Has anyone ever had a Coupe chassis galvanised? I work for a water utilities firm so I can get very reasonable rates. Is there anything specific to take into account? And is there any problem with warpage?

Any info appreciated.

Phil

Isn't there a problem with how fast it can all drain off the car? I would think that if you had even a small hole in your sill, then it would fill up when dipped and would leave you with a very heavy car.

Also you can't weld anything on the tub afterwards as I'm pretty sure that the galvanisation chucks out nasty chemicals.

John D may know more as he had his subframes done.

You're right about the fumes Tim, and you have to grind the galvanise off before welding, otherwise much spitting and spluttering

Also i believe sealed box sections and anything airtight needs to be vented before dipping. As Tim said GTM driver would know more as he's had some experiance in this area

Yes, you have to vent closed sections – and the more the better. You pay for galvanising by weight – so any pooling adds weight and cost. As we have those finite element models I should be able to get around this no problem and introduce plugs where they shouldn’t affect strength.

Yes, welding is a problem, but less so than it used to be due to process being much less rich in lead. I’m hoping to minimise welding by doing the galving in the first place – Swings and Roundabouts and all that.

My main worry is the heat inducing warping and twisting – especially in the visible sill sections.

I live in a very corrosive area, so when I ordered my chassis I specifically asked if I could have it galvanised. I was told by Peter and Paddy that they couldn't do it because of warping. I don't know anything about it myself, but they usually seemed to know what they were talking about.

I assume we're talking about hot dip galvanising not electroplating?

Do all the welding you are ever going to need before you get it galvanised. Zinc oxide fumes are not nice.

All closed box sections sections need to be vented no matter how small. The sills will need extra holes at the front on top and at the front and rear on the bottom edge. Check with the company first.

There should be no warping if the company know what they are doing. It depends on the speed and the alignment of the object as they lower it into the zinc bath. (As an aside the Coupe chassis is not exactly straight to start with. I measured mine up to make the GRP replica and there was a lot of variation side to side.)

The cost for me depended on the weight of the object not the weight of zinc used.

When you get it back you will need to clean out any holes and re tap any threads as the zinc will build up in them.

Painting a galvavised surface is not easy. You will definitely have to use a good etch primer.

All in all though if you intend to keep the car then it is definitely worth it.