bare chassis help

What has everyone been using on unpainted chassis? There must be something better than scotchbrite and wd40. thanks,Joe

 

No, that's the best stuff out there. If someone knows of something better please let me know. It's a pain in the ass!

 

Man it don't get any more humid and wet in the whole country then down hear in Louisiana swamps. I have had all removeable steel parts small and large, including wheelie bar and rearend housing industrial nickle plated, as used on caustic valves. This is not "chrome" plate but just nickel plate, the same thing without the polishing and clear and does not hide any cracks like paint or powder coat. However the whole chassis won't fit in the tanks for this proccess or I would have that nickeled too. So we end up spraying it down with LPS # 3. Trust me on this one, if you want the BEST spray in a can that will stop bare tubing from rusting, then get LPS 3, it's made for coating bare metal. It will not evap off and it sets up as a thick film ( i think it has wax in it) Yet, cleans off with brakeclean. WW Grainger stocks it at approx $6.00 can. Warren Dauzat

p.s. also if your crew uses gloves as much as possible, then the salt in their sweat won't cause any large spots on your chassis

 

we wipe the chassis with mobil 1 synthetic oil,seems to last a lot longer than most things people use!!

 

TRY TRANSMISSION FLUID ON A RAG AND WIPE THE WHOLE CHASSIS WITH IT ,USE LIBERALLY BUT NOT TO THE POINT OF DRIPPING , JUST UNTIL THERE IS A SHEEN.

 

Warren is right, LPS3 is very good stuff, but WD 40 is probably the worst you can use.
Here at the shop, we will find a old used scotchbright type stuff (like Costco sells for kitchen stuff)and remove any light rust with ordinary automatic trans. fluid, then switch to rags that we keep wet with ATF and rub the whole chassis. Let it sit 3 days, it will mostly absorb into the metal and black phosphorus coating if you have not rubbed it off. Then wipe it with paper towels. Repeat in 6 months. It works!

Bob

 

we use a dupont product that actualy pickles the steel. It's a two step process and leaves the tube a nice golden brown color. It leaves no material that would interfer with any welding or cover up cracks. The materials are metal prep # 5717 and the ferris conversion coating is # 824??? I think any Dupont automotive paint dealer will be able to ID it. This works, It is a phos. acid that bonderites (sp) the metal. I hope this will help.

 

I used to work in a gun shop. Till now I never thuoght about it but how about Gun Blue?

 

Bob,
Usually, I will polish the tubing with scotchbrite, blue it with Brownell's gun bluing and then coat it with Brownell's water displacing oil. It leaves a beautiful finish but you still need to keep after it with the oil. My other chassis is polished and coated with a product called "The Stuff". It leaves the tubing looking stainless steel-like. Either works decent.
Joe Percoco

 

i bought my chassis brand new from "innovative chassis" in gainesville florida, they(ron) told me scotch brite and slick 50 brand "one-lube" works good, lasts long, but gets on your hands when freshly coated

 

i may be one up on you all... as i have been there and tried it all and then some (at least as far as this thread goes). the gun bluing trick is cool and looks awesome (especially if you remember to hit it with a good gun oil occasionally). when the tubing 'soaks up' that oil it just looks better with each wipe down. i put it on a shoot-out dragster that i built and it looked good, but wears pretty easily.

the BEST thing i have found is called 'MUST FOR RUST'. i called bullsh*t on my metal supplier when he tried to sell it to me because it is NOT petroleum based, it's actually water based (like i said sounds like BS, but it absolutely works). i wiped my chassis down (bare CM) over 4 months ago and have not had any rust at all (except a few places i missed). it's cool stuff and totally suprised me. anyway... i've only seen it at this one metal supplier where i get my cm tubing. if anyone wants some let me know i'll see if i can get some contact info on the stuff.

sean belt
metalmafiaracing.com (almost online)
bpyromedic@aol.com

 

As an engine builder/machinest I use 'Rust Lick' from MSC. Can even be painted over.

John

 

scotchbrite 1000 grit, mothers, of coarse we have the only polished chassis on the planet.LOL BUT THE LPS3 IS GREAT.

 

Make that two polished chassis in the IHRA now, we have a guy on our team that has convinced us that once the polish is done to apply a wax(automotive variety) to the chassis to protect it's sheen. His name is polishin' Bob so I guess we gotta try it. Seee ya'll in the spring we are looking forward to seeing you all again. jdd