zircon
Part of things
Posts: 327
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Evening everyone.
I picked up some cheap but good HSD coilovers that are suffering from surface rust.
What can I apply to the strut threads to keep them from rusting when on the car? I want to use something like a teflon coating of some sort and not just copper slip or grease which will wash off.
Any ideas?
Rob
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anything like vaseline etc will do, or you might as well paint them and clean the threads if you ever feel the need to alter the height.
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zircon
Part of things
Posts: 327
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Thing is, vaseline will attract loads of grit and filth.
Suppose I could just set the height and then paint over the threads.....
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,256
Club RR Member Number: 170
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You could indeed.
Another way would be to Vaseline or put general purpose grease on the threads. Then armed with some gaffer tape, start from the bottom of the damper and wrap it around the threads, wrapping the tape onto itself in the process so that the tape adheres to clean parts of the body whilst allow you to keep the greased up threads clean and free of dirt.
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grease and electrical tape is the usual method. coatings wise , not sure you could really get them ceramic coated and still be able to wind the platforms up and down.
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tuner
Part of things
Posts: 62
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Hi,easy peasy cling film and waxoil clear aerosol ,thats what we use on grp 4 struts works a treat easy to remove and adjust ,plus cheap as chips
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zircon
Part of things
Posts: 327
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Thanks all., useful advice. My biggest problem is that they are gas filled and so I can't hot coat them without completely deconstructing them. Have seen some ptfe sprays that I may try....
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zircon
Part of things
Posts: 327
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,256
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Call me sceptical, but even in the pushbike/mountain bike world) where there have been claims of oils and waxes being dirt resistant etc. I have always found there seems to be a compromise in comparison to simply good old fashioned maintenance. But on the other hand, nothing ventured, nothing gained  . |
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zircon
Part of things
Posts: 327
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Call me sceptical, but even in the pushbike/mountain bike world) where there have been claims of oils and waxes being dirt resistant etc. I have always found there seems to be a compromise in comparison to simply good old fashioned maintenance. But on the other hand, nothing ventured, nothing gained . I fully understand what you are saying, trouble is that without messing about with the locking rings and main mounting brackets once a year (which will mess up the suspension geometry), I can't really maintain it thoroughly. I'm not shelling out for a laser alignment once every 12 months on a car that only gets used maybe 2000 miles a year...... |
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You could indeed. Another way would be to Vaseline or put general purpose grease on the threads. Then armed with some gaffer tape, start from the bottom of the damper and wrap it around the threads, wrapping the tape onto itself in the process so that the tape adheres to clean parts of the body whilst allow you to keep the greased up threads clean and free of dirt. i've seen bicycle inner tubes used in a similar way - grease up the threads, heat up a section of tube then slip in over. |
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Denso tape. You would have to cut it off every time youi wanted to adjust them but perfect for that application.
Paul H
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benjy_b
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 409
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In the cycle world they used to use 'Lizard Skin' products to cover the coils and adjusters on suspension units. Basically a neoprene cover with velcro attachment. I'm sure I've seen a product similar in a magazine once.
They do pick up a lot of crud, but if you put plenty of grease under them, should stop things seizing.
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2005 Subaru Forester 2.5XT
1999 BMW E36 318i Touring with OM605 Mercedes Engine
1996 Lada Riva with Honda S2000 Engine
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Bolf
Part of things
Posts: 507 
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I cake mine in copper grease and clean them off once a year.
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If the units are rebuildable you could pull out the inserts and get the bodies galvanised. this will mess up the threads unless the galvanising shop is capable of centrifugally spinning the excess off while its still wet. its usually done on nuts and bolts, but some bolts on ships are as big as your struts, so its definatley possible.
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Lizardskins as mentioned before. www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=4779Two of these on one shock is what I am doing.. Quick mock up on my old seized coilovers.   Once on the car they'll cover the whole spring. I use insulation tape under the collars which works too and a smear of copperslip above and below the collars. Time will tell... |
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Last Edit: Nov 5, 2012 21:59:59 GMT by discostu
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will
Posted a lot
Posts: 4,023
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IMO ptfe sprays won't cut it. Also if you go down the covering up route unless regular clean/re-greasing is carried out what often is created is a moisture trap where the damage goes unseen!
Old school mx fork boots could work, I'd slather the copper slip underneath mind.
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Any grease will catch grease and dirt.
If you're looking for a cheap fix, how about cutting up an old bicycle inner tube and using it as a shock condom?!
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Koos
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RobinJI
Posted a lot
"Driven by the irony that only being shackled to the road could ever I be free"
Posts: 2,995
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Yeah, anything that's trying to cover them needs to be properly sealed or as said, it'll just become a moisture trap. Going off the push-bike world lizard-skins went out of fashion a while ago, in fact boots around suspension stations in general are a distant memory as they've been found to just trap moisture, and the grit and curse word it brings in with it.
As for something more permanent than grease, I'd probably go with taping or painting the threads with the collars in place. Maybe that plasticoat stuff could be of use? Could be ideal in theory if it really does what it says on the tin, which a lot of people seem to say it does.
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rob85
Part of things
Posts: 19
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I've always just given coilovers a good coating of white grease, jetwash under the arches regularly and top up with aerosol white grease. then when you do come to adjust them clean the grease and any crud from the threads with a little wire brush.. I've ran coilovers year round on different cars and never had a set sieze or rust on the threads.
I think the whole tape/innertube/neoprene etc is looking for a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist given a bit of basic preventative maintenance
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