Refurbishing the Galvanized Trim on my Series Land Rover, Otherwise Known as Rover Chrome
By Kelly
Those of us who own old Land Rovers either love or hate the galvanized steel trim. I have always hated mine. Then I saw a 1984 Defender and it had good looking galvanized trim. I realized I never knew what mine was suppose to look like. So, I decided it was time to deal with the trim.
First I would like to define galvanized steel, just in case you do not know. The quick and dirty definition is steel that is dipped in hot zinc to form a protective barrier so it will not rust. The zinc flows and moves once on the steel, so if the steel gets scratched it will flow into the scratch and "heal" itself. This happens as long as the zinc has not been depleted.
I spent many hours reading online about how to refurbish galvanized steel. The big problem was the articles refer to refurbishing evaporative coolers or roofs, so looks are not as important as results. I wanted results and for it to look good.
It is important to note that somewhere in my Series IIA's 48 year life, the galvanized trim was painted with gray paint.
This is the technique I came with after a little trial and error.
Materials
Gel Paint Stripper
Phosphoric Acid
Protective Gloves (Very Important)
Wire brushes - Stainless steel worked best
Metal putty knife
Sanding block
Cheap paint brushes - for paint stripper
Foam brushes - for acid
Lots of rags
Garden hose
Here is what the passenger door trim looked like before. BAD!
Step 1 - Apply Paint Stripper on trim. Make sure to wear protective gloves. Be very careful not to get on your paint. Have a rag ready to wipe it off immediately. I did drip a few times, but you can see this kind of goes with my current paint scheme.
Step 2 - Use putty knife, wire brush, and rag to remove paint.
Sometimes you have to put on several coats of paint stripper. The above photo is after the first coat of paint stripper. Repeat as necessary.
Step 3 - Sand the panel. I used an old sanding sponge that was left over from refinishing a rocking chair. It was nice to get in the little grooves. This takes off any residual paint.
Step 4 - Acid wash the panel. Be sure to wear protective gloves. The good news is the acid will not mess up your paint, so you don't have to be so careful. It will foam up on the "white rust" or the zinc oxidation. Use a wire brush to remove any white rust. Remember the ends of the strips. I kept forgetting them and had to go back later.
Sometimes when I used the acid, I could see paint that was still left on the strips. I would just go back and use the paint stripper again.
If you have red rust apply acid, then use wire brush, rinse and repeat. I had to do this 10 - 15 times on the section above the tail lights. Eventually, the red rust disappears.
This was my favorite part, because all of the sudden you can see the crystals of the galvanized steel and all the work has paid off. YAY!!
Step 5 - Rinse with garden hose.
SMLXL
Step 6 - Re-Passivating - This is a term used for protecting your newly cleaned surface. It is recommended that you add a new layer of cold galvanizing paint. I bought a can at Home Depot, but it is so ugly and dull. I sprayed part of the back of my rover and decided it was awful and removed the paint. This picture shows the paint on the inside of our galvanized bucket.
I read on the Series II forum that the old rover guys in England put oil on to protect the galvanized steel from further oxidation. So, I decided to try this, using some leftover chainsaw oil my husband had. I am hoping the surface will "self-heal" with the zinc that is still on there. If not, I will use the acid again and order the shiny cold galvanizing paint online. I think a few places near the back door will need a coat of zinc paint, there was red rust and I know I went down past the zinc coating. I just figured I would see what happens.
Make sure you protect your galvanized steel after using the acid. The acid strips all the protective coating, so it is very vulnerable to oxidation at this point.
Step 7 - Open a bottle of wine and toast your hard work! You are done!
