Make sure water cannot get in behind the sleeve. It wii be trapped and exacerbate rusting.

@turboslag

2 ай бұрын

Was about to make the same comment! It's a bit like that PVC spray on coating that was vaunted as the ultimate solution to corrosion prevention on the underside of cars years ago. Except it wasn't because water found it's way in and caused even faster and worse corrosion than without it, especially when it was combined with winter salt.

@proluxelectronics7419

2 ай бұрын

You could spray silicone grease on first...

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

Looking at the old one rust has started from the bottom and worked its way up, I painted the bottom bit first with black hammerite and then shrunk the sleeve on while the paint was still soft, then I will fill the end of the sleeve with wayoil before re fitting .

10/10 Michael for beating the makers at their own game. Cars are purposely designed to have a limited lifetime so they can sell more. This, along with numerous other tricks can help keep them on the road for longer. I was doing a job underneath my 8 year old Citroen and noticed the rear axle was devoid of paint and was covered in a healthy layer of surface rust. It wouldn't have taken long for Scotland's salted winter roads to reduce it to MOT failure material so it got a good going-over with a wire brush then a coat of rust-inhibiting paint which should hopefully keep the car cancer at bay for a good bit longer.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

Some parts of cars like the rear beam as you say are very poorly painted from new , all the cars I have had rust here , I'm currently trying Lanosheild at the moment , its not a product I have used before but lanolin products seems to get a lot of followers .I should know in a years time if its any good or not .

I use shrink tube for so many things but this is totally new to me. I think it’s a brilliant idea!

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

This idea I used a few years ago when a friend of mine had some international octal valves with loose bases and rather than try and glue them he got someone in china to send him some heatshrink sleeve with a 2 inch diameter, a size I never knew existed.

Hello, Mr. Michael. I truly enjoying hearing your intro. I am rather impressed that you are working on your shocks, so you are a multi talented person. I think your idea with the heat shrink is a very good idea. Thank you for sharing

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

it gets much worse that that ! I will be posting another video very soon , the car the shock came from .

@truthreigns7

2 ай бұрын

@@michaeldranfield7140 thank you

Trapped moisture causes faster rusting and sleeve acts as a thermal insulator resulting a hotter running shock that fails sooner.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I guess only time will tell.

Excellent idea! For added protection maybe use the adhesive lined tubing to prevent water ingress at the ends?

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I used black hammerite and then shrunk the sleeve on while it was still soft at the bottom

Good idea. A lathering of waxoyl or similar before the heat shrink is fitted will keep the water from getting in and actually promoting rust.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

that is exactly what I will be doing at the bottom.

@colintinker7778

2 ай бұрын

@@michaeldranfield7140 I'm glad you showed this heat shrink idea. I've a couple of shock absorbers that I bought months ago and haven't fitted yet. Now to get some heat shrink tubing!

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

@@colintinker7778 I painted around the very bottom with black hammerite and then shrunk the sleeving on before it had fully dried for extra protection .

@colintinker7778

2 ай бұрын

@@michaeldranfield7140 Great idea. That'll form a good seal.

Great idea! I hope it holds up and prevents further rust, but a true test might be to put the heat shrink on brand new shocks before the rust starts to form.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I did , the old shocks were just to show the problem , I have used brand new ones

Great. That's thinking outside the box.☺️

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I guess only time will tell but it seemed a pretty good idea to me .

Great idea Michael, maybe some silicone sealant smeared around the shaft before putting on the heat shrink sleeving 😊

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I did think of that but gave it a miss and painted the lower end with hammerite first before shrinking the sleeve on .

@wisher21uk

2 ай бұрын

@@michaeldranfield7140 you should patent the idea 😉

One thing I might have done, would be to coat the shock absorber with Wax-Oyl before fitting the sleeve. That way, as the sleeve shrinks and warms up, the Wax-Oyl would conform to any irregularities, displacing the air and leaving no voids where water can collect - bearing in mind that the sleeving is going to "breathe" as the air temperature changes, and taking moisture as it does so. The Wax-Oyl itself should moisture-proof the shock absorber and offer yet another layer of protection. Alternatively, a good coat of "Schutz" would be enough on its own. That's the world leading stone chip protection for sills and underbody protection - and also the stuff they use at the garage where I take my car for MOTs and repairs.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I actually painted the bottom with hammerite before shrinking the sleeve on and will fill the bottom open end with waxoil before re fitting , the shocks are only a small part of another bigger job though , another video coming soon !

It would be better if you used the shrink tubing with hot glue as that would stop water being held or being pulled up by capillarity action.

@dennissmith8199

2 ай бұрын

That was my immediate thought, use the tubing with sealant on the inside, so no moisture can penetrate and get trapped.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I actually painted the bottom with hammerite before shrinking the sleeve on , I didnt get the glue sleeving as it cost more .

Idon’t know whether you see much salt on your roads in winter, but, if you do, grease - heavy grease - under that heat shrink would be a good idea. Water - and salt get into spaces a lot easier than they get out. Also, i don’t know how effective the heat shrink will be regarding stones 7 etc. getting flung against the shock during driving. Those stones are thrown with far more force than casual thought might indicate. If you get any holes in the heat shrink, it might actually prove to be worse than just paint.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

Yes I have already thought of that hence the two layer cushion at the bottom but at the end of the day if anything does happen it can easily be cut off again .in fact another idea to protect the outer layer would be some of that stuff they insulate pipes with .

