Metal...body?

[Horn]

Yep! Take an untreated piece of Steel and untreated piece of Aluminum. That Steel will probably start rusting that same day. If there is rain, you know it will for a fact. I just got done cleaning out a gas tank and you have to worry about flash rusting right after. Now you can go buy a simple aluminum radiator and never treat it.

Carbon Fiber would be awesome, but isn't it very expensive? Really though, EM has bigger fish to fry than switching from Steel.

NSTG8R - I understand your rust belt pain. lol. It sucks. I moved to the south and cars rust very little. Then you hear someone cry about surface rust and you almost want to laugh at them. Go up to a state that uses Brine. I really don't know what it is, but it just eats steel.

 

[NSTG8R]

Yep! Take an untreated piece of Steel and untreated piece of Aluminum. That Steel will probably start rusting that same day. If there is rain, you know it will for a fact. I just got done cleaning out a gas tank and you have to worry about flash rusting right after. Now you can go buy a simple aluminum radiator and never treat it.

Carbon Fiber would be awesome, but isn't it very expensive? Really though, EM has bigger fish to fry than switching from Steel.

NSTG8R - I understand your rust belt pain. lol. It sucks. I moved to the south and cars rust very little. Then you hear someone cry about surface rust and you almost want to laugh at them. Go up to a state that uses Brine. I really don't know what it is, but it just eats steel.

Yeah, the CF option wouldn't be cheap, but super light. Probably wouldn't pay for itself, I'd say around $150 - $200 for the hood, but I doubt that'd stop me from trying.

I copy/pasted this from a thread I posted in reply to a forum member, Snick, about a year or so ago:

The hood will be 4 plys of 7.8 oz. 4x4 twill (aerospace grade 640Ksi) cloth with a Soric core. Carbon fiber cloth is weighed by the square yard. Assuming (because I'm just going by the pictures) the hood has a surface area of 9 square feet (1 square yard), the carbon material (cloth only) would be 31.2 oz. Using a vacuum bag method (resin infusion), the resin to cloth ratio comes out around 35% (this is all by weight). So...

cloth = 31.2 oz. (4 plys of 7.8 oz 4x4 twill)
epoxy resin = 10.9 oz (35% using vacuum bag method)
for a total of 42.1oz.
42/16 (that's oz. per lb.) = 2.6lbs.
The Soric core material (3mm thickness) is basically a light weight foam with a grid pattern cut into it for flexibility. Even if the Soric weighed 1/2 lb. (highly unlikely), and the UV resistant clear gel coat (15mil), the total weight of the hood would be barely 3 lbs.

 

[outsydthebox]

One other problem with aluminum is that you cannot repair it; if you dent it, the only fix is to replace it.
Once aluminum has been stretched, you can't shrink it back to size, ask anyone who had a 60's - 70's era British car (like an MG, or an Austin) the hoods were aluminum. Something people with the new Ford pickups are about to learn.

The sad reality is that very few body shops will "repair" a damaged body panel...other than simple "dings". There is more profit in "replacing" parts. About 15 years ago, I asked "how much would you charge (cash, NOT insurance money) to repaint my mini-van?" The body shop owner said, "I don't want the job." He said he can't pay the bills without the 25% mark-up from replacing parts.
Not what I wanted to hear but, I understand it.

 

[Horn]

Logging out but I suspect this will be easily contradicted by the morning!

Nostradamus!

 

[hawg_ryder]

One other problem with aluminum is that you cannot repair it; if you dent it, the only fix is to replace it.
Once aluminum has been stretched, you can't shrink it back to size, ask anyone who had a 60's - 70's era British car (like an MG, or an Austin) the hoods were aluminum. Something people with the new Ford pickups are about to learn.

I smile every time I hear the guy in the Ford commercial talking about "Military Grade Aluminum".

h_r

 

[Ocean9000]

<just kidding font>
Ford probably bought it military surplus from when they were using it as "armor" on the death box, er, um, bradley...
<just kidding font/>

 

[Coss]

I smile every time I hear the guy in the Ford commercial talking about "Military Grade Aluminum".

h_r

It's Military grade, just not Military thickness.
It's closer to Miller thickness

 

[hawg_ryder]

It's Military grade, just not Military thickness.
It's closer to Miller thickness

Shucks Coss, those Ol' F-150 n' F-250 owners will probably be OK as long as no one shoots an Exocet at them... Remember the Stark?

h_r

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

It's Military grade, just not Military thickness.
It's closer to Miller thickness

I hear about "Aviation Grade" aluminum a LOT.
50 years ago this would have been impressive. Today, it's the bare minimum quality for any vehicle from bicycles to cars and... well... airplanes.

It's like saying "We add 'food grade' ingredients in our hamburger"

Watch out for key words and buzz words trying to sell you something. It's likely just salesman bull....um bologna.

Can anyone post a list of cars with aluminum or composite panels? I'm honestly not sure how common it is.

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Everybody and their cousin has aluminum john boats out here because of all the rivers. They're all beat to crap and are constantly exposed to water and the weather. No such thing as a aluminum boat corroding away.

Try looking in a salt water area. All aluminum components need to be flushed after exposure to salt water including hulls.
(ask me how I know

Also, ask any owner of a Volvo powered boat.
(intake manifolds, heads, etc etc)