Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[ukdave2002]

I need to get some wax on the MGA underside and box sections, I'm planning on getting a proper gun with some lances., have worked out where it needs to go and where I need to drill some holes.

So far every bit of the body has been acid stripped, and I have got etch primer and gloss into every noon and cranny with a modified paraffin gun and flexible lance!

What are folks views on the various wax's available, I have looked at all the various web sites : Waxoyl, Bilt Hamber, Dinitrol, Rustbuster, etc..all claim their products are best

Dave

[Phil - Nottingham]

I got that kit and I use a Shutz gun with flexi extension - I have always used Waxolle but not been impressed as its smells and leaks out for months after even when you thinks it has set warmer weather sets it going. Does not prevent rust either unless renewed regularly but its better than nothing if you keep dust/mud out
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Rover P2
Rover P4
Rover P5 & P5B
Land Rover S2 & S3
Morris Mini Traveller Mk2

[Bitumen Boy]

Tried all those over the years, so...

Avoid Waxoyl. I think it used to be better than it is now, though I never found it terribly easy to use, especially in cold weather.

That leaves Bilt-Hamber - I'm comparing the cavity waxes here, as BH didn't do an underbody wax last time I was buying - or Dinitrol. Both about as effective, but the Bilt-Hamber, in my opinion, is the easiest to use. Comes in a nice gallon tin and doesn't need a lot of warmth to flow nicely without bunging the gun up. The Dinitrol comes in a can that supposedly can be screwed to a gun; I tried it once, set to the recommended pressure, really careful - and it still burst the can, no damage but I was filthy, even by rustproofing standards. I tried the Dinitrol underbody wax too, it looks good but my experience is that it won't stay put where it's subject to much of a blasting with stones, mud, salty water and so on - I wouldn't rely on it. Maybe the Bilt-Hamber equivalent is better, but I wouldn't bank on it!

Incidentally, you need scabby old clothes under the nastiest old overalls you can muster, knackered boots and an old hat that you'd otherwise be slinging out. Forget any idea of getting the clothes you wear for the job clean afterwards. Make sure there will be hot water for a bath as soon as you've finished, and don't even think of wearing any of those clothes beyond the back door...

The higher you can get the car in the air the better, you need as much room as possible, and plenty of light. Copious quantities of sawdust, old newspaper etc. should be on hand for the inevitable drips and spills. And before you go lashing out on a "proper" gun, have a go with your modified paraffin gun - I suspect it'll do just as well for this job if it can get paint into awkward corners. I bought a supposedly good one, but "good" is a relative term!

Have fun

[BigJohn]

And blag some old carpet or large bits of cardboard to put on the ground to catch the run off, unless you want a waterproofing stained floor/drive.

[victor 101]

I bought some Waxoyle to do my modern and thought it was a bit runny, its not Finnigans anymore so the bean counters might have changed the formula.

[Scotty]

I've used Waxoyl for years and yes granted it does make a mess, however for me at least its proved the most successful in coverage and remained 'soft' all its life.

I heat mine up before use by placing the can in hot water to make it more liquid, which 1. makes it easier to use, and 2. it flows into every nook & cranny you can see and can't. I do accept though it makes a hellova mess, so do the job somewhere that the over-run doesn't matter and have spare containers to catch the run-off for use later on.

[ukdave2002]

Thanks for your post chaps

I do have the luxury of the wings, doors, boot & bonnet being off the car, so access to other areas is good, and I can treat the loose panels separately, with a quick blast on the "joins" when they are fitted.

A few folk have advised me to avoid Waxoyl as it needs warming and some of the other products don't, however I'm persuaded to think this is a good thing as any product that goes on cold must be more susceptible in hot weather (if we ever have any again )

The area's that an MGA is susceptible to corrosion are quite well documented, so I want to concentrate on these and sections that are hidden. I think I'll use the clear stuff as it keeps a cleaner look, and if there is any future damage it will be easier to spot.

Dave

[Bitumen Boy]

Well, they all want warming to some degree, but the problem I have with Waxoyl is it seems to need a good deal of warmth for a good while to even get it out of the can. Say you get a gallon tin, stand it in a bucket of hot water, the water cools well before the Waxoyl will flow. Short of boiling it up for half an hour in a steel bucket on the gas stove - which I won't attempt for obvious reasons - it seems to be pretty much unusable wihout adding a lot of white spirit which obviously makes it less effective.

