im about to get the metal for my flat dash. im going stainless, but what would be a good thickness, 16 ga., 14 ga.??? oh yeah, it will be one big piece. thanks!



- jake

stainless? it would be cheaper to go with aluminum! :eek:

personally if i was building one i would use 16 ga. its not like its a flatbed of anything that takes a beating.

i used 14 ga on my flatbed and its pretty stong stuff. it was dimond plate steel.

how much cheaper would it be? i wouldnt think a sheet of stainless was more than like $20 or so, but i dont know. what does aluminum look like? any pics of an aluminum dash to compare? thanks!


- jake

plus- i heard someone say that aluminum would corrode or something? anyone know?

dude?

stainless is $250.00 per 8x4' sheet. thats 14 ga.

alluminum is $180.00 per 8'x4' 14ga.

stainless will rust. surface rust, you can rub it off and never tell.

aluminum does not corrode! plus its lighter!

aluminum does not corrode!

Please Explain

Originally posted by ross hildebrandt

aluminum does not corrode!

Um, yes it does.

so...if aluminum does corrode, can i do anything to keep it from doing so? would i be better off just getting stainless? can i buy it in a smaller piec, or do i have to buy a whole sheet? i only need 10" x 46".... so anyone have a pic of what the aluminum looks like?


- jake

also, i dont know much about aluminum, but will it stand up to putting a bend in it and keep its strength? and would it corrode around my gauges too? how could i stop this?


- jake

go to the scrap yard and ask to dig thru their junk. i found a good 2x5 sheet of aluminum for $15.

but, i would do a search for "stainless dash" and read the dash thread that ran last week.

matt



found it! read my post about half-way down:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=52149&highlight=stainless+dash

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/borderdude69/vwp?.dir=/SOME+OF+DA+TOYS&.src=ph&.dnm=NEW+DASH002.jpg&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/bc/borderdude69/lst%3f%26.dir=/SOME%2bOF%2bDA%2bTOYS%26.src=ph%26.view=t


theres the link to my partial dash

ist 14 ga stainless.. cost 2 bucks for a local fab shop to cut for me so i didnt have to buy a full piece

:confused:

show me pictures of corroded aluminum!

well okay if you have it touching steel it will.:rolleyes:

thats the only way it wil corrode. thats almost to stupid!:flipoff2:

I would just use 16ga steel, and paint it. It will be much cheaper and easier to work with then Stainless. However it will weigh more then Al. However it won't weigh that much more, hell it's only sheet. Unless you want the look, or need to shave a couple pounds, I would go steel/paint.

Originally posted by ross hildebrandt
well okay if you have it touching steel it will.:rolleyes:

thats the only way it wil corrode. thats almost to stupid!:flipoff2:

Yeah, like I said....yes it will corrode.

What do you think he is going to bolt it to......a steel body?

show me pictures of corroded aluminum!

this is 16 gauge steel

Originally posted by ross hildebrandt
:confused:

show me pictures of corroded aluminum! [URL]http://www.public.asu.edu/~karls/Fig19.JPG

well, i did kind of want the look, ...so would regular 16ga steel polish up? i dont want to paint it, but i want it to have either a look of aluminum or stainless. regular steel would probably be the best so i could weld to it, but could i make it have a nice - looking finish? thanks!



-jake

Originally posted by ross hildebrandt
:confused:

show me pictures of corroded aluminum!

http://www.avalancheengr.com/beadlocks/Imga0261.jpg

See that shiny red ring? Aluminum corrosion in action ... beneficial even.

cmk

You want a nice finish , rattlecan ! :flipoff2:

Here is one done by the owner of www.metalfusionfab.com


He custom cut aluminum dash, etch bath, then clearlocated.... I like it :cool2:

http://www.tennessee4x4.com/trailrunners/images/1bd/1bd-dash1.jpg

http://www.tennessee4x4.com/trailrunners/images/1bd/1bd-dash2.jpg

JeeperJake - I just saw where you are from, and the dash I just posted is in town with you....

I think thats oxidation not corosion:D

Originally posted by Weezer
I think thats oxidation not corosion:D

Oxidation is one of many forms of corosion.

cmk

Originally posted by Weezer
I think thats oxidation not corosion:D

Oxidation (the reaction of an element when introduced to oxygen)... The most common byproduct of this being "corrosion". :flipoff2:

i have always noticed a film on aluminum. never even thought that it would corrode! thats crazy!:flipoff2:

Originally posted by DRM
JeeperJake - I just saw where you are from, and the dash I just posted is in town with you....

really? who owns it? i probably dont know them. you have a pic of the whole jeep? i might recognize it.....so i think ive changed my mind- ill probably go with aluminum...



- jake

Originally posted by JeeperJake


really? who owns it? i probably dont know them. you have a pic of the whole jeep? i might recognize it.....so i think ive changed my mind- ill probably go with aluminum...



