I've got a project in mind

[alien13]

Has anybody ever used aluminum for a body? I work in a tractor-trailer shop, with access to .050 aluminum sheet, and I want a body that nobody makes, at least, not in the style that I want.

This weekend, hopefully I'll be able to pick up the brake that I need, and the completed body will be sent to a guy I know who does vinyls for race cars. I'm not going to tell you what my plan is, but when the project is started, I will post my log here.

 

[moe7404]

back in the late 60s here in wichita we had a guy that built different scale cars, dragsters with steering. he hand formed a alu body for a ford f40. they were not rc. he dident paint the bodys , he polished them. the thing about a body like that on a rc car is the wieght will be so high it will handel like a pig.

 

[alien13]

On a Speed NT, that's probably a good thing. At least it'll help to keep the wheels on the ground. Maybe I'll switch to .040 instead though.

 

[HPIguy]

On a Speed NT, that's probably a good thing. At least it'll help to keep the wheels on the ground. Maybe I'll switch to .040 instead though.

The problem is, all that weight will be up high, changing you COG as Moe mentioned. I definitely think it's cool though, and commend you for being willing to put forth the effort. And if you do it post up some pics.

 

[hamz9561]

I remember that one of the guys on here had an aluminum Super Duty body on his scaler project a little while ago. It looked great and dented just like a real one when he rolled it. Have fun with your project.

 

[moe7404]

dont get me wrong alien13 i think an alu body or frame would be way cool. but i dont know how one would hammer out a body. my dad told me a story about how he worked for a guy that had a body shop, that didnt use plastic filler. he would beat the steel close, would drill holes in the inner panels to run a metal rod to the inside of the body panel to push it out , and would get it so c lose it only took a small amount of sanding, some times he use a small amount of lead.

 

[alien13]

dont get me wrong alien13 i think an alu body or frame would be way cool. but i dont know how one would hammer out a body. my dad told me a story about how he worked for a guy that had a body shop, that didnt use plastic filler. he would beat the steel close, would drill holes in the inner panels to run a metal rod to the inside of the body panel to push it out , and would get it so c lose it only took a small amount of sanding, some times he use a small amount of lead.

Well, the body design I have in mind is pretty simple and straight forward. There's no parts that I'll have to roll, just bend. This weekend I'm picking up a hand operated brake press from Harbor Freight for bending the metal. If they have one in stock, that is. The nice thing about the metal I'm using, is that it's pretty light already, and pre-painted to handle road use and weathering. THe metal I'm using is pretty much a side sheet from a semi-trailer. If this turns out well, I may look into different options, and build different body styles.

I'm also considering making copies of it with lexan, depending on how easy that will be to work and bend.

 

[moe7404]

BIG IDEA buy a plastic model of the car/truck you want top do. then make cardboard templets at intervels of .1 to .3 inchs. use them to check you alu body. i guess working aircraft for 25 years did learn me something. can't wait to see the pics