P38A Chassis rust

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plumbfisher

Active Member
Posts
523
Location
Berwickshire
I mentioned this before but it got a bit lost. Thought I'd better start another fred.
Got the MOT, but also got an advisory of 'extensive corrosion to the rear of the chassis'.
He's a good guy who I take the rover to when I have to and he reckons it can be welded using plates (obvs cut to shape) for around 1k. But I'm wondering if it would be possible to get a rear half chassis and make a proper job of it that would last. After all the time and money I've put into the old heap I'm not going to stop now! Rangeroller suggested finding a scrapper and cutting it up. Good idea but probably a bit beyond me thesedays. I can't find anything online yet. Any ideas please?
 
Really odd. Of all the vehicles the P38a seems the least prone to rusting.
Was it used at some point for launching boats by any chance?
 
Don't know why its so bad. It maybe coming from the inside I think, I've always cleaned it and waxoiled it for winter. They do chuck the salt on thick round here (usually the day after a hard frost!) The towbar is rusty too and I'm reluctant to chip any more off it so it keeps coming back through the waxoil. One of the first things I did was repair the rear wheel arch liners, there was a big gap where all the spray was going through and rotting the silencer.
But anyway, it needs cutting out and welding. So what's the best way to do it? I suppose it being so rare for them to get this bad that would account for chassis not being available.
 
Sealing like waxoyl can cause rust. any corrosion needs to be cleaned off, treated and then sealed. sealing over the top of corrosion just causes it to rust my locking moisture in.

Possibly was used for launching boats but really, launching a boat properly shouldn't mean any part of the launch vehicle getting wet !
 
PS What's the plural of 'chassis'?

It's one of those words that falls in the singularly plural but not quite...in this case the spelling is the same but the pronunciation diffrent...unlike other singularly plural like meat\soap etc that are proceeded by for example....4 types of meat or 4 bars of soap...
 
Sealing products cause a lot of problems in terms of rust. The slightest bit of moisture trapped under it will rust like a ****er before you realise.

Beyond getting a scrap chassis, cut out the rust best you can, treat what is left with a rust inhibitor like jelonite, then plate over it all and paint. But unfortunately once tin rot starts, unless you can get rid of every single bit, it'll always come back. And I imagine once you cut into your chassis, the more you cut the more rust you'll find.
 
It's one of those words that falls in the singularly plural but not quite...in this case the spelling is the same but the pronunciation diffrent...unlike other singularly plural like meat\soap etc that are proceeded by for example....4 types of meat or 4 bars of soap...

Really? I thought 1 chassis, 2 chassies!

My experience is same as Bix. Once in it is just delaying the inevitable. But maybe that is long enough? How about a decent scrapper with blown engine and swap the good bits over?
 
Sealing products cause a lot of problems in terms of rust. The slightest bit of moisture trapped under it will rust like a ****er before you realise.

Beyond getting a scrap chassis, cut out the rust best you can, treat what is left with a rust inhibitor like jelonite, then plate over it all and paint. But unfortunately once tin rot starts, unless you can get rid of every single bit, it'll always come back. And I imagine once you cut into your chassis, the more you cut the more rust you'll find.
Jenolite is just Phosphoric Acid which can be bought more cheaply without the brand name.
 
Any chance you parked it to my old Disco at sometime and it caught rust worm. The disco had plenty to spare.
 
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