Sub-frame corrosion

[Pueblo_Boy]

I had an advisory for sub-frame corrosion, and paid someone to rub down the rear frame and apply rust remover. I still got an advisory at the next MOT - "corroded but structural rigidity not significantly reduced"

Recently, I saw a refurbished (4 coats of primer paint) sub-frame for sale at £80, and was tempted to buy it. My question is, what else would I need to buy and replace to make the job worthwhile? Bushes...new suspension arms for sure...what else and how much?

I also have an almost complete old rear sub-frame that I bought two years ago, because I wanted the upper arms off it (I used one). Presumably, this can this be sand-blasted and painted up...or alternatively, my existing sub-frame(s) could be removed and treated to sand-blasting and probably new bushes etc. too.

The MOT mentions both front and rear sub-frames, even though the front was apparently done some years ago. It makes sense I guess to have them both done, but at what cost? I would at the same time get the car underside rustproofed to protect the investment.

All of this will no doubt cost a pretty penny, though I have no idea how much - anybody care to estimate the costs? Or with 156,000 miles on the clock, should I be thinking of selling and investing in one with fewer rust issues? I really like my Tourer, and have made a number of improvements to it, but realise I could easily throw lots more money at it for little return in longevity... Please note I do not have the facility to do any mechanical work myself.

Any sage advice gratefully received.

[COLVERT]

Quote.--paid someone to rub down the rear frame and apply rust remover.


After that use spray on underseal.---Leaving it with just Rust Remover will make it rust 10 times faster than when new.---


Mine. Last MOT--advisory, Surface rust to sub frame.

This MOT, not a mention as I'd cleaned and undersealed the frame.---

[Pueblo_Boy]

[QUOTE=COLVERT;2839278]Quote.--paid someone to rub down the rear frame and apply rust remover.


[SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]After that use spray on underseal.---Leaving it with just Rust Remover will make it rust 10 times faster than when new.---[/

OMG! No mention of that effect on the tin... Should be called "Morust" instead of "Kurust"!

Ah well, I guess it's either expensive new subframes plus underseal, or a new car...which is why I need to work out the relevant costs to help make the decision.

[macafee2]

A member had their sub frame shot blasted, primed and painted. I don't think manually rubbing down will do a good job unless you have load and loads of patience.

I would go the shot blast and spray paint method.

macafee2

[Pueblo_Boy]

Originally Posted by macafee2

A member had their sub frame shot blasted, primed and painted. I don't think manually rubbing down will do a good job unless you have load and loads of patience.

I would go the shot blast and spray paint method.

macafee2

Yes, I recall Marinabrian fixed up his father's car, spending many man-hours doing an absolutely terrific job on the sub-frame. But even he said he wouldn't want to do it again!

Therein lies the dilemma. The labour to remove the rear sub-frame, the cost of sandblasting and then painting several coats, then re-assembly, including new bushes as a minimum, is going to be not far shy of what, £500 from a garage? Increase that for the front sub-frame, and you're spending as much as the car is worth in the market...then underseal whilst you're at it!

Still, if it adds several years onto the life of the car, averaging out the cost over those extra years might justify the spend - at least in your head!

I've spent hours combing the used car markets looking for a replacement car I could live with, if I had to replace my Tourer. Nothing really compares in terms of value for money...nothing!

[COLVERT]

If the rust is mainly surface and not serious then a good make of spray-on underseal will stop any further rust in its tracks.

As I said in a previous post most spray-on underseals are quite runny before semi-hardening. They should run into all those nasty little crevices that are hard to get to.---

[macafee2]

Originally Posted by Pueblo_Boy

Yes, I recall Marinabrian fixed up his father's car, spending many man-hours doing an absolutely terrific job on the sub-frame. But even he said he wouldn't want to do it again!

Therein lies the dilemma. The labour to remove the rear sub-frame, the cost of sandblasting and then painting several coats, then re-assembly, including new bushes as a minimum, is going to be not far shy of what, £500 from a garage? Increase that for the front sub-frame, and you're spending as much as the car is worth in the market...then underseal whilst you're at it!

Still, if it adds several years onto the life of the car, averaging out the cost over those extra years might justify the spend - at least in your head!

I've spent hours combing the used car markets looking for a replacement car I could live with, if I had to replace my Tourer. Nothing really compares in terms of value for money...nothing!

Are you able to remove and refit the sub frames. The front is heavy but the rear one is not, some "special" tools required and particularly with the rear, you may spot other surface rust spots on the body to deal with at the same time. It is not a hard job to remove and refit. I think Blink may have had a sub frame shot blasted and painted, someone has as I saw a post about it.

macafee2

[grs6680]

When I did mine had it shot blasted then I treated it with bilthammer 80 and 4 coats of hammerite silver

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[Pueblo_Boy]

Excellent!

Funnily enough, there was a guy selling the painted sub-frame I previously mentioned from near Nottingham...wasn't you by any chance?

[alanaslan]

Third time lucky for trying to leave a post on this: I have movet Roxy cat from undre my arms at the Key board. so I now cant blame her.
Beautiful: before I retired subframes and chassis from project cars were fully stripped and sent away to the shot blasters when they came back the were inspected for dammage and that dammage was repaired. in the case of classic chassis we usualy added mounting plates for seat belts so the cars were safer to drive with a driver restraint system.
We then shotblast the areas we had worked on before sending the part to the galvanizers to be galvanized upon return all threaded parts had taps or dies run up them to clean the threads then all new bushes were pressed into the finnished part if the part was to be painted this would happen before any further work would continue once the part was fully assembled ready to go back to where it came from it was treated with cavity wax and self healing pannel wax on the surfaces that were exposed. we would re wax the under side of a car every three to four years.
it is at times like this I wish I had kept the photographs and not sent them with the finished car back to their owner.
We were very lucky being close to the old ship yards on the River Clyde there were shops that could Pickle and Galvanize parts up to 25 feet long and the bath was ten feet deep this ment there was not much we worked on that they could not treat for us.
It is so nice to see members doing a home job to such high standards I have to confess the last subframe I replaced was just a new part wax treated. when I come to do the spice tourer I will buy new frames but send them For shot blasting and Galvanizing before painting then treating with wax prior to fitting. I know its over kill But I am hoping this car when finished will be better than it was when it rolled off the production line. in 2004.
Keep up the good work everybody. I find it very sad that our cars are dissappering so quickly from the roads. I can never understand why people are happy to spend £300+ every month for over 40 years to have their new car on the drive when if they were to kook after one car properly from new they would never reach the level of expenditure they do on their modern euro box. and they would own a classic car.

Not only that but the natural resorces required to build a car and the pollution generated would be greatly reduced.

thus doing your bit to save the planet.
Great Photographs guys keep up the good work.
Alan