kik1.6se Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Hi Guys, I'm sure this has been covered before, but I carn't seem to find it, so I thought it would be a good question for FAQ's section. I always try and avoid using the Westfield when there is salt on the roads, but I took it out the other day (no salt on the road) and as I was getting close to home some gritters went passed . What is the best way to clean the car and make sure I've got rid of the salt? Thanks Kirk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooby Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Pressure washer the under side then WD-40's all over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 The key to avoiding salt damage is more about preparation than remedial work IMHO. Getting salt damage out of untreated panels can be a pain, and it takes a surprisingly short time for the salt to do it's damage, certainly quicker than overnight, so be careful. The best course of action IMHO it to make sure that there are no untreated surfaces on the car which salt can attack. So paint or powdercoat all the exterior ally panels, and either paint, powdercoat or cover with vinyl/carpet the interior panels. The other option is to use a pre treatment wax sealant like Waxoyl. You need to re-apply these types of treatments every so often, and there is a knack to getting it done right, especially if it's being done in cold weather. And of course Waxoyl is no good for the interior. If you need to treat the bare ally (and all the mild steel nuts and bolts for the suspension etc etc) then I simply give the whole lot a dousing with WD40, making sure that I get in to all the little nooks and crannies where the body meets the chassis, and anywhere else that may trap moisture. I give my (all powdercoated) car a good dousing after every wet or salty blat and so far (5 years for the road car, nearly 17 years for the *non powdercoated* sprint car) I have no issues with salt attacking the panels or the chassis. It takes only a few minutes to do. I make sure I spray *all* the suspension bolts from both ends, all the shock bushes and also the body of the shock and the adjusters. I spray the steering rack/gaiters, ball joints and track rod ends as well as the calipers and even the wheels if it's really wet or salty. Same goes for the rear. Cover it in WD40. Don't be afraid to get it on the discs or pads, it burns off easily and won't *in my experience* affect braking performance. Once you have finished with the WD40, leave it to soak. I never wipe mine down until the next time I come to use it, and usually it only takes a few minutes. This also means you get to see if you missed anywhere with the WD40 as you go around with a clean rag wiping off any excess. Once you've done it a few times it's actually quite quick and easy to do. Final tip, by WD40 in bulk, much cheaper in the long run than buying aerosols. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 And further to Scooby's contribution, I wouldn't pressure wash the car. If you do have salt in a difficult to reach area, there is a chances that the pressure washer will simply force the salt further out of reach, and worse, it will add a ton of water to the mix. This is *bad*, so be careful if you decide to pressure wash. I choose not to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 What do you do about the WD40 dripping onto on the garage floor or driveway? Does it stain / leave a slippery patch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potster Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Agree with Blatman, its all about prevention than cure. Forget WD40, get some ACF50, much better. Each application can last upto a year (Providing your not out with the jet wash) If its good enough to use on millions of pounds worth or planes its good enough for my westie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perksy Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Waxoyl black underbody shield on the bit's you can't see and Clear Waxoyl on the bit's you can Have found that Dust can have a tendency to stick to the clear Waxoyl though Spoke to a chap from Finnegans about Waxoyl and he said if you need to remove it use white spirit or Hot water. It also doesn't like being power washed although it's ok with a garden hosepipe. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukeyboy Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I'm just in the process of doing a module build. Is it worth covering the underbody while the car is on the stands? Would the car fail the sva if I covered the brake and fuel pipes on the bottom of the floor pan with black underseal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 What do you do about the WD40 dripping onto on the garage floor or driveway? Does it stain / leave a slippery patch? It all tends to evaporate off the floor quite easily. It's not that hard wearing either so despite me *covering* my car on a regular basis, my garage floor is still clean with no evidence of WD40 abuse. Gearbox oil is another matter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I'm just in the process of doing a module build. Is it worth covering the underbody while the car is on the stands? Would the car fail the sva if I covered the brake and fuel pipes on the bottom of the floor pan with black underseal? I'd powdercoat the ally panels before you fit them. If you want to keep the metal look, get them powdercoated silver. If they're already fitted, then there are a couple of hardwearing paints you can use to paint them. It's worth using a decent etch primer on new ally too. Frosts is the place to look for this sort of stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipford Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Best protection is Chromic Anodise (NOT sulphuric) Expoy Dichromate Undercoat and then either polyurethane or epoxy top coat. By the way Airbus grey looks really cool see photo http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e22/Kipford/DSCN1524.jpg Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukeyboy Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 I'm just in the process of doing a module build. Is it worth covering the underbody while the car is on the stands? Would the car fail the sva if I covered the brake and fuel pipes on the bottom of the floor pan with black underseal? I'd powdercoat the ally panels before you fit them. If you want to keep the metal look, get them powdercoated silver. If they're already fitted, then there are a couple of hardwearing paints you can use to paint them. It's worth using a decent etch primer on new ally too. Frosts is the place to look for this sort of stuff... All panels fitted when it arrived, I didn't know that panel powder coating was an option when I bought it! I was just going to get some underbody seal and apply it to the bottom, but didn't know if I had to keep away from the fuel / brake pipes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 I think I'd keep it away from the brake and fuel lines etc. If you get an SVA man that doesn't like it, it'll be a real sod to strip it off... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrustyjust Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Blatters,what about por 15 from Frosts? Is that a sensible product to use on the floors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 It'd be a good base coat. You can paint over it or I guess you could leave it as it is. It's good stuff either way. The key to a good finish with POR15 (as with any other paint) is preparation. If you prep *really well*, you'll get a good hard wearing finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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