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Post by srx660 on May 30, 2018 8:11:27 GMT -5
I see people that have used aluminum sheet for the body of their trike. Has anyone used aluminum to form bent edge and slightly bent contours to build the body out of? If so how did you attach the body to the chassis and how did you go about bending the panels. I also wonder what gauge panels to use. .032 or .040? seems heavy enough to weld together with a mig or wire feed welder. Just wondering what others would use. srx660
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Post by DaveJ98092 on May 30, 2018 21:07:49 GMT -5
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Post by Liteway on May 30, 2018 22:42:15 GMT -5
I prefer to work with .040 for body skin. .032 is really flimsy. I think 030 or 032 is what is used on many light aircraft. 050 is difficult to bend cold. I think that is what's used on Shelby Cobras. I have tried mig welding aluminum, but It's really for people with a special skills and/or equipment. I have had limited success welding a narrow range from 060-090, nothing else. I don't have a tig, but I understand that works much better because you can control the heat more precisely and aluminum has to be kept in a narrow heat range to avoid holes and melted edges. I attached panels by welding tabs to the steel frame and tapping them. Stainless button head screws (available on line or at Fastenal) look good because they look much like the pop rivets you would use to join the panels. Sharp angle bends in up to .050 can be accomplished with a 40 dollar Harbor freight bender. Larger radius can be bent over various diameters of schedule 40 pvc. i.pinimg.com/originals/78/f5/a5/78f5a5b2784c137000d430091e93daec.jpg
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Post by Liteway on Jul 25, 2018 21:19:28 GMT -5
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