Member Since: 28 Feb 2018
Location: West Sussex
Posts: 10
Corrosion Prevention Guide.
Having worked on quite a few Discoveries I thought I would put up a guide to help others who wish to treat and prevent rust to their vehicles similar to the 55 page long one I started in 2011 for the sister Defendender2.net forum. This is not my thread, it is to help us all so please feel free to add your own comments that may help others and keep the thread updated.
My name is Chris Calvert from CC Automotive, a rust prevention company I started from the demand for more involved, thorough work with Defenders. E.g. For Defenders my work is not a quick wash and thick splurge of Waxoyl hiding any lack of preparation and trapping in rust. Link to Def2.net thread here http://ccautomotive.co.uk. I use Dinitrol and my work runs at a slower more detailed space, even down to treating the air inlet screws and spring clips. I do not advertise and do one to two vehicles per week through recommendations and the Defender2.net forum. I now treat classic jags to brand new Land Rovers, motorbikes to mini buses and clients come from as far away as the Isle of Man, Scotland and France including a foreign Prince Defence secretary, not that I have ever met the fella of course His entourage decend on me in black suits, limousines and said vehicles to be treated People ask where Zagato comes from, the famous car designer who only ever got one car right IMHO, the Aston Martin DB4GT ZAGATO!
The Product.
I have used Waxoyl many years ago but the technology has moved on. Hopefully this thread won,t get bogged down with pages on this issue. It has all been said before, many times over many years perhaps start a new thread if you wish. Well known epoxy based products such as Dinitrol and Bilt Hamber are the products I and other proper professionals suggest! Bilt Hamber has it,s drawbacks for the do it yourself owner as the aerosols are very long making them difficult to use in confined space and getting the last quarter of the contents out. The finish can be streaky and patchy depending on what you use and it remains tacky picking up all the road dirt. Dinitrol 4941 underbody wax dries to a smart matt black finish that does not pick up the road dirt so that is what i use as well as clear coat 'Corroheat' for show or brand new cars.
You can buy complete kits of Dinitrol from Rejel.com which include aerosol cans of;
RC900 Rust convertor,
ML Cavity Wax,
4941 Underbody Wax,
You can also get boiler suit, mask, extension nozzle, ground sheets etc.
Other products can be added such as Stone Chip Protect Super 447 or Corroheat if you want any areas done in clear/opaque. You can of course buy kits suitable for a compressor if you are lucky enough to have one.
Another weapon against corrosion is ACF-50 especially where electrolysis happens betweens aluminium and steel in Land Rovers.
The Process.
Despite what many manufactures claim you have to "rub back" I.e. Wire brush, grind, sand etc as much rust as you can get off, I mean take it back to bare metal if you can. Acid convertors like RC900, Ku-rust, Fertan, Jenolite etc are all pretty much the same with a 5-9% acid content. They will NOT penetrate and cure even pitted surface rust, especially weld points, seams etc... You have to put the time in and get it back to near fresh metal if you can. Some products like the original POR-15 and Buzz products claim to stop rust, they don,t, you are just putting on an impenetreable rock hard coating where the rust won,t show through BUT it will be rotting away underneath! Good products in some circumstances on new metal for instance on rebuilds.
If you don,t have air tools a good cheap DIY tool for taking rust off believe it or not is the Black and Decker sander KA900E or use a knotted wire wheel on your angle grinder. The B&D can grind completey through metal with a rougher grained belt so be careful!
Once the rust is taken back treat with RC900 or an acid convertor of your choice. RC900 is lethal, a paper mask or holding your breath and runnnig away won,t cut it. You need a professional mask from Moldex for instance with correct filters and even then it can get into your lungs!
Next is to use a thin layer of ML cavity wax followed by the final coating of 4941 underbody wax. Your box sections and cavities can be treated with ML cavity wax using the 360 degree extension.
This page is a work in process as it takes time to sort out links, pictures etc.
7th Dec 2018 12:50 pm
Hot Tub
Member Since: 15 Aug 2017
Location: Milton Keynes
Posts: 1071
What sort of money are we talking for you to do this?Welsh Collie Chauffeur Service To Barney & Rooney.
7th Dec 2018 2:26 pm
Zagato Site Sponsor
Member Since: 28 Feb 2018
Location: West Sussex
Posts: 10
Hi Hot Tub, £350-450 depending how much preperation is involved. DIY kits from Rejel plus other kit is roughly about £150 -175.
If a vehicle is particularly rusty then it is a decision between myself and the client wether it is worth the time and cost to do it. The last vehicle I turned away was a 2004 Range Rover Sport. I am not one of those who plasters thick stuff on to hide everything. Once the rot has got into seams and things are already blowing It is soul destroying work for me, largely ineffective when they are so rotten and a waste of money for a client.
7th Dec 2018 2:37 pm
VOD80
Member Since: 26 May 2010
Location: Toulouse
Posts: 105
Are you the Zagato that used to be on the Series 2 forum? If yes, I really enjoyed your Series 2 restoration. A nice job!
