Technical Anyone been on the salt with chrome suspension parts?

Other than the desire for extremely accelerated patina, you might want to think twice!

 

Yes, but modern chrome steelies have about the cheapest chrome ever used.

 

Most rental places in Salt Lake City will NOT let you drive out to the salt, and will hammer you if you lie. Don't forget they all have GPS built in these days....

It's called Bonneville loctite for a reason....

 

Drove my 36PU there in 2011, it rained and the road onto the salt had about 18 inches of water on it going through that shit I had salt water over my running boards to this day still have salt problems, even locked up my front disc brakes four years later and almost overheated my engine...........NEVER again.....JMHO but was still worth the trip! and my brother in law is still having problems with his 4x4 Van we also took to sleep in.... (remember Trent)

however did get a chance to actually be on the salt towing the 416 of Timmy McMaster......and it was a thrill of a lifetime to follow him down the course

 

I was out there about 10-12 years ago riding with Bob K in his 52 Chevy convertible and he taped garbage bags to the floors and seats in his car too.

 

I did exactly this, it was great advise that I was given by someone before I went in 2018 for the first time. It saved a TON of cleanup. Well worth it. Used good Gorilla brand duct tape. I also taped the bottom of my sneakers and parents shoes to keep the salt out of the treads (tape was a bitch to remove though). Despite all the efforts, still washed the rental and had to spend time to vacuum the interior. I heard about trying to rent up near Salt Lake, I was lucky my parents live south in St George so we rented down there and drove up. Luckily 2018 was not a wet year.

 

Fluid Film is good stuff may consider a good coating of it first then as everyone said wash underneath with a consistent low pressure sprinkler. I knew a guy that made lexan panels for.some areas to block the salt and keep it from.creeping into the seams on his 33 Chrysler and it seemed.to work well. If the intent is just some.cool pictures take it slow on the salt and not fling it everywhere and you will be fine, if you are going full throttle and having fun salt will be in a lot of places. If your lucky you get a dry salt day and not a wet salt bath.

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Thats a Florin! or used to be!
In the days of Pounds Sterling before decimal coins there were farthings (1/4 of a penny) halfpennys ,pennys, thrupence, sixpence, shilling ,florin, and half crown, silver crown ! all coins ! and even a guinea which was one pound and one shilling.
Theres more but I have forgotten them.
http://projectbritain.com/moneyold.htm#back
We had the same basic coinage in New Zealand until we went the decimal way in 1966...five years ahead of Britain.

 

Unless you are racing NOBODY should be going full throttle or anything like it on the salt! Even if you creep along at 20mph the salt will get in there.

 

I think the main difference is this is more like concentrated Brine... High High salt content vs water in it... The ocean water will do damage to a vehicle but not nearly as fast or bad as the salt up there. Highly corrosive etc being super concentrated. There is a big difference...

Id say if you had body waxed/oiled/treated the bottom side of your vehicle prior to going on the salt it stands a good chance of being able to withstand things.

 

Decorative (shiny) chrome is porous, it will rust in rainwater if you don't give it a regular wash and coat of high end polish. The shine and corrosion resistance of chrome relies on the thickness and polish of the underlying nickle plating, the copper plate beneath that and and the polish of the original part . BUT the chrome will always be a very thin layer and will always be porous and will need great care . The salt lakes are no place for any thing you really care about! No matter how romantic it may seem . Unless you feel like a full rebuild of your hot rod is due, take the hot rod to Wendover for the car show and either hitch a ride out to the salt or buy a disposable vehicle to use on the salt for the week.
As a spectator an old bicycle is more use out there than a Hot Rod .

 

Photoshop your hot rod onto the salt. Safest route ;-)

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After going to the salt for a couple of years (30) it'[s not so much the chrome, it the aluminum that takes a beating. Chrome is a hard surface, and poor aluminum is just asking for to be eaten and tarnished by the salt.,/.

