The restorers holy grail.... or not?, Galvanized 914's. Options

[rsrguy3]

This is a purely hypothetical thread. You see I love my teener, and, I'd like to use it as a daily, cause I'm sure I can get 35-40 mpg from it. I live in northern Utah.... so It would see it all, heat, rain, AND snow, I'll be using a set of the new diamond shaped studded Hakka's for winter. Nokian
I get it, some of you think that this is a stupid thought, (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif) but I'm one of those sicko's that loves snow driving, so I'll deal with the ridicule. Have all the fun with me you can on this one, turn it loose. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/screwy.gif) Oh, If you don't think it will work, why?

[Rand]

I've seen plenty of rusty galvanized metal. On the other hand really well-sealed paint works fine over non-galvanized. The big rust issues 914s had shouldn't happen again because they should be repaired well, painted well, and a modern sealed-battery used so acid doesn't eat the paint and then the metal.

Then keep everything clean and keep a good eye out for signs of breached (scratched, cracked, etc) paint, or rust. If the paint is breached, even galvanized will rust. If the paint is stuck tight on well-prepared metal, it won't rust.

Just my $.02 before exchange rate.

[tomeric914]

I've seen plenty of rusty galvanized metal.

Me too. It all depends on how much galvanizing is put on. In the sheet metal business, G30, G60 and G90 are all pretty common. The number refers to how many hundredths of an ounce are on 1 square foot of material. G90 refers to 0.90 ounces per square foot. This means that one side has 0.45 ounces and the other side has 0.45 ounces for a total of 0.90 ounces.

The galvanized coating gets rougher as the amount of zinc increases. Sanding the finish to get it smooth would remove the zinc and defeat the purpose. Paint and body filler don't adhere all too well to zinc. Any welding would require the zinc to be removed or it would burn away in the process.

As others have mentioned, give it a great paint job and keep up with any rust that forms. You're better off investing $5,000 in a lift so you can get the car above you and be able to detail the undercarriage.