At the other end of the scale, the Bilt-Hamber brew can be hung over the garage convector heater while the compressor's building up pressure, give it a shake and it's ready to use, no messing about. Not the cheapest but, as I say, the easiest to use and the one I shall stick with in future, unless of course something new looks worth a try

[baconsdozen]

I've used the "Eureka Fluid Film" and found it effective on metal that I left outside for a long,long time.Waxoyl seems to be everyones favourite but I haven't found it that good. Somewhile ago I tried the Rocol range and although the pieces haven't been outside for as long as the other things I've done the results so far are impressive.
I think with any of the products on sale to the public the secret is to keep applying coats on a fairly regular basis.
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Thirty years selling imperial hand tools for old machinery(Now happily retired).

[earlyamerican]

A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO I EXPERIMENTED WITH AN ASSORTMENT OF RUST PROOFING METHODS INCLUDING WAXOIL AND SIMILAR TYPES PLUS VARIOUS RUST CONVERTING PRODUCTS. BOTH ON CLEAN STEEL AND LIGHTLY RUSTED.
AFTER LEAVING OUTSIDE I HAVE FOUND THAT THE ONLY PRODUCT THAT SEEMED TO FULLY PROTECT THE STEEL WAS WAS SOME OLD 140 GEARBOX OIL.
AFTER A YEAR THE WAXOIL HAD PROTECTED IN SOME AREAS BUT HAD STARTED TO LIFT OFF THE STEEL AND WAS SITTING ON TOP OF THE RUST WHEREAS THE RUST CONVERTING PRODUCTS SHOWED SIGNS OF RUST COMING THROUGH IN BROWN SPOTS. 3 YEARS LATER IT WAS STILL ONLY THE OIL THAT GAVE ANY PROTECTION.
IT WAS A WORWHILE EXPERIMENT BUT HAVING HAD QUITE A FEW RUST FREE VETERAN CARS WHERE THE ENGINES HAD PLASHED OIL ABOUT THE RESULT CAME AS NO SURPRISE.
I NOW TRY TO GET A GOOD THICK OIL INTO AREAS THAT I AM UNABLE TO PROTECT WITH CORRECT PRIMER AND PAINT.
ONE WORD OF CAUTION I WOULD GIVE IS NEVER TO HAVE A FLAME ANYWHERE NEAR WAXOIL WHEN IT IS BEING WARMED IN HOT WATER. SOME YEARS AGO I HAD A GALLON CAN IGNITE AND EXLODE WHEN A FRIEND WALKED TOWARDS ME LIGHTING A PIPE. IT TOOK A FULL DRUM OF PANEL WIPE TO CLEAN US.

[welshrover]

[earlyamerican]

I CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR THOUGHTS ON NOT USING MODERN OIL WITH ACID ADDITIVES FOR SMOOTHER ENGINE RUNNING. OR ENGINE OIL WHERE THE WATER THAT MIXES IN USE HAS CREATED ACIDS.
WHEN I SAID OLD OIL I DIDN'T MEAN OLD TO BE READ AS USED OIL AND CERTAINLY NOT USED MODERN ENGINE OIL.
I HAD IN MIND OLD STOCK UNUSED AS THE ONLY THING I WOULD USE AND HAVE STOCKS DATING BACK TO PRE WAR ALSO LATER MONOGRADE SAE D140. THAT IS STILL AVAILABLE
BEING IN MY MID 70s I HAVE USED OIL OF THIS GRADE AS A PROTECTION FOR CHASSIS AND CAVITY FOR MORE YEARS THAN I CARE TO REMEMBER.
I CANNOT SEE ANY VALUE IN MIXING OIL AND GREASE AS IT MAKES IT MORE OF A PROBLEM TO GET TO A SEMI ENCLOSED AREA PLUS CARE MUST BE TAKEN WITH SO MANY TYPES OF GREASE BEING AVAILABLE
JOHN

[welshrover]

i didnt mean new oil as modern i meant unused .ive got stocks of oil from the 60's that im going to use for the job old castrol about fifty litres of it lying about. so im going to give her a go before winter sets in as she's used every day and its still solid underneath be a shame not to do it i think. i use old type oil for engine oil changes. my friend alistair works for an oil firm and still gets oil from the 6o's 70's etc still in the original drums from where i dont ask but it costs me a drink for 25 litres of castrol engine oil. morris gear oil. hydraulic oil for tractors jacks antifreezes .i just look after his cottage when he works away so costs me zilch, a fair trade i think.

[Journer]

Bilt-Hamber is where it's at for me anyhow.
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'Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another'

[Rich5ltr]

I've successfully used Waxoyl for years and my favourite way of applying it is to mix it 50/50 with white spirit and spray it with a hand held household sprayer. One can direct the jet quite easily and it makes it easy to get it in all the difficult to reach places. Yes it does smell for a few months afterwards but at least that reassures me that it's doing its job.

p.s. Can the chap who's shouting turn off his caps-lock? We use capitalisation and punctuation to make sentences easier to read.