Headlight support brackets.... sacrafacial anodes?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,053
Likes: 4
St. Jude Donor '03,'11
Headlight support brackets.... sacrafacial anodes?
Last year my lights wouldn't go up. After checking the actuators and a lot of head scratching i found the support brackets extremely coroded. The structural integrety was compromised and they are pulling away from the metal bracket where they are mounted, this caused binding of the mechanism and failure of the headlights to open. I am going to rebuild this summer with used brackets and i'm going to sand, prime and paint these used brackets so it doesn't happen again.
But i got to thinking about it and it seems the light alloy of these brackets acted as a sacrafacial anode for the frame. I have seen this sort of thing for boat motors and such but wondered if this principle would work on the corvette frame. I also noticed some time ago that J.C. Whitney sells a cathodic protection system for cars that uses power right off the battery. I wonder if this can be adapted to the corvette frame. Anyone here tried this?
This may be just the ticket for guys like me who will never do a frame off or go through the trouble of trying to paint the frame.
But i got to thinking about it and it seems the light alloy of these brackets acted as a sacrafacial anode for the frame. I have seen this sort of thing for boat motors and such but wondered if this principle would work on the corvette frame. I also noticed some time ago that J.C. Whitney sells a cathodic protection system for cars that uses power right off the battery. I wonder if this can be adapted to the corvette frame. Anyone here tried this?
This may be just the ticket for guys like me who will never do a frame off or go through the trouble of trying to paint the frame.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Re: Headlight support brackets.... sacrafacial anodes? (turtlevette)
Sacraficial anodes are used all the time. The old metal gas tanks buried in the ground that them, your hot water tank has one right down the middle. But things have got to stay wet. The galvanizing on plate is a sacraficial anode but it completely covers the piece it is protecting.
In theory you could attach apiece of zinc to your frame but again the frame must remain wet.
This is not a new idea. I heard about it 35 years ago. It just never caught on.
In theory you could attach apiece of zinc to your frame but again the frame must remain wet.
This is not a new idea. I heard about it 35 years ago. It just never caught on.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8,339
Likes: 24
From: I can walk to MA
Re: Headlight support brackets.... sacrafacial anodes? (norvalwilhelm)
Maybe a good idea for folks in Seatle area.
I'm digging in my headlight assemblies right now. It seems that the chemistry
between the cast support/housing and the steel brackets/hardware will
create some nasty corrosion that goes right through the aluminum.
I will be repairing my support bracket by adding a new 'ear' in the front.
I will attach it with a strip of stainless and stainless hardware. Hopefully,
I won't be doing it again in 30 years. :lolg:
I'm digging in my headlight assemblies right now. It seems that the chemistry
between the cast support/housing and the steel brackets/hardware will
create some nasty corrosion that goes right through the aluminum.
I will be repairing my support bracket by adding a new 'ear' in the front.
I will attach it with a strip of stainless and stainless hardware. Hopefully,
I won't be doing it again in 30 years. :lolg:
