Discussion
Hi Guys,
Have been talking with Alan 2 ref fitting a belly pan to the engine compartment which would help keep things clean etc - and yes I know the factory say don't do it, but provided ventilation is taken care of, and A2 says it worked for him, then maybe its worth trying anyway.
How about using something like PolyCarb sheet? - or even Carbon Fibre board? Anyone done this?
My only problem with ally (although I think it looks very nice) is that over time the road-salt etc would make it corrode especially near any contact with metal (electrolysis). I have seen a thread from some guy who has had an ultima for a while and he says he had to repair his fuel tanks for the very same reason!
Which brings me to the second point:
Given that we are connecting ally panels and tanks to steel via rivets made up of both components, we have a very real electrolytic problem here especially whan the vehicle could be exposed to damp or wet conditions. There are ways to minimise the undertray problems, in that I have recently found some stainless steel rivets on offer designed to help combat this common corrosion problem, trouble is it is too late for me.
...So does anyone know of what spray/paint treatment could be used for the underpanels, and even the tanks to stop or reduce corrosion?
Have been talking with Alan 2 ref fitting a belly pan to the engine compartment which would help keep things clean etc - and yes I know the factory say don't do it, but provided ventilation is taken care of, and A2 says it worked for him, then maybe its worth trying anyway.
How about using something like PolyCarb sheet? - or even Carbon Fibre board? Anyone done this?
My only problem with ally (although I think it looks very nice) is that over time the road-salt etc would make it corrode especially near any contact with metal (electrolysis). I have seen a thread from some guy who has had an ultima for a while and he says he had to repair his fuel tanks for the very same reason!
Which brings me to the second point:
Given that we are connecting ally panels and tanks to steel via rivets made up of both components, we have a very real electrolytic problem here especially whan the vehicle could be exposed to damp or wet conditions. There are ways to minimise the undertray problems, in that I have recently found some stainless steel rivets on offer designed to help combat this common corrosion problem, trouble is it is too late for me.
...So does anyone know of what spray/paint treatment could be used for the underpanels, and even the tanks to stop or reduce corrosion?
I'm at the stage where I want to protect all the hard work done to date. I've been looking long and hard and this stuff looks the best bet to me so far:
www.fertan.co.uk/item-over_4_bodywork_and_stone_chip_p.htm
Cheers
Pete
www.fertan.co.uk/item-over_4_bodywork_and_stone_chip_p.htm
Cheers
Pete
When I read about the corroding Fuel tanks - that put the willies up me - especially as it apparently takes a lot of stripping/ tearing down to get them out for refurb. I think they are quite well exposed under that pod, and you can't see too well what is going on there till you start smelling petrol!
Any-road looks good stuff - have sent them an email to verify aluminium compatability as it seems all reference is to steel/rust coverage!
Any-road looks good stuff - have sent them an email to verify aluminium compatability as it seems all reference is to steel/rust coverage!

Luckp
Got a reply from those nice guys at Fertan when asked about aluminium protection!
This is what they say!
'For a normal road going vehicle it would be absolutely fine to
use UBS120 directly onto the panels. I'd expect that to have a
service life of twelve to fifteen years.'
'OVER4 is intended for areas of high wear such as the inside of
wheel arches and front and rear valances which also get a hard
life. But I have a commercial customer who prepares new
Landrovers for export and he steam cleans the underside and then
uses OVER4 as the underseal.'
But to answer your direct question - OVER4 will bond well to
aluminium. In practice I've used an etch primer underneath it
but someone gave me 40 litres of that a few years ago and I'm
keen to get it used up.'
Soo...there you have it! Looks like UBS120 for most of the car underpants then!
Got a reply from those nice guys at Fertan when asked about aluminium protection!
This is what they say!
'For a normal road going vehicle it would be absolutely fine to
use UBS120 directly onto the panels. I'd expect that to have a
service life of twelve to fifteen years.'
'OVER4 is intended for areas of high wear such as the inside of
wheel arches and front and rear valances which also get a hard
life. But I have a commercial customer who prepares new
Landrovers for export and he steam cleans the underside and then
uses OVER4 as the underseal.'
But to answer your direct question - OVER4 will bond well to
aluminium. In practice I've used an etch primer underneath it
but someone gave me 40 litres of that a few years ago and I'm
keen to get it used up.'
Soo...there you have it! Looks like UBS120 for most of the car underpants then!
I too had to repair my fuel tanks...3 or 4 times now I'm afraid. However, I must point out that I live in town with a great deal of salt and humidity in the air. Currently looking to have a tank mounted in the cockpit. I've not run a belly pan under the engine and so I can't comment on that, but I would go for either aluminum or c/f which would also strengthen up the chassis some.
Cheers!
-Mack
Cheers!
-Mack
Corrosion at the fixings is bimetallic corrosion and can be solved by isolating the two disssimilar metals electrically. There is also a grade of stainless steel called austenitic stainless... its used in roofing and cladding screws where you have stainless screws going thru aluminium into steel... www.sfsintec.biz/internet/SFSintEN.nsf/PageID/Corrosion_RC
The other thing that will make the tanks corrode is condensation... just like when you pull a cold drink out of the fridge, the condensation is on the outside of the can (warm side)... so if your car is in a garage and its cold, and you take it outside where its warm, you'll get condensation on the outside.
The other thing that will make the tanks corrode is condensation... just like when you pull a cold drink out of the fridge, the condensation is on the outside of the can (warm side)... so if your car is in a garage and its cold, and you take it outside where its warm, you'll get condensation on the outside.
crafty said:
Corrosion at the fixings is bimetallic corrosion and can be solved by isolating the two disssimilar metals electrically. There is also a grade of stainless steel called austenitic stainless... its used in roofing and cladding screws where you have stainless screws going thru aluminium into steel...
Grant. I think you'll find that virtually all commercial grades of s/s used in engineering applications are austenitic. If you're in doubt, put a magnet on it. If the magnet falls off, it's austenitic. Alan.
Ultima Factory said:
Fuel Tanks
If builders follow the assembly instructions in the build manual then the fuel tanks will not be prone to corrosion and to our knowledge only two have suffered this problem in 14 years.
Damage from other causes has also been rare and when it has occurred it has been due to over enthusiastic use of spanners on fuel fitting welded to the tank or tank modifications.
Have to support the Factory here. We have in total 4 cars in our country which were all turn-key build by the factory. On no car there is any sign of problems with the fuel tanks after 3 years of operation. I know this sample might not be representative, but there could be really a problem rather in the assembly process than in the component quality.
(really hope I´m right on this one - seems to be nightmare to replace the tanks...)
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