I have a big bit of fairly thick (havnt measured the gauge yet) Ali sheet. Can i use that for the floor and rivet it on every inch or so, or should i go steel and weld it?
Ally is fine as long as you do not intend to race the car in Locost series.....................
quote:
Originally posted by jon_haggerty
I have a big bit of fairly thick (havnt measured the gauge yet) Ali sheet. Can i use that for the floor and rivet it on every inch or so, or should i go steel and weld it?
Rivit & glue !
You do not need to rivet as close as you are sugesting. 50 - 75mm is about right
its not too thick, just enough so it wont bend etc when i sit in it, when its rivetted. why do they not allow rivetted ally floors in the series? i think mine will only go as far as track days...
ditto rivet and glue, i suspect rivets can wear loose over time. belts and braces 
Remember to use the correct rivets coz the wrong ones will corrode round the hole and create a big problem . I can't remember but I think
it's as simple as useing alloy rivests as aposed too zinc ones
Although i'm not sure alloy rivets will be as strong as steel ones so you might need to go up a few sizes to get the strenght back
but if you use a really good mastik it shouldn't be a prob.
Mike
quote:
Originally posted by jon_haggerty
its not too thick, just enough so it wont bend etc when i sit in it, when its rivetted. why do they not allow rivetted ally floors in the series? i think mine will only go as far as track days...
Just a thought but is Ali OK for fixing seats to or will you need spreaders?
Come to think of it your best bet is stainless rivets stronger than alum ones and wont corrode the alum like steel ones, just make sure you have
plenty of mastik on coz if the steel and alum touch each other it will corrode at ten times the speed as it should, so keep it apart with the mastik
to act like a barrier and you'l be ok
Mike
quote:
Originally posted by pajsh
Just a thought but is Ali OK for fixing seats to or will you need spreaders?
quote:
Originally posted by quattromike
Come to think of it your best bet is stainless rivets stronger than alum ones and wont corrode the alum like steel ones.
quote:
Originally posted by gazza285
quote:
Originally posted by quattromike
Come to think of it your best bet is stainless rivets stronger than alum ones and wont corrode the alum like steel ones.
Your right there, it'll corrode the aluminium much faster.
??? Confused now. So what rivets? And what size? I was going to weld in two rails anyway for each seat so thats ok. I was thinking of using a very strong double sided sticky foam from work (used for sticking body trim to panels, and about an inch wide tape like stuff) and then rivets. Should do shouldnt it?
Stainless has a higher potential difference than plain steel with alluminium so will corrode the ally faster as a lot of Land rover owners have found
out using stainless steel bolts to hold ally panels on
ally rivets won't corrode too badly against ally sheet. Theoretically the ally/steel junction will remain dry inside the tube specially if you
use sealant between the ally panel and the steel tube. You can also get closed end ally rivets these are better to keep dampness out of the steeel
tube.
Caber
quote:
Originally posted by jon_haggerty
Confused now. So what rivets? And what size? I was going to weld in two rails anyway for each seat so thats ok. I was thinking of using a very strong double sided sticky foam from work (used for sticking body trim to panels, and about an inch wide tape like stuff) and then rivets. Should do shouldnt it?
Ally rivets, spaced at around 50mm, preferably with a small bead of sikaflex or similar polyurethane adhesive applied first. If
the tape you have is thin (<1mm) then that should also be ok, if it's too thick it will bugger up the job done by the rivets. quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev
Incidentally several people have fixed seats directly to ally floors with no probs, SVA or otherwise.
quote:
Originally posted by caber
Stainless has a higher potential difference than plain steel with alluminium so will corrode the ally faster as a lot of Land rover owners have found out using stainless steel bolts to hold ally panels on
ally rivets won't corrode too badly against ally sheet. Theoretically the ally/steel junction will remain dry inside the tube specially if you use sealant between the ally panel and the steel tube. You can also get closed end ally rivets these are better to keep dampness out of the steeel tube.
Caber
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev
Incidentally several people have fixed seats directly to ally floors with no probs, SVA or otherwise.
Rather them than me. With those riviets being probably the most exposed to water and also hidden from view, I personaly think it's a bit foolish to skimp on a couple of rails.
I understand what you're saying, but just bouncing up and down on the ally could cause it to fracture.
The other thing I would be worried about is the (admittedly, unlikely) possibility of some debris on the road being flicked up by the tyres and
impaling the driver. There was a photo of such a trauma doing the rounds about a year ago; a driver was run through by a length of metal or wood that
had fallen onto the road.
In motorsport, there's usually a rule governing the thickness and type of material imediately under the driver's seat for just such reasons.
I would fit a couple of seat rails for peace of mind and ensure the floor was sufficiently strong too.
Floor weight
If anyone want to do the maths
Steel sg factor is 8.07, ally sg factor is 2.73. so:
For steel assume 1.2mm floor
For ally assume 2mm floor
If floor was area 1.5 m x 1.0 m, steel weighs 14.53 kg, ally weighs 8.19
Formula is (Area of part in M) x (part thickness in mm) x sg factor = mass in kg
Fred WB