Dear fellows,
at least Rik asked me to tell about my experience with "hot dip
galvanising" (hdg).
!!! Friends, ....there is something wrong with that term!!! For shure you are
the english/american talking people, but IMHO galvanising has ALLWAYS to do
with
electric current and as far as I know, hdg will be done WITHOUT Electricity !!!
Anyway, tomorrow I'll check it, if they have open on saturdays!
Afterwards you'll be informed-
So you lost, you have to read now.
The last, first: I did it (the cinc plating,- ) ca. 10 years ago and am still
satisfied.
The frame has been steelblasted before, only necessary to remove paint,-- oil
and rust will be removed in a special, I think, acid bath.
Here I have to admit, I made a very big mistake: All threads on the frame
haven't been protected before.
Probably you can't see the big problem that came on then...
Short technical-excurse:
There at least one difference between hdg and galvano zinc plating, -the
thickness of the coating. It's quite thick with hdg and very thin on galvano
zinc plating (for instance my front brake calipers are gzp and the standard
pistons fitted with no problem, never did the brakes again (11 years, no garage
and about 50000 mls)
Back to the frame: After dipping, I found every thread filled with zinc and
most
of you know at which spectacular points some threads are.
The problem was not only to cut all new, in about 50% of the threads I couldn't
find the old thread!!!
Allright, that was my fault, has nothing to do with the fact that the zinc
protects well.
My frame didn't warp ( Mr. Tscheckow, Warp 3, please :)-.. I like it, sorry),
but the TR4 frame is not so prone to bend like the 4A to 6 frame, IMO.
>>Karl, if I were you, I wouldn't ruin the amphicar, there not too much left
these days. BTW, do you have contact to other owners over here?<<
Motorheads, what about a big block swap (I suggest a GM marine 12L engine)into
Karl's amphicar? :-] (At least it is a marine engine)
One thing for shure: I have never seen a plane surface like doors or fenders
have, coming out of the bath in the shape they went in!!!
There is another advantage the dip procedure has, you will get it zinc plated
in
the inside too. I just rembered, I had to drill some additional holes into the
frame.
Now one disadvantage, you'll increase weight, 5 - 10 kg ( mine 8kg).
Again, I'm quite satisfied and would do it again, ... yes with thread
protection.
To Rik,
OK wir koennen natuerlich auch in deutsch reden, aber ich denke, da auch ich
wieder ein bischen englisch reden moechte, sollte ich in englisch schreiben und
du kannst mir wenn du willst in deutsch schreiben, Dann koennten wir uns
gegenseitig korrigieren. Jedes Thema ist mir willkommen.
Hope this helps someone.
BFN
Pete the investigator
Peter Juergens
Dortmund/Germany
TR4 daily
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