Firstly,to David Brady:Yes,indeed the best way to treat a chassis is to
powder coat it,(probably),but yes it's also expensive:What I did on my
Vitesse floorpan,(but I'm sure it'd be equally good for frames/chassis),back
in 1986,was to strip it,by hand,of all underseal/bitumen,then spray it with
Finnigans number one primer,two coats,then an incredible paint from an
industrial paint supplier,apparently used on Ships of Her Majesty's Royal
Navy,and also on North Sea Oil rigs! It was called Micaceous Iron Oxide
Phenolic Tung Oil.and it dried like black emery paper,you could even file
your fingernails on it!!! I believe the Micaceous bit is to do with mica,the
black glassy bits found in granite and on furnace inspection windows,the
Phenolic bit is to do with coal-tar,and Tung Oil is one of the most
water-resistant substances known to man,being the stuff the Chinese have used
for thousands of years to keep their junks afloat!!!,so it shouldn't have too
much trouble keeping our junk afloat!!! (just kidding guys & gals),
Obviuosly,that wasn't very cosmetically attractive,so we sparyed over it in
grey cellulose primer,followed by a mixture of Finnigans Smoothrite in
Signal-Red,mixed with Triumph Signal-Red Cellulose Paint as a top coat.(sorry
can't remember proportions after 11 years) Finnigans say their paint doesn't
mix with cellulose,but they are being economical with the truth as they
say,and it did mix,so I got an incredibly tough top coat of exactly the right
shade of red on my floorpan.
So I suggest you try it in black,on the chassis,or if you prefer the colour
of your cars body! I would also agree that Hammerite is rather on the brittle
side,while smoothrite is marginally better.,(powder coating also
cracks,flakes & splits-I've seen it do so on my Herald,front wishbones &
wheels,epoxy coating was little better)!
If you do use Finnigans paint in any form,be sure to follow the application
instructions to the letter regarding time of application of second coat,the
curing is critical and affects the final strength of the coating.
Oh and for what it's worth,I lacquered my Koni Shock absorbers/dampers with
two coats of Valspar orangey red lacquer,and it is as hard as very hard
nails!
TRF Response:Let's hear it for Charles Runyan,he deserves your continued
support,if it wasn't for him,so many of our cherished cars would be no more.
Of course he and his staff are not perfect,but who is? we all make mistakes!
(even Andy Mace,twice now!),So if you've problems with them,or other
suppliers,don't flame-grill the poor guy on this list-talk to him,by
phone,e-mail,FAX,or snail,it matters not.
STANPART: This may appear on all/any parts supplied as original by the
Standard-Triumph Factory: As SAH used to say: "Be a Stanpartisan,it pays to
patronise those who specialise"
Leon F Guyot
Triumph Sports Six Club Intenational Liaison Secretary.
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