Galvanising suspension bits

[Alan_uk]

Our A2s are now 10+ years old and the few steel bits will be showing signs of rust.

When I was at A2 Cars last week, Tony showed me some wishbones and and rear axle frames ready to go off to be sandblasted and powered coated. I think he said the cost for 1 wishbone was £15 which struck me as very reasonable. Obviously there is the cost of removing and replacing the items and cost of new bushes. I thought that maybe it was worth paying a bit more to galvanise.

I've done some initial googling and it's a subject that other car clubs discuss. I've seen costs of £0.50 to £1 per kilo to sandblast and hot galvanise but often there is a minimum order of say £60 unless a friendly galvaniser will do marginal costs when adding small items to a big order.

However, some threads don't recommend hot galvanising for things like wishbones as there are too many nooks and crannies. If the item does not drain then there is additional weight leading to a surcharge plus unbalanced suspension. Also the bush areas will be coated and then these may need the zinc removing.

The alternative option was electro-plating the zinc (stated as relatively cheap). Presuming the bush areas can be blanked off (or perhaps leave the old bushes in and then remove).

Powder coating was considered not necessary and not offering a lot of protection but could be added for aesthetic reasons.

Has anyone any real experience to share on galvanising these items?

 

[chb]

Interested in this as we have a fantastic local powder coater in Castleford.
Would like to know what the options are on bushing removal and replacement.

 

[spartacus 68]

My thoughts are that the work is going to be prohibitive in terms of cost. Let's assume you go for galvanising. You need to strip the front suspension out, remove the wishbones, etc. If it's not your main car, then it's entirely possible, but assuming it is, then it's likely to be off the road for at least a week, minimum. Then there's labour rates. I can strip out the suspension myself, but for those who aren't handy with a spanner you'll need a friendly specialist garage. And if you think about it, how many garages want their floor space taken up with an A2 on castors while the parts are at a third party being prepared?

Think this will appeal to only those that plan to keep their A2 for a further 10 years in my opinion.

I reckon once you start stripping out parts, there's lots could be done. The rear axle for starters, then the rear drums, calipers, etc.

Personally I'd go for renewing the suspension parts every 5 years as part of a general overhaul. The rate I'm going through springs, then it could be as soon as every 3 years.