Cheers, Tony
7th Dec 2018 2:51 pm
Zagato Site Sponsor
Member Since: 28 Feb 2018
Location: West Sussex
Posts: 10
Hi Tony, yes that was me, many thanks
7th Dec 2018 2:55 pm
kajtzu
Member Since: 11 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6570
Interesting write up, thanks.
Here everyone seems to use Dinitrol or Tectyl. Corroless seems like mostly a UK thing.
8th Dec 2018 9:49 am
Zagato Site Sponsor
Member Since: 28 Feb 2018
Location: West Sussex
Posts: 10
"Corroless seems like mostly a UK thing"
I presume you mean Corroheat which is a Dinitrol product made in Germany initially specifically for "heat corrosion prevention for engine compartments. It is a transparent, hard film". You obviously don't want black underseal plastered around your engine bay!
Over the past couple of years there has been a shift from producing thick dark underseal which mostly traps in moisture and corrosion to clear underseals where you can keep an eye on corrosion and re treat where necessary. This is great news as it foils the so called professional undersealer who does little or no preperation or treatment of rust and cleans and treats your vehicle in a day, trapping in moisture, hiding everything in a thick layer of hard bitchumen or similar.
I come from a classic car stance where you have to be able to keep an eye on rust in the many areas where it simply cannot be stopped (despite so called company guarantees and claims) BUT can be slowed right down with simple quick re treatments such as weld joints, spot welds, seams and hard to get at enclosed areas.
Here in the UK Corroheat is used extensively from show and classic cars, new cars such as Morgan's coming off the production line to road gritters which are sprayed entirey in the stuff not just the undersides. Airports use it by the barrel load to completey cover and protect mobile steps used to get passengers of planes. Other companies like Bilt Hamber have produced a transparent coating but it remains tacky therefore once again picking up road dirt, dust etc. Dinitrol dries hard I have used it on many brand new vehicles, and classic restorations costing over 100k and also my own SAAB 96 costing 5K which to me is equally important as any of the ETypes, Astons or Supra's I have done
9th Dec 2018 7:42 pm
Discomadness
Member Since: 19 Jan 2015
Location: Caerphilly
Posts: 2256
I used the dinitrol kit when I had the body off (the first time) and have to say very impressed. Spent ages cleaning off as much of the very small amount of corrosion on the chassis and body, treated any areas that had rust with the spray converter and then dinitrol over the lot. Still have to do the underside of the chassis but on the whole very happy with it as a product.Jarrod
Current : D3 2007 HSE - AKA the lemon
-beanie grille
-detango with led bulbs
-club body off rebuild. TWICE.
9th Dec 2018 8:05 pm
kajtzu
Member Since: 11 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6570
I’ve had a few vehicles dinitroled but I don’t specifically know (didn’t care) what they actually applied. Never kept one long enough to see rust. The five year old Volvo we have hasn’t gotten any treatment at all and at last inspection there was nothing to complain about underneath either.
Similarly, the D3 doesn’t seem to ever have gotten any treatment. Former owner must have been driving with it only in the summer since it sure doesn’t look like there’s any brown growth underneath. I didn’t bother last year and not sure if I bother this year either. Only parts that have surface rust are silly screws that hold the front license plate holder, etc. and I’ve just replaced those when it annoys too much.
Transparent sounds pretty good just for the reasons you mention. I’ve had friends who have discovered that their rice rocket is rotting having gotten all black underbody sealant first.
9th Dec 2018 8:33 pm
Discomadness
Member Since: 19 Jan 2015
Location: Caerphilly
Posts: 2256
Correct me if I’m wrong but they don’t use road salt over there do they ?Jarrod
Current : D3 2007 HSE - AKA the lemon
-beanie grille
-detango with led bulbs
-club body off rebuild. TWICE.
9th Dec 2018 8:35 pm
kajtzu
Member Since: 11 Aug 2017
Location: Helsinki
Posts: 6570
We use a metric ton of salt here......
9th Dec 2018 8:36 pm
Zagato Site Sponsor
Member Since: 28 Feb 2018
Location: West Sussex
Posts: 10
Discomadness wrote:
Correct me if I’m wrong but they don’t use road salt over there do they ?
It varies North to South of Scandinvia but as Kajtzu says, very much so. There are even drive in Dinitrol treatment centres in Sweden for instance as work is done more regularly.
Unfortunatly as LR metal is not primed properly it is rusting from the get go. I have done year old models with few miles that have already needed treating. Granted it is only for surface rust but long term it saves a lot of hassle and money to get them done as new as possible.
This is from a year old Disco with just a few road miles on it! Before and after my treatment.
Usual state of affairs once left a few years.
9th Dec 2018 9:40 pm
A.J.M
Member Since: 31 Oct 2009
Location: Carluke
Posts: 2815
Why did you turn the RRS away?
As that's the same age as my D3 and it's looking a bit scabby in places on the chassis and bodyshell.
I do really need to get mine treated as i've sorted it mechanically to last several more years.
9th Dec 2018 10:43 pm
Disco_Mikey
Member Since: 29 May 2007
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Posts: 20731
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His entourage decend on me in black suits, limousines and said vehicles to be treated 
People ask where Zagato comes from, the famous car designer who only ever got one car right IMHO, the Aston Martin DB4GT ZAGATO!
ton of salt here...... 