Thanks for sharing, a brilliant idea.👍

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

Many thanks for that , time will tell .

Thank you for sharing this interesting and educational video. It sounds like a very good idea, my only concern is what will a MOT tester think when they are giving the vehicle its yearly test? Could the application of the heat shrink tubing result in a failed MOT?

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

my tester cant believe how well looked after my cars are , he will be very impressed and it gets better , soon I will be posting another video . I watch the tester to make sure there doing everything right !!! all they do on the rear is check for leaks .

Great idea thank you micheal👍

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I thought it was but time will tell .

hi Michael ,thanks for another quick video,alway's make my day , keep on posting !! 😃

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

this quick video was only part of a much bigger video , and its coming soon !

I would use a clip over plastic sheath, you can make your own. Not keen on the heatshrink due to water ingress as previously mentioned. Even tree base protectors spiral wrap will work and will not allow any moisture to be retained.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I used hammerite paint on the bottom and then shrunk the sleeving while it was still soft.

great idea 👍

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

Many thanks for that , time will tell.

EXCELLENT idea Michael . May I suggest you coat the new shock with a light smear of grease before you add the tubing ? Or possibly a thin smear of epoxy an inch under each opening before shrinking ? My thinking is that water will get down behind the tubing and get trapped leading to rot. Brilliant idea though ..

@markpitts5194

2 ай бұрын

Sort of what I said too. Great minds etc.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I actually used black hammerite paint at the end and shrunk the sleeving before it dried

That's a very good idea, and like most of the other comments suggest, threat the new shock absorbers with a extra layer like Anti- Stone chip and the heat shrink as second layer. Also treat the mounting loop (round piece with rubber bushing) otherwise rust starts there and find it's way behind the extra protection you have added.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I used hammerite on the lower part and then shrunk the sleeving before it was fully dry .the top is a long way up when its fitted back on the car but I did use some insulation tape on the top.

@BjornV78

2 ай бұрын

@@michaeldranfield7140 , sounds a good solution for many years. Grtz

I could see where this was going before you got there Michael. Shame it's not glue lined as well. The only thing I have to say is that if moisture does get inside then it will be worse. I have a TVR that had a powder coated chassis, and the powder coat made everything worse, one chip and a bit of rust and it would spread under the shiny top surface.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

it would be very easy to remove the heatshrink though if anything does happen , this is only part of a bigger story however , another video coming very soon !

to my mind (guessing) id expect the strut to get quite hot over rough ground (any uk street ) so i think heatshrink might harden and split but well worth trying

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

possibly so but its easily removed if it doesnt work as expected.

adesive lined heat shrink tends to be thicker when shrunk and wont allow water to wick up

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I am going to fill the open end with wayoil before fitting so this should prevent any capilliary action but I guess time will tell.

Some black gaffer tape could be an easier to fit and cheaper solution? Did similar to a power steering pipe exposed at the front/underneath of the engine.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

yes of course but I have found with the passing of time the adhesive tends to dry out and the tape falls off again .

Eh up mate a good idea it will certainly save them from the road salt and stones i doubt any heat issues will occur up there as it never gets past taking a jumper off weather lol

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

this is only a spare car that wont do many miles anyway but time will tell if its a good idea or not .

Excellent idea should work a treat on dragons den several series ago they shrink wrap fence posts where they go under ground that was to help keep moisture out and posts last longer

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

Makes sense , I have noticed my fence posts rot from the ground up

wow , Mr D always thinking

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

Thats my problem always thinking !

They do that with fence posts stops them rotting They always rot at the level of the soil

@markpitts5194

2 ай бұрын

Boats always rust at the water line. The wet bit is OK, and so is the dry, but the bit in the middle is where the action happens.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

Not a completely original idea of mine then !

There is heatshrink that has a glue on the inside. That might keep the moisture for getting between the metal and sleeve?

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I didnt buy that as it was more expensive .

Should certainly delay the rusting as the stones need to get through two layers of heat-shrink tubing.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I think your right, there is no definitive cure for rust on mild steel but delaying it is a good starting point .

Glue lined no doubt.

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

No , I didnt get that because it was dearer but the ends will be well sealed .

How old was the rusty shock?

@alanm8932

2 ай бұрын

I was wondering that too. My Citroën is 18 years old. I'm expecting it to get to 20+ years and I would think the shock absorbers are original. I've had this car 8 years & for 16 years before that I'd had Hydraulic suspension Citroëns, so not overly familiar with the ways of shock absorbers!

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

the car is 17 years old but I have no idea if these were factory or not as I have not had it from new , replacing these parts were only a small part in a bigger story which is coming soon .

How about self amalgimating tape?

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I dont have any experience with self amalgamating tape but I do know with PVC tape the adhesive dries out after time and the tape falls off again .

I’d paint the exposed steel bolt hole knuckle area with por-15 - rust will most likely start there and creep as rust does

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I actually used black hammerite around the base and will use grease before re fitting the bolt, a new bolt I should point out , genuine Fiat parts at £12 each .

Should have got yellow HS, make them look like Bilstein's

@michaeldranfield7140

2 ай бұрын

I did consider red which looked quite nice but in the end went with black .