i was thinking of running a aluminum floor maybe 16 ga. with lots of bracing.will this work? anybody done it and what are the pros and cons?
I guess a lot depends on what you are thinking about putting it in. Seems like I read that alum burns easy and it could be dangerous, also something about conductivity not to mention the cost factor. It would seem like going with the steel floor is the wisest decision.
being in Florida I think heat transfer off the road and your exhaust would make your car very hot inside.
31ACoupe you're thinking of magnesium, aluminum just melts. Aluminum transfers heat a little quicker than steel, but you shouldn't have any more of a heat problem with an aluminum floor than you would with steel. If you have room you could make it a double panel. The air in between is an excellent insulator. If the floor is right above a muffler make an aluminum heat shield on stand off's and you'd have a very good heat shield for a particular place. Works similar to the heat shield on a motorcycle exhaust pipe and/or muffler. You'll need to bead the floor with a roller in the proper places to help damp vibration induced noise or put rubber between floor and chassis. Little brothers drag race Henry J has aluminum floors and when driving it to the staging lanes, different panels will vibrate in harmony with particular engine rpms. It's done in several serctions and retained with Dzus fasteners, but other than the rolled-in beads it has no rubber or other vibration harmonic dampening device.
If your aluminum pans touch bare steel anywhere in your floor design even the tiniest bit it will start a reaction called disimilar metal corrosion, you may have treated both metals with coatings, paint etc....but where you fasten the two together will be bare metal. The steel will rust at it's regular pace slowly but surely, but in doing so it will speed up the process of the corrosion in the aluminum starting with a thin powdery film and eventually it will crumble away into a big hole at the attachment points. Leaving you with a weakened structure. The metals will also expand and contract at different rates which can also allow for condensation to enter and start the same process. It is this reaction that allows the steel to "feed" on the aluminum and slow down its own rate of decay.
When I use to drag race we used 18ga aluminum all the time for the whole floor with open headers right under your feet and it never warped. I have thought about doing my RPU in aluminum also. Just my $0.02
Usual usage in the 1940's and 50s as aluminum sheet were cheap and available in surplus store. No one had problems that I was aware of. Just go down and buy a 4x8 sheet, lay it on the frame and cut as necessary. traderjack
I saw it for 6 years in navy aviation and monday through friday on the semi trailers that come into the shop to be worked on. The steel beams that are the supports for the bottam of the trailer are tied in to aluminum side rails that support the uprights and walls on the trailer, everything is coated and still it manages to corrode down the line. My 2 cents
It's only a car if you're building it once you can build it again. With constant monitoring you will find the ins and outs of using aluminum. As long as you are not covering it up and forgetting about it. Also regular check-ups of all components insures safety. I plan on using 1/8 inch aluminum diamond plate in my 1928 dodge floors and am not concerned although I will be using a gasket sealant that is used between aluminum and steel components in engines to slow down the decay process and for bonding help with fasteners. Unprotected aluminum and steel make nasty funk. Ever try to unscrew steel screws out of aluminum? NOT fun!!
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