Has anybody...

[tfreer85]

Okay, I didn't want to fill up the tech boards with this, but I have couple of questions.

1) Has anybody ever tried replacing the frame rails and unibody rails with aluminum. i.e. making an aluminum chassis

 

2) I'm going to be cutting out the rear spare tire area to put in a fuel cell. It appears to me that when people do replace/weld in the floor cut out that they use a thin steel. Can you replace that with fiberglass or carbon Fiber or possibly aluminum?? (the replacement area would be supporting it i would do the steel box in around the tank). The only problems I see is that it would only save minimal weight and you would loose a lot of structural support.

 

Anybody have any opinions on this or want to call me a fricking retard please do so ?

 

Tyson

[BrandonsZ]

You could bolt on an aluminum subframe, but it is inherantly less stiff than steal.for it's size and there isn't a lot of room down there so you'd have to be really creative. Remember steel is nearly 3x heavier but also 3x stiffer than aluminum, You would have more strength per weight but less stiffness and body flex is right on the harry edge with these unibodys. my 2 cents.

[Phantom]

I'd stay away from it for a couple reasons:

 

1) Obviously you can't weld aluminum to steel so it would have to be mechanically fastened or some kind of high tech adhesive used to bond it to the steel structure which would probably not be as good as fully welded in steel part, and

2) Aluminum and steel are dissimilar metals so you'd set up a galvanic reaction and create a propensity to corrosion in the area. Z's have enough problem with rust without creating an area that encourages it.

 

Of course - if you could do the entire shell in aluminum!?!