Discussions regarding rust

[windy67]

Hi All,

After reading some of the warnings out there about buying coastal vehicles there are a few suggestions I would like to post but first my experience.

I bought a 1987 D/C from a farmer who lived in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. It had probably never seen the beach. It was 6 years years old when I bought it and I have just sold it after about 13 years. About a year after I bought it it developed rust in 2 places. The first on the LHS of the bin, about 50 cms towards the front where the jerk had re-welded that bin support and done a shocking job but hid it well. the second place was on the RHS of the bin, at the top, right behind the first loop for tying cargo on.

I used an angle grinder to cut out both pieces and went into clean metal beyond the rust. I rivetted 2 plates of non rust metal in ( don't ask me what it is called ) and used normal body filler etc afterwards.

I then installed an electric cathodic protection device ( Like they use on the railway lines ). For the next 10 years, before Vallie Moosa intervened, that bakkie spent 2 weeks out of 12, on the beach. There was no more rust that developed. I must admit that the bakkie was properly cleaned when I got back to PMB after every outing and I also polished it regularly.

To my suggestions;

1. Why not install a cathodic goodie to your bakkie because they do work and they are not expensive and no I don't sell them. I still need to find where I can get one for my new bakkie.
2. A lot of you guys out there are experts on where rust will appear first. Tell the other guys where to look. As I have said before on this forum I cried when my SFA drove out of the driveway for the last time. I am really happy that I didn't see the rust before I bought it. It might have changed my mind.
3. An SFA in the condition that mine was, at the price, are very hard to come by. I have learnt that since I joined this forum.

The basic vehicle is fantastic. I would hate to hear of someone who turned one down because it was a "coastal" vehicle. They might really loose out.

I have attached a picture of mine taken in 2002, after spending all that time on the beach. Not near it, on it.

Windy67

[SYRON CONVERSIONS]

And we would also like to see the photo's of the fish that you caught

[BenHur]

He got away

[Niel]

Hi Trevor

I have looked a number of SFA and believe me there are a handful that does not rust. I did see some gadget that is suppose to "prevent the rust" but on this particular vehicle it did not seem to work. Does anyone know abought this gadget? I will look for a pic of it and post it later

[Niel]

here is the picture of this gadget and just in this picture you can see it does not work, But who knows this rust stop gadget

[Bosvark]

Maar dan moet bie bakkie nie geroes wees nie,dan werk dit,as dit geroes is gaan dit n teenoorgestelde uitwerking he.

[windy67]

Hi Guys,

Not sure which fish you want to see but here is one of them.

As far as the rust gadget goes, I don't want to argue with you guys. It definately worked on my bakkie. There are gadgets and there are gadgets, maybe I got the good one. There are many different makes. They will concentrate on any area which isn't covered by paint like stone chips etc. so if you are using one and have some chips rather patch them.

Niel, that is not the same make goodie that I had. Was the gadget put on after the rust developed or did it rust like that with the goodie already installed? I would also be interested to know where the vehicle was based. That looks like someone might have spilled brake fluid on it. What is the rest of the vehicle like?

Windy67

[Sifu-Lux]

This is a place where I have seen quite a few Hilux's rust. A lot of this is from blocked drain holes on the firewall/fender point from leaves and sand that get id a the wiper grill cover below the windscreen. This stays wet and causes corrosion like this over time.

Make sure you wash this out with a hose well when you wash your Lux, and make sure the drain points are open.

[SYRON CONVERSIONS]

First of all, I recon that that gaget box seen in the photo here was fitted after that vehicle had already rusted and it was too late to actually prevent the rust.

Excellent looking fish (did you tag and release it ) what was the weight.?

The photo's showing the rust with the fender removed, surely must have rust on other parts of the body, I would never buy a vehicle in this condition.
But anyway Thankyou for bringing this to our attention, I was not aware of this hole even if I have had my fenders removed, cannot remember seeing it.

[Niel]

Was the gadget put on after the rust developed or did it rust like that with the goodie already installed? I would also be interested to know where the vehicle was based. That looks like someone might have spilled brake fluid on it. What is the rest of the vehicle like?

