it's "only" an old Rover; however in the future if you do end up selling it, having the original, un-repaired and unmolested frame will carry a lot of weight with a true collector.

You can find trucks with bad frames for nearly nothing and then set it on a Marsland (that's what I did).

In this case, I would personally try to preserve the originality of the frame (the entire truck really).

Obviously, annual Waxoyl treatments are in order, and it should be kept clean (inside and out), but that original frame will last very well,and having the matching VIN stamped on it is a real bonus to a collector...

Just something to think about.

[mongoswede]

I've heard some doubt that the chassis condition could be good. I got it back from the sandblaster last night, and will be headed to the Galvanizing place today (if they don't close for holidays).

Thanks for the advice about drain holes. I'll talk to the guy for sure.

3827

3828


How much did it cost to have it sand blasted?

[NRutterbush]

I spent $180 on the blasting. There are definitely areas of the country where you could have it done for less, or do it yourself, but silicosis is not a fun thing to die from.

I think that the place I went was probably mid-high range in the city where I live, but the results are awesome.

As a side note, the same guy said a full blast with black powdercoat would run about $375. I wanted to get it back before galvanizing or coating because I wanted to do a full inspection and any necessary weld repairs.

If I take it back for powdercoat, I am probably looking at $300 more, because it has been outside for a few days, and he will want to "brush" it off again with the blaster.

I've given serious thought to paint or powdercoat versus galvanize, and I think that I'm inclined to galvanize, even though there may be value in having an OE frame and number. An OE frame that rusts away still has no value.

Thank you everyone for your input. I'm sure I will have many questions as I head down this road.

I may also choose to use this chassis as a template to build another one for my second rover. I know that replacements are available, but I have an issue with paying two or three times the part value for shipping.

Laters,

Nate

[mongoswede]

The benefit of the galvanizing is that it will get the inside and outside of the frame and all the little overlaps and tight corners. Powder coating will not get into the inside of the chassis and it can have trouble getting into overlapping metal and tight spots. Those prices sound really good to me.

[Monkeyboy]

Coming from part of the country where we do have rust issues....I'd advise against the powdercoat.

The smallest flaw and you'll have moisture under it and rust you won't see until its darned advanced.

I galvanised an old frame that we repaired, revised and made fit the way we wanted it to.

The one you've got???? Man, I'd have to keep it cleaned, painted and waxoyled.

But that's just my opinion. It's your vehicle.

[yank]

I think that frame belongs in a museum, or the record book at least.

[I Leak Oil]

Did you buy the truck as an investment? I hope not...
Unless there's something special about the truck itself that original frame isn't going to add a whole lot to the price of a run of the mill series truck, original vs. Marsland or other new galvy frame. It will save you some money using it vs. buying new though.
Put two identical series trucks side by side, one original painted frame and one galvanized frame....I'd take the galvy one 8 days a week.

Galvanize it, put it together and work it like the Rover Gods intended. They're tools not displays.

[NRutterbush]

The only way this is an investment might be as a place to get rid of cash that would otherwise be used for stupid stuff... like mortgage payments.

As soon as this truck is road worthy again, it will be used for groceries now and then, Sunday drives in the mountains, and hauling the family camping on the trails in the Sierra Nevada. I'm sure it will end up parked at a car show or two, just because of the relative uniqueness of a rover in a line of mustang and camaro restorations.

If the chassis is really that rare to find, I could just clear-coat it for everyone to marvel at :D.

Anyway... I'm pretty sure there is a trip to the galvanizing guy on Tuesday.

[disco2hse]

The only way this is an investment might be as a place to get rid of cash that would otherwise be used for stupid stuff... like mortgage payments.

As soon as this truck is road worthy again, it will be used for groceries now and then, Sunday drives in the mountains, and hauling the family camping on the trails in the Sierra Nevada. I'm sure it will end up parked at a car show or two, just because of the relative uniqueness of a rover in a line of mustang and camaro restorations.

If the chassis is really that rare to find, I could just clear-coat it for everyone to marvel at :D.

Anyway... I'm pretty sure there is a trip to the galvanizing guy on Tuesday.


Good choice. Galvanise the thing and enjoy it. :thumb-up:

Land Rovers aren't meant to be clean and shiny. They (and yours) were built for use on the farm and in the building site.

If it were something really unique, like a long lost prototype or something then that might be a different story.

[NRutterbush]

After a lot of thought, I drilled about 14 3/4 " holes in the bottom of the chassis, hitting everywhere I thought was a low point, or a closed box.

When I got to the Galvanizing Shop, the guy told me that they would have to drill some more drains in one side, because they dip the parts sideways not flat.

DOH!!!!!

Anyway, I'm sure that my "drains" will help with water crossings at least.

The chassis is due back here on Tuesday or Wednesday, and the estimate was between $250 and $300 for galvanizing.

He has a pretty cool setup. You drop your trailer, he unloads, dips, and re-loads the trailer. Of course... my little car / equipment trailer looks a little out of place in a line of big-rig flatbeds full of cool shiny zinc industrial equipment, but it was a nice setup.

Thanks for the advice.

-Nate

[disco2hse]

Hope it all goes well for you.

[shock]

Take pictures!

[RoverForm]

Take pictures!
YES!!

pics of this process would be good to post!

[NRutterbush]

Now I understand why my wife loves to receive shiny things so much.

Total cost was $272 for hot-dip, $180 for blasting.

There are a few flaws in the dip, but not enough to be worrisome. I think most of the issues are at the rear crossmember inside the chassis rail. I wish I would have opened that up and blasted through it with sand and / or water to clean it well prior to galvanizing.

The whole process was relatively painless, and I'm ready to get on with the suspension set-up now.

I asked about taking photos of the process... sorry no go. Insurance keeps me, the lowly customer, from getting to play in the same room with a giant vat of molten zinc.

Enjoy the pictures.

[disco2hse]

You can probably get at those flaws with spray on zinc before you go too much further in the build process. Easier to get at them now than later and if you don't you will always be thinking, "if only..."