Chassis selection

I have a late model series's 2a SWB 88 truck cab.want yo put a new chassis on her but need some advice on best chassis and which offers best value for money. I want to get a galvanized one but then have it powder coated for extra protection and also for the look of an original chassis.

I wouldn't bother power coating if you are getting a galvo chassis for 2 reasons. First It wont really add anything for protection because you have a galvo chassis, you don't need to paint it, and second because power coat is like a melted plastic coating if it does get damaged then it tends to trap water against the chassis causing it to rust. Look how bad alloy wheels get after a couple of years i am just going to paint mine.

Reposted from the Series one forum.
This Land Rover was one of the first in our area to have a replacement galvanised chassis when they first be came available about twenty years ago. Fitted by its owner with no other protection and used by his wife as a daily driver its now completely rotten and in need of major repair. So when people fit their shiny new chassis thinking that the Land Rovers going to last for ever, its not.

WP_000175.jpg (119.6 kB, 1024x768 - viewed 2741 times.)

There is galve and then there is galve. I farm on the Welsh coast and have some gates that are over 40 years old and are still good but also have much younger gates that are going brown on the side that faces the sea.

nathanglasgow said:

Reposted from the Series one forum.
This Land Rover was one of the first in our area to have a replacement galvanised chassis when they first be came available about twenty years ago. Fitted by its owner with no other protection and used by his wife as a daily driver its now completely rotten and in need of major repair. So when people fit their shiny new chassis thinking that the Land Rovers going to last for ever, its not.

WP_000175.jpg (119.6 kB, 1024x768 - viewed 2741 times.)

Click to expand...

I did mine 30 years ago. Vehicle is now going through it's second rebuild. The chassis is still sound no holes anywhere. However there is surface rust in some odd areas.The normal rust prone suspects of outriggers, rear cross member and front dumb irons are unaffected, but I have surface rust on the top off the cross member that sits under the rear tub. I can't make my mind up if the zinc has migrated from this area over the years or if the galv was thin here when it was hot dipped, it's just not view-able with the rear tub on the vehicle.

I personally would not powder coat I've seen too much steel happily corrode under the powder and have it hidden by the shinny plastic, I think if I'd powder coated mine at the time I would not be able to see this surface rust and treat it, I'll be applying some wax treatment to mine initially I assumed the good old stand by waxoly but my brother insists the transport industry finds "Dinitrol" to be much more effective.

Galvanising is great way to protect mild steel. The mistake that's often made, like when a freshly made chassis is Zinc Dipped, is that the bright shiny mill scale, giving the steel its silver grey colour, isn't removed before dipping. After galvanising this mill scale will lift off, exposing steel which will then eat the surrounding zinc away.. Before galvanising its best to allow the untreated steel to weather, loosing the slight protection of the mill scale and slightly pitting the surface, which leaves a thicker zinc coating when dipped.

I always thought they acid dipped steel before galvanising to get the bond required.
Quote from here https://www.galvanizing.org.uk/galvanizing-process/
Hot dip galvanizing process steps
Main steps within the galvanizing process include :

1. a cleaning cycle – decreasing and chemical clean
2. fluxing – helps to wet the surface of the steel
3. galvanizing – immersion of steel into bath of molten zinc
4. post treatment (optional)
   Cleaning cycle
   The galvanizing reaction will only occur on a chemically clean surface. In common with most zinc coating processes, the secret to achieving a good quality coating lies in the preparation of the surface.
   
   It is essential that this is free of grease, dirt and scale before galvanizing. These types of contamination are removed by a variety of processes and common practice is to degrease first using an alkaline or acidic solution into which the component is dipped. The article is then rinsed in cold water to avoid contaminating the rest of the process.
   
   The article is then dipped in hydrochloric acid at ambient temperature to remove rust and mill scale. Welding slag, paint and heavy grease will not be removed by these cleaning steps and should be removed by the fabricator before the work is sent to the galvanizer. After further rinsing, the components will then commonly undergo a fluxing procedure.

Agripper said:

I have a late model series's 2a SWB 88 truck cab.want yo put a new chassis on her but need some advice on best chassis and which offers best value for money. I want to get a galvanized one but then have it powder coated for extra protection and also for the look of an original chassis.

Click to expand...

Richards or Marsland for the chassis - based on forum experience. Shielder appear to have known issues, also based on forum experience.

If you powder coat it, you will destroy it - based on personal experience of powder coated stuff exposed to the elements. If you want to paint over the galv, then T-wash the galv and paint after......

+1 on do not powder coat.

I bought a new chassis, then made alterations to suit. It Arrived untreated so I could weld and make alterations. After being sat out in the open, It had gone a rusty brown/golden colour by the time I had it galvanised. It was then acid dipped to remove surface rust and oil. The surface was left slightly pitted leaving a good key for the zinc to stick to and ensured there was no mill scale remaining. The acid dip will not remove mill scale, just oil and oxide on the surface. brand new steel is usually oiled once it's been rolled. The mill scale is left from the rolling process and remains strongly adhered to the steel surface, the acid dip will usually not remove all of it. Before galvanising its best to let the steel weather.. Although the steel supplier told me I had to go back with the chassis and wire brush the rust off before they would transport it to the galvanisers.. On the end I took the chassis to the galvanisers myself as it was and had a day watching the process. Told that a Light surface rusted surface gives the best key to galvanise to.

I wouldn't powder coat a... a powdered coat - for the reasons already given. A worthless process, a triumph of style over utility. I would paint the new chassis, either let it weather for a bit before painting or apply an etch primer first. A good quality chassis paint would be hard to beat but a chat with a paint manufacturer might yield a better product.

I wouldn't powder coat a... a powdered coat - for the reasons already given. A worthless process, a triumph of style over utility. I would paint the new chassis, either let it weather for a bit before painting or apply an etch primer first. A good quality chassis paint would be hard to beat but a chat with a paint manufacturer might yield a better product. Cavity wax internally.

I wouldn't powder coat a... a powdered coat - for the reasons already given. A worthless process, a triumph of style over utility. I would paint the new chassis, either let it weather for a bit before painting or apply an etch primer first. A good quality chassis paint would be hard to beat but a chat with a paint manufacturer might yield a better product. Cavity wax internally.

What happened there?

Looks like you stuttered .
Forum got some glitches.

Looks like you stuttered
Forum has some glitches.

Yer, yer, yer, yes, I therr thought so, couldn't even get on line last night. Mods, fer fetch a cloth and erase some of those unwanted posts...