Three years later…
An independent study was carried out by the popular classic car magazine ‘Classics Monthly’ about the effect of anti-rust products in maintaining and protecting the chassis/bodywork on classic and modern cars.
The three-year test is the first of its kind conducted in the UK and has finally produced some results for worried classic car owners putting their beloved vehicles in storage over long periods of time.
Whereas other results have been conducted by scientists in mimicked weather conditions, this test used a real-time length variable as well as actually using the British Weather to make it as realistic as possible. This meant the snow, frost, damp, wet, rainy, dry conditions all played a contributing role to the test at one point, making it a truly unique experiment.
The test was conducted using bare sections of brand new MGB GT steel sills, hoping to produce the best and most realistic outcome for classic car owners. Each one of the 13 anti-rust products was applied to different sills as close to the manufacturers’ instructions as possible, again making a reliable outcome more relevant imminent. The test judged each product on ease of application, cost and ultimately the most important factor- its effectiveness in tackling the issue of rust.
Leave it be
Once the anti-rust agents had been applied to all the sills, they were left to fend for themselves over a period of three years at months at a time around the typical seasons you would associate classic cars being stored (EG Winter/Autumn months).
Gary Stretton, who is a Classics Monthly editor, said “A key factor in our real-time testing was to ensure the products were subject to conditions most owners place their cars in throughout the year, whether stored in a garage or parked on the road.”
The test was an encouragement for classic car owners, as the testers said 12 out of the 13 anti-rust products could easily be applied over a DIY Sunday morning. With such an easily and simple application, owners are able to preserve and protect their cars from damage, which of course can affect a car’s value. For anyone who has put the time in restoring a classic car, taking the time to preserve the car’s frame with anti-rust product surely is just a small extension of the effort you’ve already put in? In any case, cars without a manufacturers guarantee that use an anti-rust product can extend the cars protection, ensuring residual values remain as high as possible.
