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Rustproofing inside a chassis?
Slimy38 - 24/3/12 at 09:12 PM

Just a quick one, when building up a chassis from square tube, is it a good idea to run some waxoyl through the tube before welding up? I'm guessing the ends would have to be cleaned up for the weld to succeed.

I see loads of details about protecting the outside with paint or powdercoat, but nothing about protecting it from inside?

tomgregory2000 - 24/3/12 at 09:20 PM

if you do waxoil inside do it AFTER welding otherwise you burn off all the waxoil with the heat from the welding

Davegtst - 24/3/12 at 09:23 PM

I have squirted waxoil into every hole I have drilled into the chasis. Hopefully it will help.

Slimy38 - 24/3/12 at 09:25 PM

quote:
Originally posted by tomgregory2000
if you do waxoil inside do it AFTER welding otherwise you burn off all the waxoil with the heat from the welding


I was thinking more of the totally enclosed areas, where both ends of the tube are sealed. I wouldn't be able to add the waxoyl after the welding?

loggyboy - 24/3/12 at 09:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
quote:
Originally posted by tomgregory2000
if you do waxoil inside do it AFTER welding otherwise you burn off all the waxoil with the heat from the welding


I was thinking more of the totally enclosed areas, where both ends of the tube are sealed. I wouldn't be able to add the waxoyl after the welding?


Most areas get drilled for riveting panels or clips, so it can be fairly easily put in to most areas after the chassis is welded.

designer - 24/3/12 at 09:45 PM

quote:

I wouldn't be able to add the waxoyl after the welding.


If you can't get in, neither can water.

Irony - 24/3/12 at 09:47 PM

Believe me when waxoyl gets hot it burns and it is difficult to put out. I once did a very silly thing and put my tub of waxoyl above my woodburning stove on a shelf. The tub melted and the waxoyl set on fire. Copious stamping just seemed to enrage the flames and set my shoe on fire. I couldn't put it out. Luckily I have a Super Soaker Water pistol in the garage and that sorted it.

I would squirt it through drilled holes.

Slimy38 - 24/3/12 at 09:55 PM

Ah ok, I understand what you're saying now. The ones that stay totally sealed don't need it, the ones that get drilled can have waxoyl added through the drill holes, and keep a super soaker next to the fire extinguisher. Sounds like a plan to me!!

indykid - 24/3/12 at 10:04 PM

It's a poor idea in a locost.

I did it on the first indy spaceframe and everytime the car was used, the waxoyl warmed up and ran out of the ends of the tubes......and out of every rivet hole.....making a real mess of the garage floor and the underside of the car as it all blew down the floor.

wilkingj - 25/3/12 at 10:24 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Irony
Believe me when waxoyl gets hot it burns and it is difficult to put out. I once did a very silly thing and put my tub of waxoyl above my woodburning stove on a shelf. The tub melted and the waxoyl set on fire. Copious stamping just seemed to enrage the flames and set my shoe on fire. I couldn't put it out. Luckily I have a Super Soaker Water pistol in the garage and that sorted it.

I would squirt it through drilled holes.



WooHoooo... Hot Waxoyl cut with white spirit in a Parafin gun with 120psi behind it makes an Impressive FLAMETHROWER, with 8-12ft range!
Fun... but very dangerous, and not a good way to apply waxoyl to the car unless you are trying to cremate it!

As a keen exponent of Waxoyl, and being a Land Rover owner spanning some 35 years, I have used it a lot.
Its excellent stuff.

If the tube is totally enclosed ie sealed up, there is no point in opening it to put in waxoyl. No air / oxygen and no moisture will mean No or only a light surface rusting. It wont continue to rust due to the limited oxygen in the tube.
If you have drilled a section, say to rivet or bolt something to it, then YES... squirt some waxoyl in there.
I would drill the holes and then squirt waxoyl in from one end, then back the other way from the other end to get max penetration.

Also I cut the waxoyl with about 10% white spirit, it makes it flow a lot easier. However, it takes onger to solidify again ie until the white spirit has evaproated away. Hence only 10% max white spirit!
Also you can warm the waxoyl. Best way to do this is to stand the container in a bucket of boiled water.
DO NOT USE A NAKED FLAME TO WARM IT, or sit it on a stove / cooker. (CAPS are very very intentional)

If you can get hold of a proper wax gun, and I dont mean a Schultz underseal type gun. thats the best way to apply it.
The ones I mean have thin tubes that you can thread into the chassis. ie about a 3mm tube.
They look like this.

Linky

But NOT at that price!!

I got mine from the tool people at Stoneleigh. Was about £30. Schultz guns are £10-15 (cheaper, but wont work as well for the inside of the chassis rails).

The problem is that the box sections on a Se7en are usually 25mm, so you cang really drill a 10mm hole in it to get a shcultz type gun / probe in there.

You could use a Schultz underbody gun, but it will put it everywhere, and I mean everywhere!
Also put down a cheap tarpaulin or old dustsheet, or even newspapers, as this stuff drips and runs everywhere!
Its brill stuff, albeit a bit messy. Well worth doing if you intend to keep the car for a long time.

Dinitrol is also good.

Hope this helps.

mangogrooveworkshop - 25/3/12 at 11:04 AM

Welds are porous and the water does get in
wax inside will work but we found one hot day
that the caterhams fluid loss was from every seam
and not from the engine.
I have seen early sevens with whole tubes missing

[Edited on 25-3-12 by mangogrooveworkshop]

Slimy38 - 25/3/12 at 11:12 AM

quote:
Originally posted by mangogrooveworkshop
Welds are porous and the water does get in


Really? One of the first things I learned on my welding course was how to make a watertight weld. I would hope I could do the same on the chassis?

Bluemoon - 25/3/12 at 11:19 AM

quote:
Originally posted by indykid
It's a poor idea in a locost.

I did it on the first indy spaceframe and everytime the car was used, the waxoyl warmed up and ran out of the ends of the tubes......and out of every rivet hole.....making a real mess of the garage floor and the underside of the car as it all blew down the floor.


If the wax get's out then water will also gets in... So not such a bad idea then.. I guess it depends how many wet miles you will do, at a guess it's probably accademic due to the lnumber of wet miles! Still somthing I keep thinking about doing, I have done out side most tubes..

RichardK - 25/3/12 at 11:41 AM

quote:
Originally posted by mangogrooveworkshop
Welds are porous and the water does get in
wax inside will work but we found one hot day
that the caterhams fluid loss was from every seam
and not from the engine.
I have seen early sevens with whole tubes missing


Ah,that'll explain why coozers & fazerruss's sumps pi55es oil everywhere then

Cheers

R

loggyboy - 25/3/12 at 11:47 AM

Welds 'CAN' be porous, not all.- and a good application of primer and paint should seal most holes.