 

Well, as most have said, chrome is going to be tough to keep from some damage. Best thing is lucky to hit a good thunderstorm driving home. It really does help wash out the salt underneath. Of course the best thing is salt is water soluble. Simple flooding with water gets most of it. Some prep before with a oil-based product or the Salt Away type product is good idea. But the best idea is stay on the hard packed dry salt. No the wet areas or puddles if you can avoid it. Just accept that driving out on the salt will require some cleanup.
Overall I have driven several of my old vehicles out there. Yes they do get some salt that you will find years later. Yes it does cause some rusting on parts. Yes it is the time of your life and best experienced in an old car.

 

We used "Baby Oil" on our Sprint cars just before Mud Packing the track to help with the clay removal. Unlike WD40 it washes out of clothing without staining

 

For interior I quit using plastic bags years ago. I line the carpet with 3” wide packing tape especially the seal by the doors. Near the end, weathertech type floor mats with the packing tape around them. Just before entering the salt I tape the gas pedal and brake pedal too. I do this on rentals I now take up from SoCal. I remove before driving home so my foot won’t slip.
Huntimer..has it right on aluminum. It’s Alka-Selser in one year the transmission too.

 

Forget plastic bags and tape. Use self adhesive carpet protector like the do to show new homes. One roll will last for years and has a million uses.

 

Eh what are we saving these things for. Drive them, rust them, wreck them then fix it. Repeat.

 

And hell to put in a car...tried it ...for me never again.

 

Worked well for me, but my truck was prob easier that some cars

 

I find this thread on this topic to be totally fascinating ! Its amazing, all of the responses from those that have been to the salt flats with their cars and trucks, and the various tales of woe and the aftermath of having their vehicles exposed to the salt. I can only imagine what the clean up was on the "Goldenrod " after it made its runs. It pretty obvious why Roth, and Barris didn't take their creations out on the salt, purely for photographic artistic expressionistic opportunity's !

 

I wanted to visit Bonneville within a couple of years and was considering flying/renting a car vs. making the drive.
Anyone in Salt Lake City rent cars/welcome Salt Flat use? The SLC "Rent a Wreck" location looks to be closed.

 

I took my deuce highboy sedan out on the salt for several days years ago. When I returned home I probably spent 10 bucks at the local car wash cleaning it. When that was done I jacked it up in the driveway and put the lawn sprinkler under it for 1/2 a day. I thought I did a good job of cleaning it but a couple years later when a friend bought it and took it apart for a rebuild he found rust developing in places you'd never thought of.

 

Back when you could buy decent chrome I was on the salt on a Harley with a chrome springer. I waxed the devil out of it before I went and cleaned it with plenty of clean water when I left. I didn't have any problems other then finding salt everywhere in all the nooks and crannies.

 

I would love to visit Bonneville for speedweek but my RPU will not be going.

I spent 10 years of my life building it and lots of $ on the chrome and the only way that it’s going to appear on the salt will be by photoshop.

If I get to attend in the future it will be in a rental.

 

One other thing about driving on the Salt. It depends a lot on how you drive. My trips were always to the pits in the morning and back off the salt at night. Good salt years you barely pick up any in the wheelwells. If a person like @roseville carl is pulling a race vehicle you may put on 40 to 50 miles of salt flats driving in a given day. Add wetter conditions and it gets a lot worse.

 

Most rental car places have a caveat, basically banning the use of the car on the salt.

 

We have had three hot rods on the salt and are building a banger RPU for this year, along with the rest of the two vehicles, 85 Chevy 3/4 ton, a couple of rental Rangers, Escorts, a short school bus, a couple of suburbans (2), f-250 Diesel now. We have camped at the KOA, had a couple of room weeks thanks to friends, Air Stream (2), Class C campers, a converted RV bus, to a 85 Class A, and now another Class A, both used and beat-up.
We have done and will do it all.
The fact of the matter is, just go there you will not regret one moment of the trip or one day on the salt.
A bad day on the salt is far better than a good week at work
Tony

 

Knew a guy that drove his OT Challenger on the salt, cleaned it up and thought he did a thorough job. A few years later it was rusting in some odd places, good part he was planning a restoration before he went but was amazed how fast it rusted and the areas it got into. It seems he also had wet salt that day.

 

I remember reading years ago that when the Doug Rice 39 Ford was restored, the rust was extensive. IIRC, that made it a very tough job, and trips to Bonneville were the cause.