Ever had professional rustproofing done?

[Gp79]

Thats an example why I won't take mine out in winter with salt on the roads!
Fortunately the previous owner did the same and the underside is just a little dusty with no corrosion at all.

Looks like new!

I also avoid use if salt has been spread but the previous owners used it year round by the look of it

 

[Gp79]

Hot dip galvanising would be a bit hit and miss on the inside if it's tubular , air pockets

Best bet would be filling it with Dinitrol cavity wax or something similar before it was fitted

Or get it e coated which is the industry standard undercoat and the reason modern cars don't rust like they did 30 years ago

I know a company in the Durham area that do it

Thanks for the suggestions, if you could pm me info the company in Durham it would be great to speak with them.

Cheers Greg

 

[2b1ask1]

Don't recommend galvanizing; it will almost certainly deform it because of the heat involved the metal relaxes and moves to de-stress, could well render it scrap, I kid you not.

 

[general_piffle]

OK, an update on the rust prevention. I got The Paint Shop Pros to do it in Buckinghamshire and a very good job they did too. Here's a link to their site:

http://www.thepaintshoppros.co.uk/

Gavin was very helpful and I can definitely recommend him. I wrote a brief based on information gleaned from here and other places online, the brief is specific to the Ghibli Biturbo but many of the areas that need looking at apply to most cars. After a fair bit of research I decided to go with Bilt Hamber products as they consistently get great test results against competitors. Here's what to look out for if rust-proofing a Ghibli Biturbo:

Ghibli Common Rust Problem Areas

• Have a really careful look at the screen pillars, rust can creep in underneath the trims but be warned, the trims can be a pain to remove. Best to check bottom corners of the windscreen where it meets the bulkhead. Very carefully remove the inside leather and pillar trims and shine a torch down there to make sure!

• Please check all inner wheel arches.

• Rear of the engine bay, particularly close to the bonnet hinges, floors etc.

• Also peel back the door rubbers along the roof to have a look, rust can often creep in under there.

• Sills, sills, sills! A common problem area.

• Also have a good look at the underside of the bonnet close to the bottom of the grille, another common rot spot.

• Boot lids can rot from the inside out as the steel is folded and condensation can collect in the fold leading to problems, so a good check and plenty of cavity wax please.

 

[spacecadet]

Looking good and useful summary!

I also plan to do mine during the winter. Were the subframes removed or was everything, except the exhaust, kept in place?

Any suggestions for refinishing suspension parts? I'm thinking about powder coating but also worried about chipping (hard to repair) and heat deforming the metal.

 

[general_piffle]

Looking good and useful summary!

I also plan to do mine during the winter. Were the subframes removed or was everything, except the exhaust, kept in place?

Any suggestions for refinishing suspension parts? I'm thinking about powder coating but also worried about chipping (hard to repair) and heat deforming the metal.

Thanks! Subframes were not removed, nor was the exhaust, it's possible to get really good access in and around these parts so removal not needed. When you say suspension parts if you're talking about stuff like brackets etc. (anything solid that doesn't need to flex like springs for example) then yes powder coating would be a tough and tidy finish. Steel parts being powder coated won't deform from the baking process, if you think incredibly thin walled racing bicycle frames can be powder coated, so beefy car parts should be fine. If the finish chips then you could touch it in with something like Smoothrite but if it gets really bad over time probably best just to powder coat it again. Bear in mind that it is a very tough when done properly so chipping while not impossible will be rare.

 

[spacecadet]

Hm, good to know, thanks. Yeah, I meant everything solid, together with the whole subframe. I'll ask around at local companies for the whole process and price.

Or get it e coated which is the industry standard undercoat and the reason modern cars don't rust like they did 30 years ago
I know a company in the Durham area that do it

Just reread the topic and wasn't sure what is this coating, and found it as electrophoretic coating. This is completely new for me. Pros and cons compares to powder coating? Did you used it for something? Would be nice to collect some first hand experience.