Rust proof and stronger subframes - a discussion

a bit of a thread for general musings really

a few months ago someone (i believe CJJ) began a thread on t'other forum about finding a way to rustproof our subframes as they seem determined to slowly disintegrate


if i recall correctly the thread was marred by nay-sayers who said things couldn't be done without seeing if they could be first (well were not like that on the T-Bar are we? :nonod: we'll find the best way by gum or die trying!

Powder coating came up as a strong possibility, so who knows what about that? lol

i was thinking about getting my rear subframe (once the V-TEC has settled in) rebuilt in titanium.... this idea was shouted down as too expensive before but does anyone have any ideas of the cost involved, of the difficulties or weather it would be possible? is it like carbon fiber: I.E. yes its stronger than steel in some ways but would fail in others?

so anyway lets nock some ideas around... if there was an ability to buy rust proof subframes im sure they'd sell!

What about having them galvanised then powder coated?

Adam-MGTF;8958 wrote: a bit of a thread for general musings really

a few months ago someone (i believe CJJ) began a thread on t'other forum about finding a way to rustproof our subframes as they seem determined to slowly disintegrate


if i recall correctly the thread was marred by nay-sayers who said things couldn't be done without seeing if they could be first (well were not like that on the T-Bar are we? :nonod: we'll find the best way by gum or die trying!

Powder coating came up as a strong possibility, so who knows what about that? lol

i was thinking about getting my rear subframe (once the V-TEC has settled in) rebuilt in titanium.... this idea was shouted down as too expensive before but does anyone have any ideas of the cost involved, of the difficulties or weather it would be possible? is it like carbon fiber: I.E. yes its stronger than steel in some ways but would fail in others?

so anyway lets nock some ideas around... if there was an ability to buy rust proof subframes im sure they'd sell!

I'm a big believer in constructive criticism... anything else is just negative and won't be tolerated on here. :yesnod:

Your thread sounds interesting... I eagerly await more discussion on the matter.

I was thinkign maybe galvanising them in the future

There did seem to be some resistance to galvanising as it could cause the frame to twist - I am no expert on galvanising though:lol:

I would be interested in doing something to protect my MGF long term but the downside is all the strip down work to get the frames out for work to be done - especially with Hydragas to disconnect.

MGFmad;8983 wrote: There did seem to be some resistance to galvanising as it could cause the frame to twist - I am no expert on galvanising though:lol:

I would be interested in doing something to protect my MGF long term but the downside is all the strip down work to get the frames out for work to be done - especially with Hydragas to disconnect.

I think you can 'cold galvanise' somehow - although if its as good as the traditional way of doing it I don't know!

Will be keeping an eye on this thread as it's something I've been thinking about again recently along with the rest of my upgrades.

I started to look into powder coating as that seems to be the most straight-forward and commonly done thing but am certainly open to other ideas. First I need to learn how to weld though to do a slight repair :lol:

I will be going the galvanising route if I can get someone to do it. I think the info I gathered pointed towards hot dipping without the bath quenching afterwards as this is what can distort the subframe.

Ideally, I would go galvanising and the plastic coating for a suitable finish, but I will probably just go the galvanising route.

The problem with powder coating is that it is quite hard and can be chipped when removing the engine or by stones. Once this happens the water just corrodes that part and it spreads under the powder coating. The plastic coating is similar, but it is a lot more resiliant to knocks etc as will not chip.

If I had an unlimited budget I would get one made out of carbon fibre composite. Corrosion free, strong and a huge weight saving. Maybe after the lottery tonight. :yesnod:

It's a TF, so the answer is staring you in the face.

A giant chroming vat! :rofl:

Uuurgh, chrome. Work of the devil. :yesnod:

MikeKnight;9015 wrote: It's a TF, so the answer is staring you in the face.

A giant chroming vat! :rofl:

CJJ;9016 wrote: Uuurgh, chrome. Work of the devil. :yesnod:

genlemen start your engines :bauer: :shooting2:

carbon fiber has obviously massive weight saving properties but would there not be a possibility of it "cracking"

the first thing you see in F1 when there is a big smash is it all splintering into a million expensive pices lol

what about titanium

i believe it's about 5 times more expensive than steel.... but isn't it 100% rust proof? and much lighter?

obviously the lightness wont appeal to everybody, but for us lot who want to make insanely fast TFs its a big area to save weight