BigRuss Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Looks like a great project to me. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLiNK Motorsport Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Welcome to the club! Sorry to put a bit of a 'downer' on this but unfortunately we are not quite so optimistic as the others! Whenever I read about someone that has purchased a chassis that has been stood outside for some considerable time I actually shudder! More so since the alloy panels have been attached to the chassis and therefore the chassis rails are full of holes and this means water ingress. Unfortunately you can't see what corrosion there is on the inside of the chassis and will not know how weak it actually is. What you do have to remember though is that you are building a very high performance motor car and unless you are absolutely certain the chassis is completely sound then I would be very wary of using it - unlike a monocoque where parts can be cut out to see the extent of the corrosion you do not have this luxury with a spaceframe. I'm no expert on corrosion or the integrity of the structure or how it could be tested but before you commence your build I would consider having the chassis tested/examined for internal corrosion or actually dispose of the chassis altogether and buy a starter kit from Westfield and use the other parts to build into a car - they are not life threatening like the chassis is. As has been already said speak with an expert; and from your location the Westfield factory are probably the clossest to you. Any way, after that damp squid I hope you really enjoy the project and the members here are always superb. We keep our fingers crossed and hope it turns into a really enjoyable build/restoration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphy Posted September 25, 2013 Author Share Posted September 25, 2013 Welcome to the club! Sorry to put a bit of a 'downer' on this but unfortunately we are not quite so optimistic as the others! Whenever I read about someone that has purchased a chassis that has been stood outside for some considerable time I actually shudder! More so since the alloy panels have been attached to the chassis and therefore the chassis rails are full of holes and this means water ingress. Unfortunately you can't see what corrosion there is on the inside of the chassis and will not know how weak it actually is. What you do have to remember though is that you are building a very high performance motor car and unless you are absolutely certain the chassis is completely sound then I would be very wary of using it - unlike a monocoque where parts can be cut out to see the extent of the corrosion you do not have this luxury with a spaceframe. I'm no expert on corrosion or the integrity of the structure or how it could be tested but before you commence your build I would consider having the chassis tested/examined for internal corrosion or actually dispose of the chassis altogether and buy a starter kit from Westfield and use the other parts to build into a car - they are not life threatening like the chassis is. As has been already said speak with an expert; and from your location the Westfield factory are probably the clossest to you. Any way, after that damp squid I hope you really enjoy the project and the members here are always superb. We keep our fingers crossed and hope it turns into a really enjoyable build/restoration. Thanks for the advice. My plan is to use a borescope to have a good look throughout the chassis and take it from there. From my TVR: Assuming all's well then I'll be treating all the internal chassis members with Dynax: after having the complete frame treated with zinc coating. But I'm open to suggestions! R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphy Posted September 25, 2013 Author Share Posted September 25, 2013 Update: today I removed all the aluminium panels and the outside of the chassis's looked better overall then I dared hope: R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAIGR Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Welcome Ralphy Doesn't look too bad in the pics . Good luck with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphy Posted September 25, 2013 Author Share Posted September 25, 2013 A wire wheel in an angle grinder worked best for me when stripping the paint off my old narrow chassis, but be warned it creates a lot of dust if you're doing it inside. Personally looking at the two rusty tubes in the footwell I'd be tempted to cut them out and replace with new metal rather than trying to clean them up. It'll also then give you a chance to check inside to box section to gauge if there may be any internal corrosion to any of the other chassis tubes. You'll find plenty of help and advise on the forum should you need it for a bit of inspiration this was the rebuild of my narrow http://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic/88905-smokey’s-narrow-rebuild/?p=893554 I'm settling down to read your rebuild now, thanks for linking it! R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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