waxoil the chassis?

[willphill]

This is probably not considered all that technical a problem so my apologies for that but I didn't know where else to post it. I have recently purchased a 2002 mwb high top transit 280. I was parousing the forum when I stumbled on this quote in a corrosion thread.

"as much as i love the early transits i would have to admit that they do rot badly, and due to the design being basically the same from 1965 to 2000 the competition took advantage and although the mk1 and 2s were no worse than anything else of there day the mk5s were
but the mk6 is a major advance forward, although i would still give it a full chassis waxoil as i would if i bought any van"

I'm all for preventing further rust, but am unsure of the procedure to waxoil. I know you can buy waxoil in a yellow spray can but what do you have to do to prepare the chassis for application or can you just spray it on dirt and all? How does it work anyway? Do you need any special equipment?

[transit hubcap]

Hi Willphill , re cavity chassis waxoil , from my experience with classic cars and the dreaded rust taking hold as i'm sure the transit in time will secum to the same fate , I am all for provention . At first I used to use Finnigans wax oil in the gallon containers and apply it to the chassis with a cavity wax gun from the air compressor having heated it first to make it flow better and reach all cavities till it cooled when hitting the cold metal . Only problem I found with it was on a very hot day it tended to run out on to the ground from the chassis drain holes . Then I used a cavity wax from 3M which had better consistancy and tended to weather better and never seemed to run in warm weather . As I recall it came in 1 Litre cans and was again applied with a gun off the air compressor and still remains intact in the chassis years later . Hope this is of some help .
Regards Transit Hubcap .

[Luke]

"as much as i love the early transits i would have to admit that they do rot badly, and due to the design being basically the same from 1965 to 2000 the competition took advantage and although the mk1 and 2s were no worse than anything else of there day the mk5s were
but the mk6 is a major advance forward, although i would still give it a full chassis waxoil as i would if i bought any van"

who wrote that wasnt me was it

to add to what hubcap says - the wax i use is dinitrol is seems really good and always does well in magazine tests etc. but only time will tell if it's the best

you can get dinitrol from frost

[darkbluevanman]

I'll tell ya what does work ACF50, I've been using it on the old vfr and the forks where a little pitted, without it sounding so amazing I can hardly see the spots now!... same it's so expensive!

[ginsambo]

I've found the MK6's rust far worse than MK1's 2's and 5's. Although I'm talking about abused chassis cabs so vans may be different. The chassis's on well made Mk1 chassis cabs seem to last forever, largely due I reckon to less electrolysis - less laminated steel, hence the shorter wheelbase, bulkheads might rot out though. On the MK6's and 7's the reinforcing sleeve behind the cab traps water between the chassis and the sleeve and rusts the thing just where most of the structural stress is and its difficult to repair. Aqdd to this that water ingress between the top chassis closing panel and chassis section rots the two apart. Higher tensile thinner steels used also. Give me a Mk5 anyday, at least they are repairable, Mk1's with their shorter wheelbase probably even more so. The wings and sills on worked MK6 or MK7's are just the same as a MK5. Chassis rot was the MK5's achilles heal and its seems it still is with the 6's and 7's. I'm not fooled, although a few years ago looking at a MK6 I almost would have been.

I think the best thing is extra aftermarket paint from new, waxoil and modded dirt panels, like mudguards, inner plastic wings etc. and washing one whole lot every time after being out on the salt.

I got a couple of drums of Shell Ensis oil, well at least its modern equivant from a shell dealer. You choose the WD. I forget what the number mean now, viscousity and flash point I think. Does the job, loads left over for next time and cleaner than old engine oil.