Get some Kill Rust from the big green shed or the blue cubby and give that rust and any other a splash. Let dry. Maybe use Kill Rust paint of whatever flavour you want and give a couple of coats.

After I pluck up the courage to get up the telescopic ladder after Winter to clean the aluminium teepee I should do the Aframe as well so will read this thread again to see what I suggested.

I still have 3 wheels to get off to have new valves fitted. The joys of getting older mate.



Keep Safe good buddy.

G'day Dmax,
The correct preparation is essential - To do a professional job undo all the bolts/nuts attaching brake lever - Use a stiff brush and scraper to remove all visible rust - Clean with spirits - Prepare with Galmet Primer then coat with Galmet Paint
see; www.itwpf.com.au/galmet/ That is the correct coating and in most probability the preparation used by original chassis manufacturer.

The Galmet is a little pricey (because it is the best commercially available), but it can be purchased in various sized containers even spray cans for minor touch-ups.

Just take your time and do it right - once.

Thanks for all the information. Off to see the purveyors of paint this morning.

The fact that you are getting some rust on the drawbar indicates to me that the steel of the drawbar is not galvanised. Our old camper van had such a drawbar, and no matter what paint I used, it used to get sandblasted off whenever I drove on a gravel road. I used to hold a senior position in the Snowy Mountains Authority, and we always had representatives from paint companies (amongst others) coming along trying to sell their products. Where practicable, we would organise a trial somewhere , but to open up a major turbine so some company could try their products was rarely feasible. However, testing of abrasion resistance was another matter...

The unofficial testbed for abrasion resistance was of course my caravan drawbar. I found that the best paints were epoxy enamel, but application of these paints required special thinners and typically the paintbrush was ruined after one use. No one offered to supply me with brushes either... One major point I found was that the harder the finished paint surface, the more likely it was to chip off in service. You need some resilience in the paint to absorb stone impacts.

The best paint by far was a light blue epoxy enamel finish. It really withstood the stone damage well and looked great, but sadly I had a run-in with the NSW RTA when I went to re-register the van one time. The chassis number was the same as a White Tipper truck which had been reported as stolen. I was waiting in the RTA centre (how unusual) when suddenly there was a dirty great big NSW copper behind me. I had owned the camper can since new for about 15 years, and once before the lady behind the counter sorted this hiccup by phoning someone in authority and she was told to let it pass. This time, however, the same lady dug her heels in and called the cops. Said policeman asked the lady what was the description of the stolen vehicle. She replied "A white truck - chassis number XXXXXXX". 'Does this look like a truck?', he said. "No, but.." Said policemen then turned to me and asked if I could weld another number onto the drawbar myself. I said that I could, whereupon he told the lady that the caravan chassis number was now XXXXXXX-A. The lady protested, saying that the RTA issued chassis numbers, not the NSW Police. Said policeman then stated in a very authorative voice 'THE CHASSIS NUMBER IS XXXXXXXA'. I then had to go home and grind off the paint and weld an 'A' to the end of the chassis number. Needless to say, I didn't have any of that you-beaut epoxy paint left to touch it up again. To add insult to injury, I had to go back down to the RTA and show her the new chassis number. I hate the RTA or whatever they are called this week. Their website isn't that much better to use either these days.

It is hot dipped according to the blurb in the handbook. There is no rust as such, just a little bit of surface rust on the parts attached to the chassis. One good thing that has happened though is that a forum member that I thought we had lost sent me a really helpful pm as he is very knowledgeable and qualified in this area. He can remain anonymous but really good to hear from him and I miss his posts. Thanks for all the help. Your advice was right on the money and confirmed with a few hints from our former poster. Great stuff.

DMaxer as the poster provided the solution via PM it seems he wants his name kept out of it and that is fine, although Forum members would like to know what the solution is as others with said problems can be informed. At least that is what I would presume.

-- Edited by Kebbin on Tuesday 30th of August 2022 07:43:37 AM

Seems like a lot of trouble to go to for a A frame that going to get knock around by the weather and elements.

My solution of a spray can of paint would generally last 12 months or more. 

Quick and simple.