Hi All,

I have a lead on getting my bumpers, sliders, and skid plates all galvanized. Aside from corrosion protection, are there any pros and/or cons to getting them done? What are your thoughts or experiences?

Thanks,

John

 

May I ask why, you would be the first Rover owner ever, I believe, that would want to try that. Whats wrong with the coating you have now? Why not have them powdered?

 

The reason why I didn't go powdercoated was because (a) I was on a budget (still am) and (b) I just did a basic spray paint job so that when they got scratched or chipped I could do a quick patch up with a rattle can and nobody would be the wiser.

Well, as it turned out, the paint job I have chips much easier than I thought. Also, in some areas in the nooks and cranny's, as well as by the spare tire carrier, the paint has begun to peel away, allowing for corrosion to begin. I obviously want to stop the corrosion rather than just painting over it, and sanding all the chips down will take ages.

I can potentially get my skid plates and bumpers all galvanized at a very cheap rate (possibly free), so I figured it might make sense. I'd strip them of the crappy paint they're currently sporting, then galvanize them - preventing any further corrosion, and then repaint them. I'm thinking of repainting them in a bedliner-type material, something that will resist the chips a bit better, but still be easy to re-apply should i need to cover up any scratches.

Thoughts?

 

I think it sounds like a good idea, and would defiantly offer excellent corrosion protection. Just make sure before you re-paint them you use a primer that is designed to bond to galvanized metal.

 

for free how can you loose

 

You can also get spray galvanize to touch up with LPS Cold Galvanize. A handy product.



Full disclosure, my younger brother is an R&D manager there, he is a chemist who has travelled the world working on corrosion issues. The firm makes a wide variety of products, sold thru wide distribution.

 

If you're talking about hot-dipped galvanizing then it's quite good indeed. Normally, you would not find anyone willing to put your junk in their dip tank unless it's thoroughly bead-blasted first. I imagine they would have the blasting equipment unless they work exclusively on new material.

If it's electro-galvanizing, then it's probably not worth the labor. The coating will be too thin and it won't adhere well.

A typical bolt at the hardware store is zinc plated, which is what you get with electro-plating. They're not that great at durability or corrosion resistance, even though they're plated in a very controlled process.

The "galvanized" bolts at the hardware store are hot-dipped in zinc. It's durable and it works. This is what they do with the Richard's Chassis frames for Defenders and Series.

 

It is hot-dipped galvanizing. I have been told that paint doesn't necessarily adhere very well to the material. Does anybody know if this is the case?

 

Very true

 

The defender guys over on defendersource galvanize all kinds of things when they are doing complete tear downs and rebuilds, sometimes even the complete firewall/bulkhead.