Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[rcx822]

I've found some galvanising companies in Yellow pages but nowhere for zinc plating which I think is the only way to go for bodywork. My car has a chassis. Do these companies advertise maybe in some classic car magazine? Any way to find one in or around London?

I just have some small bits to do for now, some critical brackets that should be done sooner than later because they are rare and rotting quickly at the moment.

I've heard that galvanising can damage the chassis. What are peoples opinions on this?

Can I galvanise the axles and suspension bits like trailing arms, control arms etc? And then paint over? I previously had them sandblasted and repainted but the paint didn't last more than a few years, maybe because the jeep gets used off road a bit.

[rcx822]

Just found that I was searching for the wrong keywords! Yellow pages lists quite a few places that do auto bits. I just spoke to these chaps who are very polite and keen: http://www.collinschemicalblacking.co.uk/services.htm

They did however say that car bodies are not normally plated. Have I been mis-informed? A couple of people who have a bit of restoration experience have said that modern cars have some sort of zinc plating under the paint. And I saw an advert for a company once that dips the entire car body in an acid dip, and then plates the entire thing (with all the bits removed of course), and it was a service they were advertising to car restorers. And I swear I've heard of people having their 4x4 chassis galvanised.

[Miken]

Have you considered powder coating?
Over the years I have had many parts p/coated. The company I usually use:
http://www.vulcanse.com/home.html
They always shot blast, Phospahate dip , zinc powder coat primer and then powder top coat in the colour of your choice.
I have just had the 4 panel, flat and louvred bonnet panels on my 1933 Morris Zinc p/coat primed .I was concerned they may ripple or distort it but they did a superb job.
Also, with the zinc p/coat you can apply body filler on top if nessesary and of course the paint of your choice.
I wanted them to do the chassis but it was too big so i took it to;
http://www.windridge.co.uk/content.php/452
They were doing the new railings for the houses of parliament at the time and the chassis went in with that batch.
I didnt get the 20 year gaurentee because I paid cash but it gives you an idea of the durability expected. The railings will spend all their lives outside. My car wont.
Although powder coating is not actually bullet proof, it is almost.
With proper preperation and under treatments it must be almost eternal.
One difficulty is getting it off from areas that I forgot to ask them to mask. It is extremely tough.
But, It cant be applied on any items that are soft soldered.
Dont confuse it with the coatings applied to cheap garden furnture.
Mike

[rcx822]

Thats reassuring with the powder coating. I went off powder coating after having my winch bumper powder coated and within 2 years there was rust showing around the corners. Maybe it's done to different standards.

[rcx822]

The Windridge website is quite reassuring. And the price is good. And they claim that there is no distortion during heating because they heat it evenly. They are also saying that the heating semi anneals the chassis and they say this is a good thing - I will check with my engineer friends. Is there any reason people go for galvanising over power coating when it comes to a 4x4 chassis?

[MikeEdwards]

A lot of modern cars are made from galvanised steel, but I'm not sure it's the kind of process that can be applied to an older car. Why? No idea, but I've never heard of it being done. I have heard of galvanised chassis for vehicles, but again I don't know whether they're made and then galvanised, or made from galvanised steel to start with. I vaguely recall a fabricator customer telling me that the problem is galvanising involves getting the steel quite hot, which can cause damage to thin car panels.

The dip-and-coat process that you're thinking of is not quite the same. Car bodyshells are dipped in acid (which specific acid formula varies depending on which company you use), cleaned off and then coated in something generally described as "e-coat" - an electrostatically-charged paint coating where the charge is used to attract it to the shell and help adhesion.

One of the problems you'll get with galvanising a bodyshell is getting the paint to stick effectively to it afterwards.

For me, the issue with powder coating is that if you get damage to the coating, water can get behind it and the coat is very difficult to repair effectively. I spoke to a powder coater who told me that it shouldn't get damaged, but it probably will, especially if you scrape it on the ground.

[rcx822]

Hi Mike. With the galvanising I know it not used on body panels. I was referring to components and the chassis. Ok so paint doesn't stick to it easily, that's something to consider.

Thanks for clarifying the e-coat. That must be what I thought was zinc coating.