If you act now you could save yourself the expense of a new chassis later!
In our consistently damp, north European climate there is nothing more damaging to the long term health of any vehicle than RUST. Even if you vehicle is made mainly from Aluminium you will not escape it. The Chassis will usually be steel and where other steel sections meet Aluminium parts their effervescent reactions will only be accelerated.
Add to that our insistence on regularly dipping them into the soft and soggy stuff and you can see why there is a booming industry in replacement panels and chassis.
With a large box section ladder frame, usually with more entry points for moisture than exits it will not take long for the dreaded metallurgic reaction to take hold.
One company fighting a seemingly lone crusade against this is Before'n' After Rustproofing, owned and operated by Chris Parkinson, situated on the olg Greenham Common Airbase near Newbury in Berkshire.
After operating for years as a mobile unit mainly serving the Classic Car market, he recently opted for a permanent base which would also allow him to offer better facilities and a faster turn-around.
 
We booked our '97 Landrover Discovery in and went along to see what he could do. The Discovery has not been used for aything more strenuous than the odd green lane and has been kept well clear of mud holes and river crossings. Nevertheless our wet roads and annual salting can still take its toll.
We drove into his workshop, up onto the ramp and had a look underneath. There were no obvious signs of corrosion or other damage (it's not unheard of for Land-Rovers this age to start developing acne). Chris's first proceedure is to pressure wash the whole underside of the vehicle and into the chassis and other body cavities. It's not your usual Petrol station pressure washer he uses, this thing looks like it could take your skin off.
After leaving it to drain for a while he then applies a moisture dispersing concoction that he says is used by the navy to hose down 'plane engines on the Aircraft Carriers. You'll have to take his word for that but I can certainly say that it seems to work.
The workshop floorby this stage, as you can imagine, is swimming in water chemicals and three year's worth of debris from under the Discovery. Chris's solution is to cover the whole lot with sawdust and sweep it up afterwards.
 
The application of the Waxoyl treatment is pretty much what we would do ourselves, the only difference being that he has far better pressure equipment to get it into all the danger areas and his years of experience have taught him which parts to concentrate on.
On the Discovery he did the whole chassis, inside and out, inside the doors, iside and around the bulkhead, under the wheelarches and almost every other section of the car not covered by upholstery or blue paint. Some of it could be seen to be overkill or unnecessary on this vehicle but at least he was thorough.
Cleaning the excess spray of the paintwork and glass afterwards was a little rudementary. There were a few bits I had to clean with white spirit but otherwise it left nothing that a good carwash wouldn't shift.
As to whether it was worth it I guess we won't know that for a few years to come. Chris gives an unconditional 5 year guarantee with all of his treatments so it should last at least that long before re-treatment is required.
At a cost of £390 (inc VAT) for a typical 4x4 it is certainly not cheap and you could probably get the materials to do it yourself a lot cheaper. BUT we figured that if he's been doing it for so many years, specialising up until recently in Classics and particularly Jaguars, then he must know what he's doing and the reviews from other motoring publications all show him in a favourable light.
| WHY WAXOYL?
Slushing Oils such as waxoyl are very effective against the formation of rust as they form a perfect barrier against Oxygen and moisture.
Waxoyl has a micronised structure. Basically a wax consisting of tiny particles suspended in a white spirit.
It is easier to apply as it does not rely on a 'perfect' application thickness. As it 'dries' the white spirit evaporates off leaving the wax particles to adhere to the surface. This allows the wax to truly soak into a porous surface, such as rust, like a sponge and form a permanent barrier.
It also has a certain self-healing property to it. If the waxoyled surface becomes scratched or damages the wax canspread slightly to compensate.
WHY Before'n'After?
You can book in your car for either a morning or afternoon slot then take advantage of a special offer Chris has arranged with a nearby car-hire firm. For £12.50 you can take a car and explore the surrounding area.
Chris has even prepared a special Tourist Information Pack showing all the nearby attractions - of which there are loads - and a visitors book so you can see what previous customers have suggested.
COSTS:
From £320 for a Morris up to £425 for a Bentley
4x4 = £390.00
Colour coded wheel arches come in at £95 extra. (really popular with Concourse Classic Enthusiasts)
LINKS:
Before'n'After - TELEPHONE: 01635 32068
ALTERNATIVES:
A new chassis!
You could also use DINITROL - another popular rustproofing application. (Chris willl use thisif you insist) But not as widely available as waxoyl for DIY applications |
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