Original underneath
Underneath the key structure of the bus is amazingly clean and solid (one of the primary reasons I bought it in the first place!), so this will be the first thing I want to make sure is preserved and protected.
Protection from the elements
Living on the south coast of the UK is a pretty sunny location, however, salt on the roads at winter and salt in the air from the sea is not the best environment for the original German steel in an unprotected state! It’s unusual to see a bus with its original metalwork
Epoxy Mastic 121
Whilst the structural components and underside of the cargo and cab floor are good and solid, there is the to be expected, a small amount of surface rust. To ensure this develops no further, this will need to be cleaned back before the Epoxy Mastic 121 gets applied.
Epoxy Mastic 121 is supplied as a two-component mix complete with thinnersTough stuff
One of the great things about Epoxy Mastic 121 is that it can be applied successfully over the components once they have been cleaned up with a wire brush, rather than having to have the entire underneath of the bus media blasted! It still offers the same performance as coatings that are applied over blast cleaned steel. Its finish is as hard as iron but flexes with the steel! Apparently it will not flake, peel or blister – even underwater. It resists oils, saltwater and mechanical damage. It has six times the penetration and adhesion of single pack products. That’s the kind of hard ass protection I want on the structure and metalwork under the bus to help ensure it continues to last!
Super science
The tech spec details of Epoxy Mastic; it is a two-component Epoxy paint composed of nanoscale corrosion protective pigments in short-chain molecules with very low surface tension. This allows the paint to flow into all of the pits and troughs on the steel’s surface, ensuring a tough penetrating primary bond. This is the best kind of bond you can get with a paint finish. The high build epoxy forms a super-strong protective barrier over the corrosion inhibiting pigments that hug the steels surface Excellent penetration and adhesion within a high build coating equal exceptional mechanical strength.
Yep, that sounds like the kind of finish and protection I want under there! 🙂
Clean up required
However, the coupe of dry, long ago abandoned ‘homes’ nestled underneath the cargo floor will need to go, along with the surface rust before any protective treatment gets applied!
Original quality
I love the fact that underneath in the wheel arches, the bus not only retains its original L53 Sealing wax red paint, but the remains of the factory seam sealer can still be seen, amazing! A testament to the original manufacturing quality and durability back in 1964!
Two colours, two coats
I’m hoping that the two coat, two different colours (aluminium colour first coat, finished with the final topcoat a red oxide colour) strategy of treating the underneath should work well with the existing original faded L472 Beige Grey over L53 Sealing Wax Red colour scheme of the bus. Looking forward to seeing the results…
