Outrigger rot -oh s*&t!

[Pete_W]

After much poking about on the passenger side outrigger over the weekend I've discovered a hole about the size of a 50p piece next to the seatbelt fixing mount.

-are my days of S ownership numbered?(it looks a bugger to patch)

Any suggestions gratefully recieved!

[johno]

New sections can be welded in. Sharpy on this list had had the work done when his S3'S ONE BROKE. The work was done by Tower View. Saw it being done actually.

Best speak to them and they can give you an idea of cost and time..

Cheers

Mark

[sharpy]

Pete W,

I'm sorry to hear that your car has developed the dreaded outrigger rot. As Johnno correctly mentioned, I went through the same experience in April this year. I discovered a hole in the outrigger behind the front wheel. After contacting Tower View they re-assured me that new tubing could be welded in. Unfortunately in my case the outrigger corrosion was quite extensive and the body had to be jacked right up off the chassis, and the outriggers (horizontal and longitudinal) on both sides were cut out and thicker guage tubing welded in. The process of removing the body is very time consuming and will cost OIRO £1000 GBP. If the corrosion is very localised it may be possible just to jack up that part of the body and then the cost of repair will be much reduced. Obviously while the body was off the rest of the chassis was checked and was in very good condition...much to my relief.

I was shocked to see the degree of corrosion in the outriggers especially as 2 years ago I had rubbed them down to bare metal, painted and waxoyled them. However it is very difficult to get access to the top of the tubing close to the body and it seems this is the area where the severest corrosion took hold.

Dave at Tower View has done an excellent welding job and hopefully I shan't have any chassis problems for some time. However I'll be checking it annually from now on.

Regards,

Dave S3c

[Pete_W]

Cheers for the advice guys, I saw the hole and assumed I'd be looking at the price of a new chassis. Blind panic had me poking about at all the other susceptible bits but they look ok. Obviously I'll be happier when a professional assessment is made.

I too can't understand how it got there, the chassis was reconditioned 2 years ago. The driver side equivalent looks sound!

I'm suprised it's such a big job jacking the body off -isn't there just 6 bolts holding it the pipework?

[maxd]

I'm in the same boat; mine have gone on both sides at the same place on my S1. Has anybody on the list DIY'ed the out riggers them selves. Plus what's peoples thoughts on paint, is Hammerite the best option

[rick.e]

In my experience Hammerite stays on better than anything else - if the metal is well prepared. More to the point, on the S the outriggers are easy to get access to in order to get a good coating of Waxoyl. There is enough space to get slim fingers round the tubes, or certails a Waxoyl coated rag. Newer models are more difficult, with a tighter fit between the tubes and body. Problem is you need to get at it regularly - I know the can says it stays on for years, but not when you're getting stone chips thrown up. Even hammerite lasts only a few hundred miles on the from outrigger behind the fron wheel. regular attention pays dividends.

[Pete_W]

-Not only me in the same boat then, which is a slight consolation (obviously not for those concerened!)

Given that I've probably done several thousand miles with the holed outrigger -is it safe to drive?!

[Paceracing]

I will shortly be looking into having the entire chassis painted after shot blasting. I will be looking into the possibilty of using lorry chassis paint, since that seems as though it goes through a hard life rather well! Basically I want the best protection I can get on the chassis without using the TVR plastic coating again.

Jas.

[sharpy]

Pete W,

the car should be safe to drive as I believe the outriggers are only there to help support the weight of the body shell. This was one of my concerns when I found the corrosion and the "in the process of snapping" outrigger on mine, especially as I was due to compete in the North Weald sprint 2 days later. Dave at Tower View asssured me I'd be OK for the sprint, and considering the extremely bumpy nature of parts of the circuit, and the fact I managed two 270 degree spins the damaged area was totally unaffected.

Having said that I would have thought it'd be a good idea to address the problem within the next couple of months,

Regards,

Dave S3c

[Pete_W]

Chassis strength: I too got the feeling the outrigger wasn't too critical and given damage is limited to a smallish hole I figure strength of the tubing isn't compromised to any great extent anyhow -but yes I will be attending to it shortly, first port of call being B&Q for some 'no more big gaps' to stop water getting in!!!

Chassis coating: this seems like a can of worms. Obviously the plastic coating is a pile of tat and I don't care what the bible says in favour of it! Are TVR still using it today? -I wouldn't want to sit back and watch a Tuscan R dissolve on my drive!

Which I guess leaves us with good old paint in it's many forms. I'll be interested to hear results from Paceracing's investigations. I get the feeling I'll be lifting the body off this winter.

[keithyboy]

Chassis: I've just got back my front wishbones and various other bits and bobs from the front end of the V8S after a good ol'fashion shot blasting at a specialist industrial finishers (they also do a lot of "private" work especially on cars and bike chassis/frames etc.). The guy running the outfit was telling me that he thought the problem with the way they had been originally coated was poor preparation of the original surface. Any chips in the finish would therefore cause more speedy deterioration that would have been the case had it been done properly in the first place! He was trying to sell me a new similar finish with a properly prepared base (as he has on his own restored classic) but I told him I was going down the tried and tested hammerite and waxoyl route!!

[Paceracing]

Just a note about filling the chassis tubes with expanding foam.
A good friend of mine has his own double glazing company and has used expanding foam for years. When I suggested to him that I was going to use it inside my chassis he very quickly talked me out of it. Apparently it is VERY corrosive when used next to steel! I have no personal experience here, but have bowed to his superior knowledge since he is usually right, (the barsteward!).

Jas.

[Pete_W]

Just in time Paceracing! -no more big gaps ideas from me then!....I figured it would probably trap water inside anyhow, so best left open until such time it can be properly sorted