I looked at this SFA in my quest to find a decent one. It is currently based in Stellenbosch and driven by an American chap. In my opinion this bakkie is ISM (public forum so can't stay what it stands for, here). I asked him abought it and he did not know himself. I told him that if he gets R40k for it he must take it immediately and leave the country.

This is a place where I have seen quite a few Hilux's rust. A lot of this is from blocked drain holes on the firewall/fender point from leaves and sand that get id a the wiper grill cover below the windscreen.

These bakkies rust in the following places and according to me is a common thing:
Seams next to the fire wall (left and right)
Around the windows
The cover with the grooves in between the bonnet and the windscreen
Pillars for the front doors
Roof gutters and roof section where they join
Load box seams.
Plate under the load box
Doors bottom (drain holes)

I will see if I have some pictures and post some I have taken.

[GTO]

I had to replace a drivers side quarter light window frame on my Lux the base where the window pivots was rusted so bad that that there was about 2cm piece missing.Also I have noticed lots of Luxes with rust on the load box seams here in Cape town.
I have Tectyled my bakkie in the doors,loadbox seams and bonnet.
I better check the drain holes in the firewall/fender point this weekend!

[Knersus]

Wel ons hier in die Kalahari is gelukkig. Hier brand die son ons bakkies weer vaal. Wel wat ek gehoor het wat werk is dat jy jou voertuig moet gereeld afspoel met skoon water en dan parkeer binne in jou garage met die lig aangeskakel deur die nag. Die brandende lig droog effe die lug uit en help om roes teen te sit. Dit klink logies maar sal nie weet of dit regtig so is nie.

[windy67]

Excellent looking fish (did you tag and release it ) what was the weight.?

It weighed just over 20 Kg's. Caught off the ledges at Mapelane. It took 45 mins to land and got battered against the rocks on the way in, so unfortunately I couldn't release it.

Windy67

[windy67]

Hi Guys,

Here is an expert opinion from http://www.finishing.com/238/46.shtml

Aug 29, 2003

There are many vehicle rust protection systems commercially available. Those that work by treating the metal object to be protected from oxidation as a cathode in a direct current electrolysis circuit have limited effectiveness. As Mr. Mooney has stated, the main drawback is the need for an electrolytic solution between the cathode and anode to complete the series circuit. Even with the placement of several anodes around a vehicle there is little guarantee that the necessary ionic path will be present to complete the electrical circuit needed to prevent corrosion.

There is a cathodic protection system based on capacitive coupling that works excellent for vehicles by overcoming the shortcomings mentioned above. Basically, a positive plate carrying a pulsed DC voltage is placed adjacent to a dielectric material which is placed adjacent to the car body. The positive plate and car body share a common ground. During each pulse a positive charge develops on the positive plate and a corresponding negative charge develops on the adjacent car body which acts a negative plate in capacitive coupling. As each pulse cycle ends the excess electrons on the negative plate repell away and create an impressed current in the car body. These surplus electrons bleed off and become available at corrosion sites to reduce any chemicals on the car surface that might otherwise cause oxidation of the steel.

The car paint acts as a dielectric coating and becomes a potential capacitive surface. When an aqueous solution contacts the paint surface a capacitive surface is formed. The car body is the negative plate, the paint is the dielectric material and the aqueous solution functions as the positive plate. If an electrolyte makes contact with any exposed area of the car body (such as a nick in the paint) and creates an oxidizing environment, the chemical in the electrolyte which would normally remove electrons from the steel are more likely to be reduced by the surplus electrons pumped in from the capacitive coupling. What makes this process so effective is that no ionic path is required between the corrosion site and the anode (coupling positve plate of the capacitor). The complete redox reaction takes place between the cathodic car body and the anodic electrolyte acting as negative and positive capacitor plates respectively.

Michael Wisniewski
- Chatsworth, CA

Heres an article that says it doesn't work. http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/homework/s95524.htm

I still believe it does.

Windy67