Aluminum body
11-11-2009, 03:47 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Aluminum body
Anybody ever have an aluminum body made for their C2? A customer of ours that makes aluminum cobra bodies told me he would make a body for my '64 Vette. It is out of my price range, but it got me thinking. Rick
11-11-2009, 04:07 PM
#2
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why? fiberglass worked so well for all these years why screw it up
11-11-2009, 05:26 PM
#4
Safety Car
Aluminum Body
How much was it going to cost for him to make one for you?
Just curious.
11-11-2009, 06:15 PM
#7
Le Mans Master
11-11-2009, 06:15 PM
#8
Safety Car
11-11-2009, 06:52 PM
#11
Safety Car
11-11-2009, 07:01 PM
#12
[QUOTE=GCD1962;1572116909]Aluminum is easy to dent with even a finger. Why would you want a body that dents vs one that doesn't ?[/QUOTE
You must have pretty strong fingers. Many of these aluminum cars built today are built with 3003 H14 which has pretty decent integrity-it is an alloy and H14 means it is half hard and has to be annealed to continue to work it-otherwise it gets work hardened. I have worked with it and it could be dented if you really push on it but it is not like the real soft stuff. A real soft aluminum is 1100 which is pretty much pure aluminum and would dent from your finger but not too many guys want to use that for that very reason. I have used 1100 sometimes to experiment with a difficult part to see how the shape would look (easier to shape) and then make the finished part out of 3003 H14. Some of the other aluminum alloys are even harder to dent but then they are also harder to weld.
I am a huge fan of the Scaglietti Corvettes built in the 50s, of course built out of aluminum. The $30,000 price tag is not altogether out of line-a lot of work but I am not sure why you would build a aluminum Sting Ray. I would guess the aluminum body would be lighter than a fiberglass counterpart.-Jim
You must have pretty strong fingers. Many of these aluminum cars built today are built with 3003 H14 which has pretty decent integrity-it is an alloy and H14 means it is half hard and has to be annealed to continue to work it-otherwise it gets work hardened. I have worked with it and it could be dented if you really push on it but it is not like the real soft stuff. A real soft aluminum is 1100 which is pretty much pure aluminum and would dent from your finger but not too many guys want to use that for that very reason. I have used 1100 sometimes to experiment with a difficult part to see how the shape would look (easier to shape) and then make the finished part out of 3003 H14. Some of the other aluminum alloys are even harder to dent but then they are also harder to weld.
I am a huge fan of the Scaglietti Corvettes built in the 50s, of course built out of aluminum. The $30,000 price tag is not altogether out of line-a lot of work but I am not sure why you would build a aluminum Sting Ray. I would guess the aluminum body would be lighter than a fiberglass counterpart.-Jim
11-11-2009, 07:21 PM
#13
Race Director
[QUOTE=Jim Dillon;1572118554]
Don't get your fingers near a '55-'56 Mercedes Gullwing if the owner is standing next to you. Sure you could use thicker aluminum but what's the purpose?
Aluminum is easy to dent with even a finger. Why would you want a body that dents vs one that doesn't ?[/QUOTE
You must have pretty strong fingers. Many of these aluminum cars built today are built with 3003 H14 which has pretty decent integrity-it is an alloy and H14 means it is half hard and has to be annealed to continue to work it-otherwise it gets work hardened. I have worked with it and it could be dented if you really push on it but it is not like the real soft stuff. A real soft aluminum is 1100 which is pretty much pure aluminum and would dent from your finger but not too many guys want to use that for that very reason. I have used 1100 sometimes to experiment with a difficult part to see how the shape would look (easier to shape) and then make the finished part out of 3003 H14. Some of the other aluminum alloys are even harder to dent but then they are also harder to weld.
