Alex Birtwisle Posted September 5, 2002 Share Posted September 5, 2002 This winter the local authorities will place a good few hundred tonnes of finest Cheshire salt on our roads. Great for the local economy of Winsford but not so good for the underneath of my car. It is my intention to get underneath the car before the winter with a wire brush in one hand and a tin of Hammerite/Smoothrite in the other to touch up the powder coating. Is there any good advice regarding winter prep and also methods of cleaning the car as I hear there are area's you shouldn't point a high-pressure hose?? Cheers Alex B S713 UMY 1.8k Viper Blue with Black Bits !BAN THE CUCUMBER! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul McKenzie Posted September 6, 2002 Share Posted September 6, 2002 Alex, What worked well with mine 2 winters ago and still seems perfect is the following: Get the car up as high as possible on axle stands - much easier though if you have access to a pit. Have a good look around to see where the powder coat is flaking-usually rear chassis tubes, A-frame, de-dion, fuel tank supports. Best then to remove fuel tank and A-frame before starting. Use a drill mounted wire brush to take all the affected areas back to bare metal. Prime with 2 coats Hammerite primer-use a light colour so you can easily see what you've done. then 2-3 coats Hammerite black then a coat of Hammerite underbody seal with added Waxoyl - brush applied Once you start this job you'll wish you'd not bothered because it's dirty and takes a long time, but my experience so far is that it will much more effectively protect the car than the initial powder coat ever could. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaseb Posted September 6, 2002 Share Posted September 6, 2002 And when you've done yours can you do mine please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Woods Posted September 6, 2002 Share Posted September 6, 2002 I agree with all of the above. The satin black hammerite seems to be the closest finish to the powdercoat, and dont forget some hammerite thinners as white spirit doesnt clean it off. Also, a few other things to do :- Before you start painting / waxoyling, get the car on a slope facing downhill. Get a hosepipe and blast a jet of water from inside the engine bay into the gap between the outside edge of the footwells and the outer skin. I wouldnt recommend a pressure washer as it may be a bit too powerful. You may be surprised at how much muck comes out...... The reason for pointing downhill is to limit the amount of water that gets into the footwells but Id take any carpet out first and put some newspaper in there as well. Once you've hammerited get some waxoyl and spray everywhere you can. I used the pressure sprayer kit and thinned it with white spirit first, plus you need to stand it in very hot water for a good 30 minutes to get it nice and thin. If you stop spraying and it sets in the sprayer's tubes and blocks them, dunk them in hot water for a few seconds should get it moving again. I also managed to slide a very thin sheet of plastic up into the gap beside the footwells (where I had been hosing down). Its a bit of a fiddle but I managed to get it between the outer skin and the chassis tubes so it prevents any alumimium - steel contact if you have loose powdercoat up there. The plastic was about 15 thou thick and came from a model shop. Get a cheap plastic tarpaulin from a DIY shop to put under the car otherwise you'll have a permanently waxoyl-stained drive. You can just chuck it away afterwards. Wear old clothes, eye protection (spectacles are not enough) and a mask - waxyol is disgusting stuff. Nick P8MRA - The green one with red wings Edited by - Nick Woods on 6 Sep 2002 10:43:34 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Birtwisle Posted September 6, 2002 Author Share Posted September 6, 2002 Thanks chaps! That should keep me out of trouble for a weekend at least!! Alex B S713 UMY 1.8k Viper Blue with Crutch Straps !BAN THE CUCUMBER! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceW Posted September 6, 2002 Share Posted September 6, 2002 My seven arrives next month. I've read the various posts about waxoyl but have never actually seen the stuff. I intend to thoroughly treat the car when it arrives. One question, does it matter if the stuff gets on the paintwork whilst spraying it around? Can it be easily wiped off? What about areas that may also be sealed wih silicon? Actually three questions! Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECR Posted September 6, 2002 Share Posted September 6, 2002 Halfords sell waxoyl and the spray kit to apply it White spirit will remove it so any slight overspray is of no concern. Overspraying silicone beads is not a problem. Enjoy ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomin Posted September 6, 2002 Share Posted September 6, 2002 Alex, I don't know how "tooled up" you are, but if you need to use the "operating theatre" at Chez Megabird just shout. (axle stands should be available soon! ) Moom. www.megabird.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Morris Posted September 6, 2002 Share Posted September 6, 2002 Leave it in the garage! But then again mine spends most of its life in side ☹️ Rob M. 40th Anniversary Vauxhall Man www.slipstream-trackdays.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Birtwisle Posted September 6, 2002 Author Share Posted September 6, 2002 Leave it in the Garage??? I'll be bu88ered if I walk 15 miles to work every morning!!! Moomin, Thanks! I may well take you up on your offer although I may know of a hole in the ground I can stand in beneath the car. Cheers Alex B S713 UMY 1.8k Viper Blue with Crutch Straps !BAN THE CUCUMBER! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted September 6, 2002 Share Posted September 6, 2002 Waxoyl, more and more and more. I tried the spray kit that came with the stuff. I ended up using a paint brush, and applied a couple of coats. Still mostly in place despite several minor and one less minor excursions at various tracks around the country Regards, Martin, PS wear a pair of ????x gloves to keep it off your hands - it stinks for ages Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibster. Posted September 6, 2002 Share Posted September 6, 2002 Alex I'm a bit concerned about what you said would happen to you if you walked 15 miles to work, I didn't think Cambridge was the sort of place where that might happen to a chap in broad daylight Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative peewee7 Posted September 7, 2002 Area Representative Share Posted September 7, 2002 Like Bruce W, Im also an expectant 7owner, late October. In answer to the inital topic you could allways follow my lead, join the RAF get posted to Germay, they put bugger-all salt on the roads just loads of sand and stones, so Ive got a re-spray to look forward to... pee wee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilsjuke Posted September 10, 2002 Share Posted September 10, 2002 Waxyol in the spray cans works great if you heat it up in boiling water use glove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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