Stainless coolant pipes

https://www.arnoldclarkcustomerservices.com/Evhc/ViewCheckList.aspx?uid=8bc92474-5cf9-4337-b2e0-5ae93cea1ecf&rnd=1246

Do you reckon my pipes are the standard ones or stainless?

Also, whilst you are looking at the car, how bad is the subframe? What would I paint or treat it with?

Ignore the "oil leak" at 2 mins in. The drain plug is out, the inspection is referring to a previous leak when I had a camshat seal failure (I think)

thanks!!

Nick

Hi Nick.A bit hard to tell but I would say by the looks of them that they are standard ones ( not stainless ) . When I bought my TF 4 years ago the pipes looked like that and as I was wanting to uprate the H/G I changed to stainless . As for the rust on the subframe , I think you could do with a good wire brushing and a coat of rust converter of which there are many on the market. Then it's a case of painting with smooth Hammerite . The lower wish bones might be as bad on the inside where you can't easily get to so just do your best with them . My TF looked just as dry and unprotected as yours and was a bit of a pain in the arse to sort out . There are some who would say that taking the subframes out is easier than doing it in situ but that's not a job that many people can do ( Talkingcars, James is in the process of putting his back in I believe ) . I am sure there are folks on here who will suggest something better , just do your best .
John

your floor pipes are steel, the stainless doesn't really lose their color, the subframes will be ok if you get a good drill with a wire brush on them, but for safety reasons, I would change the wishbones as some are known to have a fault that weakens them, use red lead and under seal on the subframes and they should come up like new, not an easy job but well worth the effort, I have seen them a lot worse than your's, has the engine cooling pipe been changed to stainless ? as these seem to go, I mean the pipe with the water bleeder on it? good luck, :broon: :broon:

you can normally tell if a pipe is stainless or mild steel with a magnet......a magnet is very atracted to mild steel....stainless is normally none magnetic....but even some stainless will be atracted to a magnet normally where a bend is formed in a pipe....has the molecular structure can change has its bent.......i bought some a2 grade stainless bolts......you can slightly atract them with a magnet....mild steel will jump at it like a red rag to a bull.....stailess steel varies alot depending on the aplication ....stainless pipes for the mgtf are normally advertised as a2 grade stainless steel

Neat way to get an inspection.

They aren't stainless pipes.

I would look at the less visible parts of the subframes and consider dropping them to get them cleaned up, they have less paint than the ones I took out.

If I start cleaning the subframes and whishbones and other bits, do I paint with black hammerite or one of the underseal waxes? Or just a rust eater? I'll go for hammerite unless anyone advises against it - just simply because it's easy...

thanks!

Nick

I'm just doing my subframes and I have gone with wire brush, then rust treatment then spray on underseal. I think hammerite would tend to chip off more easily than a semi solid underseal. Personal opinion.

I invested in a Schutz gun system through E-Bay, it's impressive & everything has had a do, even next doors cat. The standard Schutz cartridge under seal is a bit thick to apply via the tube extension so I warmed some Waxoil until it became fluid & sprayed right down the sill by removing the side vents. Plain surfaces just get blatted.
I was trying to put a link in, but due to my ineptitude I failed, sorry.

Powder coat!


You'll be surprised how cheaply you can get this done, especially if you know someone who works somewhere that does it. A friend of a friend works in a spray shop for a factory that makes tube steel fabrications and a bottle of cheap scotch seems to be the going rate for some extra-curricular spraying

It's one of my jobs for over winter if I can organise some workshop space.

Airportable wrote: so I warmed some Waxoil until it became fluid & sprayed right down the sill by removing the side vents..

I was an even bigger cheapskate a few years back when I did the 4x4... I bought a cheap pump type garden sprayer, pot waxoil in that and stood it in a drum if hot water until it was thin enough to spray. Worked treat !

I am heading into the last quater of my F to TF subframe swap.

I have cleaned up and hammerited the subframes in forrest green (the car is BRG) and all the attached bits in smooth black.

I have a large tin of waxoil in the shed ready to spray everything when I am done.

It looks like the car was professionally undersealed early in her life.