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dcoultis
07-22-2005, 01:48 AM
I was just wondering if cars are galvanized.... I was to understand that you can't really paint nor weld galvanized steel..... But my friend is telling me that they are..... perhaps the inside panels or (the whole car) is infact coated with a protective layer containing Zinc..... but I wouldn't think Its on the same level as typical galvanized steel you see for comerical applications.

Anyone have any insight on this subject?

Redlyne_mr2
07-22-2005, 07:50 AM
From what Ive seen most cars are not. Im not sure about todays modern cars but the only older cars I know of that were galvanized are Porsches. Im sure there are more out there but I dont know what they are. To work on that type of steel you usually need to strip it completely.

legendboy
07-22-2005, 08:07 AM
Originally posted by dcoultis
I was just wondering if cars are galvanized.... I was to understand that you can't really paint nor weld galvanized steel..... But my friend is telling me that they are..... perhaps the inside panels or (the whole car) is infact coated with a protective layer containing Zinc..... but I wouldn't think Its on the same level as typical galvanized steel you see for comerical applications.

Anyone have any insight on this subject?

the majority of car bodys are made of mild steel with no special coating at all.

we weld and paint galvanized steel everyday here at my shop btw.

dcoultis
07-22-2005, 12:48 PM
Do you grind away the galvanize coating before you weld? and when you paint them is it the smae sort of finish you'd typically find on a automobile?

legendboy
07-22-2005, 01:18 PM
No we just weld it with good ventilation. The guys will spray the weld after with a cold galvanizing paint.

The finishes we do are a baked enamel and 2 stage epoxy paint, not automotive paint.

Zero102
07-22-2005, 04:49 PM
There is no such thing as cold galvanizing.....
It's not real galvanizing, it just is a nickel laden paint. It will still flake and rust underneath eventually.

Galvanizing is done hot, and hot only.

That said, IIRC a lot of the german cars are galvanized. I know for certain all Porsche's after 1978 or 1979 are, and for some reason I think the newer BMW's and Mercedes's are? Although I could be wrong.