Quite simply know your chassis intimately! Whether you are looking at a vehicle with a view to purchase, just bought one, or are a proud owner of one which has been in the family for years, take a good look at its chassis.
Wearing overalls, goggles and gloves,tap along the chassis with a small hammer from front to rear, working all around the sides and bottom of each chassis leg, crossmember and outrigger listening to the tone of the tapping. Check the top of the chassis too, where you can gain access.

You can tell the difference quite clearly between a 'ring' when tapping a good part of steel, and a dead 'thud' when the steel is well and truly rusted through! If you are suspicious, attack that part with an old screwdriver.

If you can poke the screwdriver through the chassis with a tap from the hammer, your investigations must continue in earnest!

Remember, nearly always, a chassis will rust from the inside to the outside because water gets trapped inside the box and hollow sections. All chassis can be easily repaired with professional skills using plating techniques and repair sections, so readily available from the advertisers in the various 4X4 magazines.

Waxoyled for the future
Whether your chassis is in first class order or just repaired. I strongly recommend that before applying Waxoyl treatment, you carry out the following preparation to give reliability (saving cost at each MOT time!), longevity (so many people buy a Land Rover product to last a lifetime!) and safety (so your chassis doesn't collapse when you do a bit of serious off-roading or heavy towing!)

At most low points of your chassis or crossmembers you will find a small drain hole. In between these holes or each side of them drill further 10mm holes, say 400mm-450mm apart. Then enlarge the holes with a tapered enlarging bit to around to about 20mm-30mm diameter. Carefully file the swarf left by the drilling and wire brush the whole of the chassis. Be sure to wear goggles/face mask and use gloves.

I work on the basis that if water is going to get in and lie on the hollow section of the chassis along with the mud, then let it run out before it drys and stays in there for good!

Now power wash the chassis inside and out using these nice large holes to get the nozzle in, working from both directions. Having got all the crap out, let the vehicle stand for a week or two in a dry ventilated place to let it all dry out.

Give a final wire brush of the entire chassis, being careful of brake pipes, fuel pipes and cables, followed by a good brush down or use a airline blow gun.

Hand paint or spray the whole lot in 'chassis black' or smooth black Hammerite in however number of coats you wish.

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(c)Goodwinch Limited 2006