Galvanising a used Landrover Chassis

[awemawson]

My year 2001 Discovery ES TD5 is beginning to show a little chassis rust either side of the fuel tank - got though it's last MOT ok but needs sorting. Other than this it's in pretty good nick. I've had it since it was two years old, and it's done less than 75K.

I'd intended to trade it in and get a slightly more modern Defender, but for the use this gets (towing stock trailers back and forth to the abattoir) I'm coming to the conclusion it's worth sorting and keeping for another decade.

My local Landrover man is suggesting pulling the bodywork off the chassis, fixing the rust issue, then galvanising the original chassis and putting it back together. (fixing the rust only requires dropping the tank)

I quite fancy this suggestion, but I'm slightly sceptical that you can clean a used chassis well enough for hot dip galvanising. After all they tend to rust from the inside outwards, so zinc spraying / Metco spraying the outside is barely worth doing.

Anyone any experience of galvanising a used Landrover chassis ????

 

[Justme]

Compare cost re a new already galved one. Remember to factor in the extra time it will take to remove yours & then galv it compared to ordering new one & being able to strip & build at the same time.

 

[awemawson]

Disco chassis's are very much more expensive than Defenders - presumably as far less are changed - about £3K5 iirc

 

[Robotstar5]

If it's chemical stripped it will get the rust inside and out

 

[winchman]

To be honest I would just weld it, treat it and use it. Mine has recently had, new rear cross member, two new box section sills, few patches on the chassis and several other plates its good for another few years, I don't see the point in all the effort of galvanising it.

 

[steveo3002]

sounds like a massive amount of work , if you repair it well and give the whole thing a good clean up it should last a few years , lashings of underseal or old engine oil etc

 

[evobilly666]

Had a few done successfully. Needs to be repaired and dipped as soon as possible after stripping as rust will start to form immediately. Obviously it's only worth doing on a good chassis and blasting or chemically stripping will find more holes than you expect nine times out of ten, so consider a complete replacement rear chassis section before stripping and galvanising.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I'd say buy an excellent used chassis with V5, that isn't on HPi register, and get that galv'd. Then swop over the parts when MOT runs out on your current chassis, rebuild and MOT on new chassis / reg.

 

[J.F]

This episode of a 4x4 might have some useful info from 20 minutes in.

In earlier episodes you see the chassis prep welding etc.

 

[awemawson]

Handy link - thanks. I remember the series but I must have missed that episode - interesting watching the dipping

 

[pedrobedro]

I'd say buy an excellent used chassis with V5, that isn't on HPi register, and get that galv'd. Then swop over the parts when MOT runs out on your current chassis, rebuild and MOT on new chassis / reg.

If you are swapping like for like you can keep your own vehicle details, no need to complicate the process. I've helped do a couple of swaps and it's amazing how much dirt gets inside the chassis which is why they rot in the first place.

 

[awemawson]

It's been made virtually impossible to re-use a second hand Landrover chassis. The DVLA types have clamped down on it. Also if you re-chassis a Landrover you have to show proof that the old one has been destroyed

 

[malfazer]

hi had a few defender ones done for customers we strip them have them blasted then weld them were needed .the only way to galve them is to have them double hot dipped first dip burns all the crap and scale from inside then they dip them a second time does a really good job but its more expensive and some places are not keen on doing it as it produces a lot of scale on surface of tank so more work for them cleaning scum off the galv as they work

 

[Chris Stevens]

I welded a few of these several years ago, and seem to remember they are pretty thin material, with double or triple thickness in higher stress areas? If thats the case, galv will protect the outside, and some of the inside, but greatly speed up corrosion in the high stress areas, as the galv will not get between the layers. Older LR had far more substantial chassis, without layers, were much easier to repair, and could be galvanised from new (I would think?).