Re: [DML] Delorean galvanized frames (long post)

[jtrealty@xxxx]

I can think of several reasons why you do not see "galvanized" frames 
on cars. Galvanizing is essentially using a tank of molten zinc large 
enough to immerse the part you want to coat. The heat can distort 
large metal sections. As mentioned it coats threads (both internal and 
external like studs), It adds weight, it is expensive and it doesn't 
get into some areas well like deep recesses and when it does it 
doesn't drain out well. There are not a lot of places that have tanks 
large enough to accomodate something as large as a car frame. It is 
not an inherently high speed process for large parts what with heat-up 
and cool down into what is really a batch process. Most automakers 
have gone to an e-coat process which is a paint process that you dip 
the parts in and use electricity like plating. The other way auto 
manufactuers use galvanizing is to use metal already coated with zinc 
but you cannot weld to it without ruining the zinc and the fumes are 
dangerous so it is used for panels that don't need welding. The main 
problem with the epoxy on the Delorean is that as it ages it gets 
brittle (epoxy is already pretty brittle to begin with) and cracks. 
The designers didn't worry about the cars lasting forever, the epoxy 
lasted long enough. Look at other 20 year old cars that were bare 
underneath and you will see whole areas missing from "rustworm". 
Considering what they did when the cars were built not too many from 
that era even had paint on the frames! I remember passing auto 
assembly plants and they stored the frames to be used outside till 
they needed them and they were rusty before they even assembled the 
cars! Today they throw a cheap black paint on them so they don't look 
horrible when you buy the car. Take a look under a car 1-2 years old 
and you will see rust starting to pop out around holes and at the 
edges, how long do you think these cars will last? In 10 years there 
will be rust everywhere. If you want a car that will last forever it 
may cost a lot more! The moral here is if you want the car to last you 
must flush the underbody to remove salt and road debris, inspect often 
for rust and promptly repair any damage to the epoxy paint. If the car 
was neglected the rust problem will be more severe especially if the 
car was driven in the snow belt. If I was to assemble a car today 
powder coating is the way to go.
David Teitelbaum
vin 10757

--- In dmcnews@xxxx, Martin Gutkowski <webmaster@xxxx> wrote:
> Someone asked Mike Loasby this at Eurofest. The reason is that with 
all the
> tapped holes in the chassis, it's much easier to plug them with 
plastic
> plugs