FrontEngineDragsters.Org Forum
Technical => Roo Man's Room => Topic started by: beargeorge on August 14, 2014, 06:07:36 AM
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Is 040 3003 mill finish okay for a fed shorty body
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No problems with it so far
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Thank you for reply
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If thats all you have or can get, but it will dent very easily if you dont anodize it before painting, 5052 is a better choice as its a little stiffer or 6061 t4, 3003 is a shapeing material that I would use to form a raised dragster cowl for which I would have to aneal in order to get the form I desire with minimal effort.
040 is a little thin for anything but a basic cowl shape. On a previous R/E build with a basic body shape I used the same aluminum that goes on trailers for sides already painted. Comes with a plastic coating on the surface, will take a step/edge roll or Dzus dimple without cracking, normal bending with radious dies in brake. I found the material cheaper than plain alu, and saved the cost and weight of having it painted, comes in all sorts of colors.
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My shorty body is .030 5052 the cowl is .050 3003
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I use .040 for basically flat panels (5052 as per Bruce's reasoning) and for the cowl I use 3003 in .050 thickness. With my power hammer and English wheel I have found that I can shape the 3003 without having to anneal it. The photo shows the result. Apart from where the side extensions were added the rest of the cowl is as formed and is simply scuffed with a scotchbrite pad. The extensions were TIG welded with 1100 rod, hammered and sanded. Gas welding is better but the TIG takes less time to set up.
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t18/aussierooman/IMG_2088.jpg)
Roo
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I would like to thank everyone who responded to my shorty body question. Bob George