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MK5 Cortina Corrosion Protection
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The anti-corrosion treatments that all Ford cars - including the new 1980 Cortina now go through are continuously reviewed to make sure they are up to date with the latest technological practises. Recently several important new steps have been added to the overall protective process to make it even more effective in the war against corrosion damage. Theses additional safeguards involve:
A high pressure washing of the enclosed body areas to remove any waste phosphate and so ensure good paint adhesion. The special de-ionised water used, completes this job without leaving any of the salt deposits to be found in normal domestic water.
A hand sprayed coating of tough PVC material onto the outer underbody area and in the front and rear wheel arches. This careful finishing is completed using a hand brush for the difficult to get at areas.
A cavity wax injection treatment that puts a protective coating of specially developed hard wax into susceptible enclosed box sections and cavities using purpose built lances and flexible spray probes.
A wax sealant sprayed onto the entire underbody area to improve resistance to salt or any other kind of road damage.
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These new protective processes are just part of an exacting treatment that is now applied to all Ford cars. In detail this involves:
The bare metal shell is washed in an alkaline solution - using high pressure jets
The body is rinsed, dried and sprayed - again using high pressure jets - with anti-corrosion zinc phosphate.
The body is rinsed - twice - the final rinsing being with pure demineralised water.
An extra high pressure de-mineralised water rinsing - to closed body sections - flushes out waste phosphate material and ensures full paint bonding inside all box members.
The body is oven dried to remove all trace of water.
Total immersion in anti-corrosive paint. An electro-coating process is used - to ensure 100% application to hidden body locations.
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The body is washed and then bake-hardened, in a gas-fired oven.
A special PVC-based sealant is applied, by hand, to every panel joint throughout the car so no moisture can seep between these joint.
The whole body is sprayed with tough polyester primer paint in an electrostatic spray booth - so paint is attracted to every part.
The body is stoved to harden the underbody PVC, polyurethane undercoat and polyester primer.
The wheel arches and vulnerable underbody area are treated with chip-resistant PVC coating - brushed out by hand in areas where spray guns cannot reach. Unlike low-cost bitumen based under sealing, PVC coating does not deteriorate in hot conditions.
The body is sanded - by hand - washed again - and thoroughly dried off.
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First coat of tough acrylic enamel colour paint is applied - at least 40 microns thick.
Second coat of tough acrylic enamel colour paint
Third coat of tough acrylic enamel colour paint
The body is oven stoved - to give the paint full strength and lustre.
Wax is injected by special probes, into all sections and areas where moisture could possibly get trapped.
After final assembly, the entire underbody is sprayed with tough wax sealant - to protect against salt spray.
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