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My Personal Jihad...

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Tabcon

Tabcon

Jedi Warrior
Offline
...Against rust that is.

Ever since I discovered the frame on the TR4 I bought was riddled with rot, I've been on a crusade of sorts to eliminate as much future rust as possible on my restoration.

I've been perplexed at how many exposed pieces of metal I've had to purchase that have already begun to rust, and the car has not even seen the light of day yet. For instance, the thrust washers on the lower control arms. Nasty rust appeared on these the other day. Why can't they make these from stainless? My solution, I bought some stainless steel washers, polished them and placed them over the rust prone ones. It worked out great since the inside diameter of the stainless washers is almost the same diameter as the nuts, just slightly smaller. This way, the nut only pinches the washer to hold it in place and I still get almost the full bite of the stud with the nut. I also used stainless washers on the upper A-arms.

Rear leaf springs, what can I say...these things arrived with rust in full bloom on portions of the exterior already. I took one of the leaf spriings apart, and no surprise here, the interior of the leaf surfaces were completely rusted. Solution, dismantle the springs, strip the leaves, treat for rust, prime, re-paint and reassemble. Yes, it was a bit of a PITA, but worth it I believe.

Point being, why are the suppliers knowingly selling parts that are not only prone to rust, but parts that are already rusted? I could go on, but I wont. I just had to blog my thoughts for the sake of sanity.
 
Answer:
CHEAP, low quality parts sourced or made in _______ (insert country).
 
Tabcon said:
Point being, why are the suppliers knowingly selling parts that are not only prone to rust, but parts that are already rusted?
Click to expand...
Exactly "as original" !

BTW, the rust in the rear springs will quickly come back if you actually drive the car. No paint is going to stand up to the rubbing between the leaves as they flex, even with a liberal coat of grease (or used motor oil as the book suggests).

I'm in the middle of trying a layer of UHMW polyethylene between the leaves, but it's too soon to say what the long-term results will show.
 
When I seperated the leaves, they were coated with some type of sticky substance, it looked like common tar. If it was there to repel rust, they're using the wrong stuff. I had to grind it off.

I used 1/8" closed-cell elastomeric Buna-N/PVC foam tape. I have no idea how it will work, but it cannot be any worse than what was there previously.
 
Tabcon said:
Rear leaf springs. darn, what can I say...these things arrived with rust in full bloom on portions of the exterior already. I took one of the leaf springs apart, and no surprise here, the interior of the leaf surfaces were completely rusted. Solution, dismantle the springs, strip the leaves, treat for rust, prime, re-paint and reassemble. Yes, it was a bit of a PITA, but worth it I believe.
Click to expand...

In the "old" days, leaf springs were oiled on a regular basis an then kept covered with cloth or leather gaiters like those in this old Duco advert.

gaiters.jpg
 
'I'm in the middle of trying a layer of UHMW polyethylene between the leaves, but it's too soon to say what the long-term results will show.'

:lol:This will insure that you don't hear the rusty spring leaves rubbing against one another.

However, some steel is allowed to surface rust (structural steel in buildings, etc.) in order to provide protection for the remainder of the steel.
Anyone ever see springs rusted through or away? The leaf springs on my ''62 TR4 show little or no rust after 47 years. :bow:
 
bgbassplyr said:
Anyone ever see springs rusted through or away?
Click to expand...
Not exactly "rusted through", but significantly damaged, I'd say.

DSCF0004_reduced.jpg



DSCF0007_reduced.jpg


But just for clarity, my main goal is to reduce the stiffness caused by rust and binding between the leaves. Based on some previous experiments (and advice from TeriAnn Wakeman) I am expecting a significant improvement in both ride quality and handling.
 
Why don't you try POR-15. It binds to everything and stops rust cold.
 
Re, cheap parts:
High carbon (spring) steel rusts.
Fancy, expensive Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW & Porsche springs will rust not one whit less than Chinese or Indian TR replacements.
That's where the miraculous Triumph Chassis Protection System™ (oil leaks) comes in.
 
Tabcon said:
...Against rust that is.

Ever since I discovered the frame on the TR4 I bought was riddled with rot, I've been on a crusade of sorts to eliminate as much future rust as possible on my restoration.
Click to expand...

What will you do about rust a year after your finished? You don't exactly live in a dry climate...
 
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