Electric Rust Preventers

[Dr. Feelgood]

AFF,

I have a '77 ZH with a bit of rust in it. I'm slowly but surely getting the funds up to properly get it stripped, de-rusted and painted, but in the mean-time, I'm looking at something that can cease the current rust and prevent further spots turning up.

Now, I've heard about these certain devices that you can get installed that send a contstant electrical current through the car's body to cease the rust... the only probably is I can't get a definitive answer as to whether or not they work.

Can someone shed some light onto what I'm on about, and if they do actually work?

Appreciated in advance,

---Doc---

[mrbaxr6t]

when you weld steel together you apply heat, electricity and metal the result is a "weld" but in actual fact what you are doing is speeding up the corrosion of the metal by a massive multiplier, I cannot see how adding electricity to a steel object can reduce its likelihood to corrode, want to slow down the corrosion get some sump oil and put that on the steel, or fish oil or for parts that have already began to corrode get some rust converter stuff from repco/supercheap it stops the corrosion then apply fishoil/sump oil, steel is dug out of the ground and processed to make what you know as steel out of it, sadly this process isn't permanent and the steel as you know it reverts back to its unprocessed state (more commonly called rust)

[AussieAV]

Sounds like a concept similar to Cathodic Protection (explained in links below). Basically attaching another metal more prone to oxidization, to the steel. Pretty sure immersion in water (or damp soil) pretty key to the whole process though (as its used on ships), but maybe they've worked out a way to do it on cars. I'd be a little sceptical though as if the technology was easily available would have thought the major car manufacturers would be all over it, especially high end ones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathodic_protection
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrificial_anode

Galvanising (usually with zinc) is the same thing (don't porsche do this?). As far as I was aware its the only effective way to do this for structures not buried or submersed, but not a subject I've really researched so could easily be wrong.

[Silver Ghia]

These electronic devices have been discussed at length in AFF previously. They don't work.

Some say they do, but some cars rust better than others for various reasons, regardless of an electronic anti-corrosion device installed.

[ohzone]

Spend your money on convertor and rustproofing paint

[Bushbasher]

Well, I'll take up the "FOR" argument as everyone so far is against. I have them on both our cars and just taking the wagon, which has had it on longest, all I can say is that there's a spot of raw metal from a stone chip that's been there since we bought the car 4 years ago and it looks exactly the same now as it did the day we bought it, no corrosion visible and no evidence of rust under the paint. The rest of the car is showing no evidence of rust anywhere and the car spends all it's life out in the weather and was a coastal car till we moved to where we are now. Also, the paint still has a shine and comes up very well whenever it gets a wash where most of the white AU wagons we see seem to have that flat, dull look caused by oxidation.
I can't speak for the cathodic method but after checking them all out I went with the Capacitive Coupling or capacitive pulse type. My Fairlane has an Evrigard brand one and the wagon has a Couplertec. Both are basically the same principal and both seem to be doing an equally good job and so far have lived up to their respective claims.


Bushbasher

[burnz]

Originally Posted by Dr. Feelgood

AFF,

I have a '77 ZH with a bit of rust in it. I'm slowly but surely getting the funds up to properly get it stripped, de-rusted and painted, but in the mean-time, I'm looking at something that can cease the current rust and prevent further spots turning up.

Now, I've heard about these certain devices that you can get installed that send a contstant electrical current through the car's body to cease the rust... the only probably is I can't get a definitive answer as to whether or not they work.

Can someone shed some light onto what I'm on about, and if they do actually work?

Appreciated in advance,

---Doc---

DC electricity promotes oxidization type. (electrolysis)
AC electricity can promote fungal type. (Galvanic) sweat..

in both cases the metal is compromised..

in most cases rust can be traced down to poorly earthed: earth strap (battery), amp's, head units, lights, acc.

[OzJavelin]

An old friend of mine had a ZB and ZH Fairlane and I think both were fitted with "sacrificing" blocks attached to the rear leaves(?) to slow down rust. Both had rust, but neither was too bad.