Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[dalbuie]

Good old hammerite, I used it before I knew better and didn't want to start again

I took the new steel wheels that came with the truck and sold them to finance 3 original 16" x 5" wheels and have purchased 3 new crossply's to go with them. I had already purchased 2 from another supplier - it's not a 3 wheel truck

I think keeping the old stuff on the road is the most important thing, and I would consider putting in more modern engines, transmission and running gear in if the truck wasn't so complete to start with. I do hate to see an old truck or car that's survived 40 or 50 years in tact stripped and all the bits replaced.

Your truck sound good and if you can fool most of the people most of the time you're doing something right.

[Uncle Joe]

Happy to see someone else shares my views about Hammerite, even if I do know that others on here swear by it...

My 300 is a car, by the way, not a truck. Though some people might disagree!

[Greeney in France]

UJ what are your views on Hammerite/smoothrite?
Apart from expensive I find it ok for underneath the car, would never use it on the body
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[dalbuie]

Sorry UJ, I had trucks on the mind while typing (my wife says I have them on my mind most of the time )

[Greeney in France]

I find it quite soft for quite a long while, weeks in fact
I have used it on inner wings and it doesn't "flat" very well either with wet and dry and then polish up, it pulls, which is one of the reasons I dont use it for anything else, I understand it is a type of enamel?
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We do these things not to escape life but to prevent life escaping us

[Uncle Joe]

This may be against forum rules, but here are my thoughts/experiences.

Over the last 14 years or so, I've used it twice. Once on the bottom of my balcony, which is now rusted away. The upper to bottom were just rattle canned, they are still perfect....

The second was around the top edge of my pickups load bed, over their Number 4. Sorry, but I cant remember the proper name. Rust is now showing through, and has been since about a month after it was done. In two places the rubber straps that hold the cover down has worn through it. In both instances, I followed their advice very carefully.

A while ago, I did a bit of research, obtaining opinions about rustproofing paints. The results are posted on here somewhere...

I know which product I will use in the future though, nad some is going to be ordered soon for the Goggo....

[Rick]

[dalbuie]

[Rick]

I've used it in the past, on suspension parts etc, but its claims of painting straight over and blocking rust do seem a little optimistic. It seemed to crack up and deteriorate over time too, although how this compares with other paints I'm not sure. Does anyone else have any thoughts on using Smoothrite or Hammerite on their cars?

Rick
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[ukdave2002]

IMHO there are no short cuts when it comes to painting over rust, it will never be a long term solution.

I was reading the other day that JCB sends its new wheels and other bits (that are made in Wrexham) to specialist firm in north Birmingham to treat for the small amout of surface rust that will have been generated since manufacture, and they are then taken to somewhere near Stoke for final painting and assembly.

Imagine the cost of this proccess, I'm sure if something like Hammerite really was reliable/resiliant they would just clean them up and paint the things ?

[imfinlay]

On the tin it says it takes 6 weeks to cure depending on conditions. I use it on the non-visible side of valance panels etc which are rust-free but subject to stone chips. Seems to work OK for that.

[wrinx]

I've used Smoothrite on the chassis of my Matta, really it needs doing every year so I'm not overly impressed.

What do people recommend for chassis/underbody protection?

wrinx
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[dalbuie]

I here a lot of people with good things to say about POR 15 - http://www.por15.com/ which I'll use next if I need to - or if/when I get another truck

I used hammerite on all by house downpipes 5 years ago and they have been excellent, but are beginning to need doing again now.

I have also used hammerite smooth on all the chassis, under panels, under the cab and on the bedsides of the truck. I did rub everything down to bare metal first with an electric wire brush. On all the non showing parts I have put on 2 thick coats using a brush, the aerosol is rubbish, it's like water!

On the flat bedsides I have put on 3 thinner coats with a gloss roller, it smooths itself down really well but you cant flatten it with anything for at least 6 weeks, even polishing with a cloth will leave a dull finish. So far I'm happy with the finish of the bedsides but they haven't seen any action yet.

I'll keep an eye on it all and update with my thoughts over time, although I wouldn't use it now if I was starting again as there are too many people saying it doesn't do what it says on the tin...

[Uncle Joe]

There are several products on the market that are similar to Hammerite, such as POR15, Hirsch, and others. From what I have been told/learned, these are basically the same formula. So it would be logical to assume that they all have similar properties. So therefore there would be nothing to choose between any of them. If these were the only ones on the market, then choice would be dependent on price and availability of each.

There is one though that does differ from the others...I think that UKDave has used it recently, so it would be interesting to hear any comments from him. So far, I have never heard a single bad word about it....

[pigtin]

It's very easy to think of Hammerite as a coverall paint and spend less time on preparation. I've found using Jenolite (not the jelly) to remove or neutralize surface rust ensures that most paints perform well.
I treated the surface rust on the body of my 10/4 in 85 and the cellulose still remains in good condition.
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