Zoopseal aluminum sealant

[Superarnie]

Hi there fellow ally body Cobra owners,

Can anyone tell me if they have sealed their aluminum body with a product named Zoopseal. I am finishing mine in a brushed finish with polished strips and was after a superb product to seal it against the elements when finished. Any recommendations?

Many thanks

Gary

[Jamo]

No...just another answer (Zoopseal) for a non-question. You don't need a damn thing.

Just don't go after every little thing with a scotchbrite...let the "elements" seal it a bit for you. I barely get fingerprints anymore. If you put a sealant on it, you'll have to reapply it to any area you scotchbrite to remove a scratch or clean a stain later.

Why do folks try to make simple so hard?

Here...pay attention: NASA invested millions with the Fisher Pen Co. back in the early 60s to develop a pressurized pen using an ink gel that would write upside down, when wet, in heat or cold and in zero gravity. That resulted in the Fisher Space Pen, a fine piece of technology that works under all conditions (hell, I have several myself).

The Russians issued their guys pencils.

KISS

[efnfast]

The best I've found for sealing (temporarily) aluminum is sharkhide - easy to apply. On a brushed/"plain" aluminum surface it's invisible. On a polished surface, well, not so much so - leaves behind rainbow hues and you can tell something is on it.

[Superarnie]

Thanks Jamo and Efnfast for your responses. Jamo, aluminum will oxidise if left to the elements, in fact mine has been stored in a dry garage for 5 years with no work whatsoever completed on it, and there is evidence of minor surface oxidation. I used to work on aircraft fuselage for many years and have seen the effect of aluminum panels which have not been protected- they turn -over time- to powder. I intend to show my car when finished and want to firstly protect it from oxidation, but also to prevent the mither of oily fingermarks when people touch it, cocking up the show finish.

I have heard of a number of products including Sharkhide, PPG clear laquer and Zoopseal. I have heard of what Efnfast has eluded to, that of a rainbow effect on the polished surface, which I want to avoid. The laquer I suspect with bubble and flake over time due to not having particularly great adhesion qualities. I have heard good things about Zoopseal for sealing small components, such as engine parts, but I would like to know if anybody has yet sealed their entire car in the product and if so- what was your experience?

Regards
Gary

[PaulProe]

Does anyone know what Zoopseal really is? any chemists out there? For all we know, could be a bottle of water.

It does seem to work but it is PRICEY

Paul

[Jamo]

Gary, good luck in your search, but I still think it's much ado about...

I represent a significant portion of the dairy and wine industries out here in California, which utilize unpainted aluminum and stainless steel tanks and panels just about everywhere. Though all kinds of stuff has been available to the maintenance folks, sometimes free from the mfgs because they want to test it in the field, the vast majority of folks use nothing but regular maintenance of the surfaces...far less than you or I would engage in for our Cobras. I suspect much the same is true for the aircraft industry...otherwise, you wouldn't have to be asking the question.

Again, as I explained...anytime you want to fix a surface blemish, you'll have to reapply (not unlike needing to reapply a clear coat on modern paint).

Why not ask Auto Union (eh...Audi) and Mercedes Benz what they use for the bare arruminum cars in their museums. Seems to me the information base of decades for showroom vehicles will be far greater than folks who have been driving around unpainted Kirkhams for less than a decade.

Again, I wish you well in your quest. I guess my remark about letting the elements "seal" it for you a bit ought to be assplained a bit more clearly. All of my research for the past 6 years since I got my Kirkham indicates that the corrosion resistence of arruminum is due to the fact that it does oxidise a bit...which prevents further oxidation. It's not corrosion-proof (not sure anything is). I guess it works a little like getting a progressive sun tan to prevent sun burn...of course, that applies only to locales where the sun invariably shins.

Best wishes.

[Ronbo]

I have little spots of corrosion already surfacing on mine along what I'm guessing are the panel welds. This may be residual flux (?), anyway I went over the whole car with WD-40 and it seems to have stopped.

But it's a swamp down here, 60% humidity is a dry day around these parts. (+90% is the norm)

If I lived closer to the beach with that salt air the car would look like a big cotton ball in short order.

[Jamo]

I'm pretty sure even fiberglass would corrode in Florida.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Ronbo

If I lived closer to the beach with that salt air the car would look like a big cotton ball in short order.

... and you would have undoubtedly purchased an ERA.

[Ronbo]

Yea, guess I should go ahead and get the camo paint job...

I'd get the General Lee paint job but there's no roof for the rebel flag.

[Paul F]

Jamo,

You're not helping the economy.

Superarnie,

Don't listen to Jamo. Buy products, lot's of products....... and be sure to use the product on both sides of the aluminum, otherwise it will turn to dust from the backside outwards.

I wish I had your problems..... oh, to own a Kirkham. I'd be a masochist and get the polished one if I could.

[Jamo]

Whose economy? He's in England! It's like Florida-North, everything corrodes there too unless you bury it in a bog.

Wait...there ya go, Gary...cover it in bog stuff.

[Paul F]

England? Oh geez. Cover the whole thing in Rhino lining.

[Superarnie]

Many thanks guys to all who have contributed. I still do plan to seal the body in some product but at this time, I haven't heard from anyone who has used Sharkhide or Zoopseal or another product. Any takers?? My car is a genuine AC and like your own, is worth a reasonable sum of money. I want to preserve it as best I can. I plan to pass my car on to my children when I am no longer able to drive it, but hope it will always be kept in the family. I therefore want to finish it to the highest standards, which will hopefully pay dividends in the long term. I once spoke to Steve Gray from Brooklands Motor Company here in the UK. He told me the majority of his restoration work is as a result of the underside aluminum- particularly around the sills where the body is wrapped around the frame creating a natural water trap- falling apart!! Paul F you are quite right, it is the underside and hidden areas you need to be particularly mindful of.

[Jamo]

Best of luck then...and please keep us updated on the build.

[RodKnock]

FWIW, here's a little more info from a knowledgable source:

http://www.perfectpolish.com/Polishi...0polished%20it

Just keep it covered and dry. Polish every couple years.

[Paul F]

Do a search here on Zoopseal. There are several threads. I didn't see one that had a lengthy discussion on the product, but several people have used it.

[Ronbo]

Of the two I'd go with the Sharkhide since it's removable with laquer thinner. Doesn't seem to be any recomendations on removal of the Zoopseal.

[Tinker51]

I have no experience caring for bare aluminum cars. I do however have a ton of experience caring for bare aluminum airplanes. The kind that are flown and displayed at airshows and I can tell you with a level of certainty that between rain, bugs and the sticky fingers of children that bare aluminum does just fine with a little maintenance. We did a big polish prior to the first show of the year and the rest of the time it was a case of wiping off the worst of it at the end of the day. Zero oxidation, ever.

[Paul F]

Tinker,

What is the green material we see coated on the inside of modern commercial planes? I assume it is an anti-corrosive plating or paint?

Sounds like Superarnie wants to go all the way. If practical, he may want to consider that coating.