I am a huge fan of the Scaglietti Corvettes built in the 50s, of course built out of aluminum. The $30,000 price tag is not altogether out of line-a lot of work but I am not sure why you would build a aluminum Sting Ray. I would guess the aluminum body would be lighter than a fiberglass counterpart.-Jim
You must have pretty strong fingers. Many of these aluminum cars built today are built with 3003 H14 which has pretty decent integrity-it is an alloy and H14 means it is half hard and has to be annealed to continue to work it-otherwise it gets work hardened. I have worked with it and it could be dented if you really push on it but it is not like the real soft stuff. A real soft aluminum is 1100 which is pretty much pure aluminum and would dent from your finger but not too many guys want to use that for that very reason. I have used 1100 sometimes to experiment with a difficult part to see how the shape would look (easier to shape) and then make the finished part out of 3003 H14. Some of the other aluminum alloys are even harder to dent but then they are also harder to weld.
I am a huge fan of the Scaglietti Corvettes built in the 50s, of course built out of aluminum. The $30,000 price tag is not altogether out of line-a lot of work but I am not sure why you would build a aluminum Sting Ray. I would guess the aluminum body would be lighter than a fiberglass counterpart.-Jim
11-11-2009, 07:57 PM
#14
Somewhere I have pics of both a 300Sl gullwing and a 190 SL in my shop. Both had steel bodies but aluminum hoods and doors and trunks. Actually they were built quite well but you are right the aluminum panels were a bit soft. The Jags (120) were built the same way with aluminum doors and hoods etc.
When I made a new door for a Jag I used 3003 H14. I would never use 1100 on a panel for any car-some manufacturers did because you can form soft aluminum very easily. All of the Mercedes panels I have worked on all needed massaging and the aluminum is easy to work. To be honest I do not know the alloy content of what Mercedes used. Guys building bodies today though use generally 3000 H14 and it gains its integrity not from the gauge used but the alloy content added to the aluminum. A piece of .050 1100 is very soft since it is pretty much pure aluminum and it work hardens very slowly and so it stays pretty soft. Even if I made the same part with a thicker gauge, it would still be soft just thicker. The same .050 in 3003 H14 since it has manganese added to it makes it considerably stronger than soft aluminum. I would never use just thicker aluminum but look to one that has alloys to increase strength. Once 3003 H14 work hardens it is pretty good stuff-much more resistant to dents than the old Merc hoods etc. Look though at some of the Merc doors though and you will see real nice inner structures.They are well built cars. Jim
When I made a new door for a Jag I used 3003 H14. I would never use 1100 on a panel for any car-some manufacturers did because you can form soft aluminum very easily. All of the Mercedes panels I have worked on all needed massaging and the aluminum is easy to work. To be honest I do not know the alloy content of what Mercedes used. Guys building bodies today though use generally 3000 H14 and it gains its integrity not from the gauge used but the alloy content added to the aluminum. A piece of .050 1100 is very soft since it is pretty much pure aluminum and it work hardens very slowly and so it stays pretty soft. Even if I made the same part with a thicker gauge, it would still be soft just thicker. The same .050 in 3003 H14 since it has manganese added to it makes it considerably stronger than soft aluminum. I would never use just thicker aluminum but look to one that has alloys to increase strength. Once 3003 H14 work hardens it is pretty good stuff-much more resistant to dents than the old Merc hoods etc. Look though at some of the Merc doors though and you will see real nice inner structures.They are well built cars. Jim
Last edited by Jim Dillon; 11-11-2009 at 08:01 PM.
11-11-2009, 08:41 PM
#19
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Correct and on the Shelby Cobras, especially the competition cars, the aluminum varies in thickness depending on the body part. Doors are especially thin and can be dented very easily (knee). On the otherhand, the rear panels are quite stout and the hood is extremely heavy for reasons I do not understand.
11-11-2009, 09:00 PM
#20
Instructor
I know of a metal shaper that has been working on an aluminum '59 Vette up in the Great Northwest near Bellingham Wa. Talked to him about 2 years ago and he had the wood bucks made up, don't know how far he has gotten yet as he was doing alot of high end aluminum work for customers.
