Getting dirty down under

W ith the growing number of painted and half painted Land Rover panels littering the lockup, storage was becoming a major problem. Rough old panels can easily be stacked in a corner, but once you’ve taken time to repair, prepare and paint new and cleaned up ones, the only real option is to get them back on the car.

This meant having to prepare and paint the chassis on the Landy, which in my mind had built itself up to being one of those tasks that you just don’t want to face. Lying under the old truck while a mixture of oil, grease, road dirt, Gunk and cold-water drips on your head is not my idea of fun. It also meant having to drag the Land Rover into the fresh air.

The deciding factor proved to be a day at the lockup when there were plenty of hands to help get the truck off the wheel dollies and push it outside. The electrics are not the prettiest and will need some work before the Land Rover goes back on the road, but it made sense to keep as much water as possible out of them. The same was true of the air intakes, so everything was wrapped and sealed using plastic bags, vinyl gloves and gaffer tape. Happy that I wasn’t going to do more harm than good, I started to paint on a good coat of degreaser onto the chassis, engine, gearbox, axles – in fact, anything that was wearing the same uniform coat of greasy filth.

It’s always best to leave degreaser to work for a while and then go back over and agitate it again with a brush to really make sure it has penetrated right through. In the case of the Land Rover, it took two applications before it started to break down. Attacking it with the jet washer was then all the more satisfying as most of the dirt came away cleanly after just a couple of passes with the lance.

I’m very lucky that the Land Rover has been rebuilt over a galvanised chassis at some point in its life, but that zinc coating brings its own

problems when it comes to getting paint to adhere. Put simply, most paints won’t stick to it. Fresh galvanised coatings requires either a mordant coat or a good quality etch primer, and even in the case of well-worn surface like here, conventional undercoats and chassis paint will come off in sheets if you don’t use the correct primer.

Luckily, I still had plenty of etch primer left from the five litres bought for the body panels. It’s potent stuff, and unpleasant to use even in a well- ventilated space like our lockup, so I took advantage of the Land Rover being parked outside. Thanks to a stiff breeze the chassis was already dry so applying a coat of etch primer using a roller took no time at all. And one of the great advantages of that ride height is that it doesn’t need to be jacked up to get underneath and to reach all the nooks and crannies.

Once the primer had fully hardened, it was time for the topcoat to be applied. Originally the chassis would have been black, and that’s the look I wanted. After spending a lot of time researching chassis paints and weighing up the advantages of everything from off-theshelf DIY store metal paint to fancy two- pack epoxy coatings, I went for a good quality chassis paint. This was affordable, went on and covered really well and has a pleasing, almost rubberised appearance. It’s transformed the way the Land Rover looks and feels like a real landmark point in the restoration. By next month, I hope at least some of the panels will be off the floor and back where they belong!

The Land Rover has been rebuilt over a galvanised chassis but that zinc coating brings its own problems when it comes to getting paint to adhere to it

Making the most of the Land Rover making an excursion into the great outdoors, etch primer was quickly rollered on.

While the degreaser and jet wash were out, it made sense to clean up the engine, gearbox and transfer cases.

Looking as good as new. The tank will be hidden from view in use, but it’s good to know that it will be well protected from the elements for years to come.

With the Landy’s chassis now looking clean and tidy, the rusty fuel tank couldn’t be ignored. So it was thoroughly cleaned and wire brushed in preparation for a coat of gloss black.

The chassis black paint has a great satin finish and has a rubberised feel to it. It should resist knocks and scrapes well, and will be easy to touch in should the worst happen.

The Land Rover’s chassis is a galvanised replacement and was in very good order other than a heavy build up of oil, grease and grime. Next job was to paint it with a couple of coats of etch primer.