Chassis sill refresh (or lessons in optimism bias..)
- Thread starter DrWong
- Start date
Express Paints, I also used them for my rattle cans and some tack cloths. No complaints, fast service, free delivery over £60.
Lechler epoxy: http://www.express-paints.co.uk/epoxy-primer-29107/
Hardener: http://www.express-paints.co.uk/lechsys-29370-epoxy-primer-hardner-1-0l/
Thinner: http://www.express-paints.co.uk/lechsys-00516-thinner-1-0l/
I think grey is the default colour and you have to ask for it to be tinted. There was a drop-down option on the Express Paints website when I ordered. Any other questions just shout!
Actually, I think it was a free text box on the order form where you can specify colour. The drop-down was to choose how many litres.
Sure thing mate, I’ll post something up later this evening when back in the house
So the only tools I already had and which I ended up using were socket and spanners (just 8mm and 10mm required), 115mm angle grinder, and cordless drill. I researched and bought everything I needed in the week before and ended up with this little lot:
4 x 2 tonne jack stands and rubber pads (£50); 3 tonne trolley jack and rubber jack pad (£70); 1 litre Lechler thinner (£10); 1 litre UPOL panel wipe (£5); 1 litre Lechlar hardener (£17); UPOL Guard 10 stonechip paint (£12); Lechler 29107 epoxy primer (£15); primer, colour-coded top coat, and lacquer aerosols (£25); Bilt Hamber (BH) S50 underbody wax (£15); BH UC cavity wax (£15); BH injection lances (£2.50); 5 litres BH Deox gel (£45); wheel chocks (£5); wire wheel angle grinder attachment (not used, don't bother); 115mm polycarbide attachment for angle grinder (£6 each, went through two); polycarbide attachment for drill (£4 each, went through two); flap disc attachments for angle grinder and drill (not needed, don't bother); 50m x 2m masking sheet for car (£5); 28 day A2P3 face mask, cos messing around with epoxies and aerosols and also grinding stuff (£15); various paint brushes (£5 - although I'd now recommend foam rollers/brushes for Lechler); various grits of sandpaper from 40 through to 3000 (£10); wire brush set (£3, went through two sets but only the steel brushes); tack clothes (£10).
I'd also recommend a cheapo Dremel clone (£25) to cut away the plastic nuts you have to remove to get various bits of trim off, as there's a very real risk of snapping the metal studs they screw onto due to age/corrosion (ask me how I know
). Also useful for de-rusting in tight spots (e.g. jack pad holes):A set of picks (£5) are very useful for removing seam sealer from all the little holes and gaps it's stuffed into, if you want to go full retard like I did:
You'll also need lots of masking tape and I'd recommend trying to get low-tack stuff if you can, as there's less risk of lifting paint.
Re: facemasks, I ended up having to buy another as the job took so bloody long and the disposable type I'd bought are only rated for 28 days. The second one was a 3M jobbie (£19) and much better and comfortable than the first - linky here. I also bought some Tiger Seal seam sealer in the latter stages (£12) which was a late decision. Also not pictured are pipe cleaners, like you'd find at a kid's party
I was mildly horrified by the sheer amount of stuff I had to buy and the cost of it all. But I've still got half the epoxy and half the Deox gel left so I'm well-placed to continue de-rusting and restoring the rest of the chassis in due course. As mentioned, I didn't bother using any of the wire wheel or flap disc attachments as they were too aggressive. I'll stick with the polycarbide type which were by far the most effective and also more importantly, don't take away any good metal. I also used some of these Dronco ones (£5 each, not pictured above) which were useful for the more complicated surfaces as they have a bit more give than the solid type - linky here
Any questions just shout
Last edited:
I also blagged some plastic measuring cups from the paint shop as I thought I only needed a few and the minimum quantity they sold was fifty. The epoxy and hardener needed to be mixed in a precise 2:1 ratio and the cups have markings for this.
I ended up mixing quite a few smaller batches up so bought 100 plastic catering teaspoons from a Chinese supermarket (£1) and used these to spoon out into plastic cups I'd bought from Wilko (£1 for 10) and throwing both away afterwards, i.e. one spoon for epoxy, one for hardener, etc. Not a good idea to mix spoons..
I ended up mixing quite a few smaller batches up so bought 100 plastic catering teaspoons from a Chinese supermarket (£1) and used these to spoon out into plastic cups I'd bought from Wilko (£1 for 10) and throwing both away afterwards, i.e. one spoon for epoxy, one for hardener, etc. Not a good idea to mix spoons..
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2018
- Points
- 87
- Location
- Drouin, Victoria, Australia. 3818
- Model of Z
- 1999. E36/7 2.0i Roadster
Thanks Doc for a most enlightening and well documented thread.
You’re most welcome mate
Ahh thanks for the kind words mate
Good luck with yours! I honestly thought the job would take me a week and it ended up being nearly three months! Hence the thread title haha
Excellent thread. Will be doing similar in the autumn so great to see what all is required. Was shocked to see it took 6 weeks. But all the best work is never done in a day so hats off to you. Least gives me a timeframe to what to prepare for
Thanks mate, good luck with yours! My only thought - if you're using Deox and epoxy - is that they both work better the warmer it is. I had to draw a line under mine once the temps dropped to about 10 degrees. Autumn should be fine thoughExcellent thread. Will be doing similar in the autumn so great to see what all is required. Was shocked to see it took 6 weeks. But all the best work is never done in a day so hats off to you. Least gives me a timeframe to what to prepare for
Yeah I noticed that. I had intended on working on it over winter but you may have either moved my work forward or back with that we snippet of knowledge depending on how I get on progress wise. I've a shocking amount of work to be at lolThanks mate, good luck with yours! My only thought - if you're using Deox and epoxy - is that they both work better the warmer it is. I had to draw a line under mine once the temps dropped to about 10 degrees. Autumn should be fine though