Chassis wax

Fender, Shelley's Defender received a new rear cross member last week because the previous one was a bit flaky. Before the new section has time to corrode I wanted to get some chassis wax inside.

The wax I've chosen and used before, is easy to spray using a schutz gun with a long nozzle hose.

I did not want to make any extra holes in the chassis so I may not have complete coverage.

There are plenty of existing holes that the nozzle will fit through. The spray wax travels a long way. I could watch a dusting coming out of holes nearly half way down the chassis from where I was spraying.

My technique is to push the long hose in to the chassis as far as it will go and then apply the wax as I slowly pull the nozzle out. The trick is avoiding covering myself in a fine mist if I should pull the hose out too far! I'd recommend goggles.

There is a hole in the end of the front of the chassis arms immediately below the front bumper mounting bolts.

I could have removed the bumper for easier access but I found it fairly easy to thread in the nozzle without having to take anything apart.

Some of the holes in the chassis are in use on one side but not on the other.

At the back, I removed the grommet from the main cable bundle to get inside the nice big hole on the right hand, drivers side. That same hole is open on the passenger side.

I did every cavity I could find in the chassis, remembering to also include the cross members at various points. Spraying inside the chassis is a fairly quick process and I only used one tin of Dinitrol ML cavity wax.

I'm not sure how long this treatment adds to the life of the chassis but it makes me feel better having done it.

Kittens are home

We brought home some rescued kittens from the Vet today.

Jett and Joan

Jett is in the back of the basket and Joan is the adventurous one.

We've been visiting them for a couple of weeks until they were well enough for us to adopt them.

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Update a couple of days later:

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Another tool - throatless shears

I've had a couple of jobs recently that have needed me to cut sheet steel.
Tin snips and aviation snips are useful but they are hard work on thicker material.

These were a treat for my birthday, thanks Mum. These throatless shears are the smallest in the range but they can easily cut 1.2mm thick steel sheet. I've tried them out on some scrap and they work well.

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Update:
Used a couple of days later to improve my make shift BBQ.

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External links:
Manufacturer: https://www.wnealservices.com/

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Solenoid bracket

These are brackets for add-on Hawk central door locking solenoids fitted to the front doors of a 1998 Land Rover Defender.

I fitted the central locking a couple of weekends ago, as detailed in my previous posts.

The central locking works fine but I am not happy about how much the very thin slotted bar bends when the solenoids activate.

I've designed and made a custom fitted bracket that I will use when I replace the doors.

My choices of metal and the tight corners conspired to make this an awkward project. The first job was to design and make a jig to form some of the tight bends.

The basic idea is to have an angled edge to prevent the steel flexing.
I did the tight steps first in the jig then the relatively easy job of bending the supporting edge over a bit of wood in my vice.

I have learnt that 1.2mm stainless steel is a little too thick for me to work with my tools. I like the idea of stainless steel (Inox) but I forget how much tougher it is than mild steel. I should have used 0.9mm mild steel, perhaps galvanised.

My plan was to fold the ends back on themselves to form a nice rolled edge. I could not do a tidy job with 1.2mm stainless, so I cut it off instead using an angle grinder with an Inox cutting disc.

The stainless steel was also hard on the tools. I got through too many cobalt drill bits making the holes and I wore out a dozen bits for the rotary tool trying to finish off the slots.

I persevered and I am pleased with the finished results.

I just have to wait for the new doors to come back from being painted before I can transfer parts over and fit these new brackets.

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The Naze

On the North East Essex coast is an Essex Wildlife Trust reserve, The Naze.

We walked down to the beach.

I was glad I had chosen to take my Canon DSLR with me. I forget how much better the photos are, taken with a proper lens. Sigma 18-200mm zoom that I've used for, perhaps, the last 10 years now.

It was a lovely walk on a warm summer's day.

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