greg Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 Dear All I am thinking about buying an older, live axle car (8 yrs old) which has been well used and unpampered (but well serviced!). I will be leaving it outside, no garage ;-( Should I be concered about small rust patches on the chasis tubes (lower front on each side, behind front suspension area). This looks like anything one might find on an 8yr old car that has been well used .... but I am a little worried - what are my options. I know chasis can be replaced, but this sounds expensive .... Any thoughts appreciated. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murph7355 Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 If they're small patches of rust and are surface oriented then I wouldn't be too concerned. Just get them treated. What you don't want are bodged repairs to the chassis of a 7 as you might find on more mundane cars. So have a good poke at any rusty areas to see what falls off/pokes through. I believe chassis can also be repaired as well as fully replaced but am not sure how much this usually costs. I don't believe it's phenomenonally expensive though. C7 AJM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 My chassis is just over 10 years old and the only areas of rust have been as follows, Rear chassis outboard of the tank. Tank support areas. I suspect that the reason for the chassis being a little rusty at the rear corners is because that is the jacking point and the powder coating has been damaged. It is impossible to inspect areas of chassis along the edge of the body tub but tell tale signs would be bubbling paint in those areas. Having said all of that I fitted two brand new flared wing supports and headlamp brackets at the begining of last year and they are both as rusty as old nails. If that is typical of current powder coating then I would be very worried if I owned a car that was a few years old never mind one that has survived 10 years. Just treat the areas affected and cover with a good coating of Waxoyl or Hammerite. It is unlikely that the engine area will be badly affected due to the amount of oil and such that seems to get everywhere. I would recommend very large amounts of WD40 or similar at regular intervals if you use the car in the winter and it is stood outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg Posted April 10, 2001 Author Share Posted April 10, 2001 Thanks, Andy - they look like small surface patches - the car has a long MOT so this was either not an issue or not picked up at the last MOT. I'll get some hammerite - although getting a paint brush there will be fun .... John - Whats the WD40 for ? sounds obvious I know - but is there a particular use ? Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murph7355 Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 In my experience MOTing can be very hit or miss wrt rust. A prod with a screwdriver will tell you if it's surface rust or not. If it is, a good rust primer and a bit of paint will sort it very easily (follow the instructions, especially about flaky bits around the area or it'll come off easily). If it isn't, all may still not be lost but I'd be more inclined to get someone more authoritative to take a look. Don't be shy of asking the seller to get the car up on a trolley jack (or to take it to somewhere with ramps/lift if you know of somewhere) and have a good poke around underneath. If nothing else it'll ease your mind about the purchase. Incidentally, though I could be wrong, I thought bubbles on the paint on the panels were more often due to the ali'/steel interface reaction which I didn't think was anywhere near as iffy as the old iron oxide...? C7 AJM PS WD40 is good for preventing rust if used liberally. I would imagine it would wash off fairly easily in a good soak though so if the car's used in rain you may need quite a lot of it at regular intervals. Edited by - Andy Murphy on 10 Apr 2001 17:45:00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 Firstly it will dispose of any moisture in the important little places. Secondly it will protect the unprotected bits and those that you cant see. Thirdly if the can is fitted with one of the long red plastic straws its possible to get it into the chassis rails through rivet holes etc. I use my car throughout the winter and after a blast throught the salt I wash the car and then spray all of the unpainted ally and the front inner wings, exposed chassis at the front, suspension bits etc to give the afore mentioned protection and make it ready for the next outing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aideen Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 Fourthly - it smells grrrreat (unlike waxoyl) Aideen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 GT40 (no, not the car)lubricant as used liberally on mountain bikes has added teflon so gives better protection to moving parts. Best of all though is the fact that it smells even better than WD40 (Aideen !!!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg Posted April 10, 2001 Author Share Posted April 10, 2001 Thanks for the WD40 advice - does the club do a discount, what with English weather and all .... Another Q - where and what to keep all this stuff in (WD40 and spares etc ...), is the engine bay "safe" (worried about the heat) and what is a good container ? Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Haighton Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 I agree with previous posts. Check out the chassis tubes behind the front of the rear wheel arch - they can corrode quite badly on 5 years old cars that have seen winter (ie salty road) use. If the fuel tanks supports are rusty, then the fuel tanks itself may be very thin at the support points. Also check the aluminium panel just in front of the rear wheel arch - they can be jacked off the rivets by corrosion on the chassis at this point. Halfway along the car, on the bottom chassis rail is a fold in the aluminium pnaelling - corrosion can start to creep up under the paintwork at this point. But -no matter how bad it is, Arch Motors (who produce the bodyshells) will be able to rebuild it for you! Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westfield Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 All this talk about the smell of WD40 and GT40 reminded me I must mow the lawn. I always add a tea spoon of Castol R40 to the petrol in the lawn mower. The smell almost makes mowing the lawns a pleasure! Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FH Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 I hope you keep your clothes on wink.gif I'm not sure how I'd react after sniffing a teaspoonful of CR blush.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric McLoughlin Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 Is Castrol R40 related to the old Castrol R, normally associated with pre -war ERA's and Bugatti's. Also, can I use it on my lawnmower, it's a Flymo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westfield Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 Eric Yes and no. Yes, it is the same Castrol R from pre war days that gave that evocative smell at races (same as you still get at speedway events) No, you can not use it in your Flymo as its a 2 stroke (I think) and you have almost certainly been using a mineral based oil. Castrol R is vegetable based and the two do not mix. Sell the Flymo and get a Mountfield! Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefoster Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 WD40 will help if used very regularly. For longer term protection waxoyl thinned with white spirit and sprayed on all exposed areas and ali from a an 8 bar compressor does the trick. It has the pressure to get in everywhere. For example a blast up the panel by the fuel tank has the vapour coming out of the seams of the top chassis rail by the roll over bar etc. Works a treat where the powder coat is damaged by getting in underneath displacing moisture and protecting the steel. After use the water just runs off and the suspension bit are matt black. I always use a gas approved spray mask as atomised white spirit/waxoly is not good for the lungs. The down side is that working on the car means you get muckier from the waxoyl. I clean the accessible parts come summer and re-coat in for the next winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 A decent oil leak at the front of the sump keeps most of the chassis corrosion protected. For info Arch charge around £1300 + VAT to strip re- powder coat and repanel a chassis which is pretty good value. Arnie Webb The Fat Bloke blush.gif in a not so Slow Vauxhall wink.gif See the R500 eater here See the Le Mans Trip Website here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 Do I assume that this 1300ukp is if the chassis has the engine and running gear removed first - otherwise it is a very cheap rebuild..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 Graham, This is a bare chassis - i.e tubes and ally panels only! Arnie Webb The Fat Bloke blush.gif in a not so Slow Vauxhall wink.gif See the R500 eater here See the Le Mans Trip Website here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg Posted April 11, 2001 Author Share Posted April 11, 2001 Arnie Any figures on how much for a strip / rebuild ? i.e the cost of a rebuild chasis rebuild ? I read from your site you may have done this already ! Nice car mind. I was thinking that the Lotus 7 has its public debut at the Brighton speed trials, and last year you would have won a few classes with your car, may even got the best time. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Russell Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 Arnie, My front crank oil seal is weeping a little and I was contemplating changing it. Are you advocating that it should be left as a method of improving corrosion resistance??? Same system that is used on motorcycle chains I suppose.... Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 Greg, Redline will strip the car for you pretty cheap, as will Gary May -(Juno) Best fun is a DIY job thorugh then you can clean everything and the car ends up looking like new again. (Thats the ONLY reason mine looks so good) Andrew - depends if you get fed up cleaning up the drips! My new crank oild seal did exactly this and in two weeks totally pi**ed me off! Arnie Webb The Fat Bloke blush.gif in a not so Slow Vauxhall wink.gif See the R500 eater here See the Le Mans Trip Website here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg Posted April 11, 2001 Author Share Posted April 11, 2001 Arnie, I would love to do some DIY, but I do not have a garage, nor the time (seem to spend my life on a train between london and Brighton). Redline are near me, and are quite good by all accounts. Can you give a value for cheap ? Ps Is everthing still as shiny on your car as the pic's on the web ? Or do you do a lot of polishing ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 Greg, Most of the pics were only taken 2 weeks ago! Regarding value a cheap live axle car that is "well used" must be worth around £5 -7000 depending on engine spec (£6000 would be a GT 84bhp, 7000 a good cond crossflow 1700SS) To qualify this I will tell you that in 1994 I bought for another club member a 1986 (read 8 yrs old) Di Dion GT engined car for £6750. Arnie Webb The Fat Bloke blush.gif in a not so Slow Vauxhall wink.gif See the R500 eater here See the Le Mans Trip Website here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 I like the idea of the Castrol 'R' in the mower. The Briggs & Stratton 'Quattro' will never smell the same again!!!!!!!!! Rather like my model glow engine fuel that is castor oikl based with methanol and 10% nitro. If I use the 25% nitro mix and sythetic oil it gives 2 brake HP from 3.5 cc's. Great power to weight ratio, but a piston/liner life of about 6-8 hours. Mind you, it is geared for 34,000 RPM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg Posted April 12, 2001 Author Share Posted April 12, 2001 Thanks everyone for the tips, Sadley (for me) it looks like someone else has beaten me to the car ;-( At least I now know what to look for, althought there appear to be few cars avaliable in my (limited) 8k-ish budget ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now