Zinc Spraying / Plating

[beardydave]

Anyone know a reason I can't get this done to my chassis and suspension before I get them painted?

I know that I physically can, but is there a reason such as something in the IVA manual I've missed that says I shouldn't?

[jason 82]

No. I would screw a bolt in to all of the nuts in your chassis plates though. If you get that stuff in them, you will have to get the tap and die set out. Not a major problem, but a pain in the backside if you haven't got a tap set. Your holes will also need filing back out on your suspension brackets & diff cage e.t.c

[Short]

Zinc plating would be fine, although finding someone with a tank big enough may be a struggle. Also, any sealed tubes would need to be vented so the chassis doesn't float. Although threads would be fine and wouldn't need re-tapping.

Zinc spraying is rarely done nowadays, but as Jason said, it will cause threads to fill up. I wouldn't recommend putting a bolt in the hole to stop this, because they tend to chemically fuse together. We tend to drill and tap holes afterwards.

[beardydave]

Thank guys, I'm well aware of the two processes as we use both at work, including the re-tapping of all tapped holes, and having to clean out anything else.

I'd been thinking of having the wishbones and rear uprights dipped, and the chassis sprayed. There's a place local that have done spraying on camper vans, so a Haynes chassis should be no problem.

Can't decide whether to replace the bearings on my front uprights and the rear hubs and have them done as well. I really don't like rusty parts.

It was more that I've never seen anyone do this to kit car parts, so I was wondering if the IVA man would take an irrational dislike or not.

I might even get them colour passivated and keep them looking natural.

[Short]

I would change the bearings anyway. there not expensive to do. I was thinking of having my parts shotblasted and then painted in a clear laquer to keep the original 'raw' look of the car, but I ended up using hammerite.

[alga]

My bearings were *perfect*, so I just took them out put them back in later. Why waste money?

Speaking of cleaning hubs, the front ones can be sandblasted and painted whole, you don't even need to take them apart.

[deezee]

My chassis is 5 years old and doesn't have any rust on it. I've driven in the rain a few times when the weather turned bandit. I don't think its worth galvanising the chassis. Just paint it. The reason its not done on kit cars is because its not required. Its a solution, to where there is no problem.

[Ste W]

zinc powder coat is also an option. They did it on the TVR Chimera episode on Wheeler Dealers.