- jake


David Lepp, owner/operator of www.metalfusionfab.com

http://www.tennessee4x4.com/trailrunners/images/1bd/bigdog-02.JPG


He is down off Barfield Crescent Rd...

Aluminum would be much easier to work with then stainless (your hole saws will appreciate it) and as far as corrosion just give it a coat of rattlecan clear when you get done cutting it all out.
Use some faucet bibb washers as spacers when you mount it to the body to act as a dielectric barrier.

HMMM. Any of you want some 12 or 14 gage stainless? I have a roll in my shop and no real idea what to do with it.
DMG

Its a no brainer, an aluminum dash is the only way to go. If you make it out of 6061 it will only last for a 100 years or so. Unless you have a habit of driving in salt water, then it will only last 50.

okay, so aluminum it is.... 6061 is the type i need then? 14 gauge or what? i like the idea of the clearcoat, thanks for the help guys, what do you think?


- jake

btt

Originally posted by DRM
Here is one done by the owner of www.metalfusionfab.com


He custom cut aluminum dash, etch bath, then clearlocated.... I like it :cool2:

http://www.tennessee4x4.com/trailrunners/images/1bd/1bd-dash1.jpg

http://www.tennessee4x4.com/trailrunners/images/1bd/1bd-dash2.jpg


what type of aluminum is that(and what is etch bath?)? i just called a local metal shop and they are checking on the price of the 6061. is this the best type to use? what is a good thickness? i would prefer it to be a little more on the thick side than thin. thanks and hurry!


- jake

just got the prices - $112 for 14 gauge 6061 and $148 for 16 gauge 6061... why is the thicker stuff cheaper? seems like more aluminum would be more expensive???



- jake

Originally posted by JeeperJake



what type of aluminum is that(and what is etch bath?)? i just called a local metal shop and they are checking on the price of the 6061. is this the best type to use? what is a good thickness? i would prefer it to be a little more on the thick side than thin. thanks and hurry!


- jake

I do not know the type of aluminum or thickness - I would guess it was 3/16 or so.

As for the etch bath - we took Drano (I think) and let the piece sit in it. When it was done, it gave it the finish you see - then he just added the clearcoat to it.

Gets you the durability of the aluminum dash, but not the glare problem the shiny kind will result in...

drano, huh? might have to use that tidbit....now just have to figure out if this is the type of aluminum to go with. hey DRM- any way you might be able to contact that guy and ask him for me? how much thicker is 3/16 than 14 ga? never work with gauge, actually havent worked with much at all. any idea? thanks



- jake

Originally posted by JeeperJake



what type of aluminum is that(and what is etch bath?)? i just called a local metal shop and they are checking on the price of the 6061. is this the best type to use? what is a good thickness? i would prefer it to be a little more on the thick side than thin. thanks and hurry!


- jake
Thinner aluminum requires more machining/rolling to produce. Aluminum starts as a big ingot which is heated and passed through rollers of progressively smaller sizes to produce sheet stock. The thinner it is, the more rollers it had to pass through, the more expensive it is. Neat side note related-aluminum foil is the same thing, brought to extremes. At that (thinness) thickness it becomes too fragile to work, so the aluminum is doubled up as it is passed through the last couple of sets of rollers. This is why aluminum foil has a shiny side and a flat side, the shiny side is the part that faced the other sheet of foil, the dull side faced the rollers.
whodat

well, answers one question...

Forgot, aluminum does corrode. It develops a very thin layer of aluminum oxide, which has the effect of sealing the aluminum from further contact with the air, halting further oxidation. As for the corrosion caused by different metals in contact, most of the damage seen will be from the corrosion of the steel. The aluminum will actually corrode very little. Think of aluminum heads bolted with steel bolts to iron blocks, what part gets corroded?
whodat

Originally posted by JeeperJake
drano, huh? might have to use that tidbit....now just have to figure out if this is the type of aluminum to go with. hey DRM- any way you might be able to contact that guy and ask him for me? how much thicker is 3/16 than 14 ga? never work with gauge, actually havent worked with much at all. any idea? thanks
- jake

You can email him or phone him through his website - www.metalfusionfab.com


He is out of town this weekend though, but I will see him tomorrow and I will try to remember to ask him about the dash...

just gave him a call, no answer but i left a message.

as far as the corrosion, i will put clearcoat on the aluminum, so hopefully it wont be touching anything...

so DRM, were you able to ask the guy from metal fusion what type of aluminum and the thickness he used???? thanks!



- jake

Why don't you ask him yourself?

<a href="mailto:david@metalfusionfab.com">David Lepp</a>
615.848.6704 * 615.282.0228 (pager) * 4880 Barfield Crescent Rd * Murfreesboro, TN 37128

Just don't tell him David sent you. He'll probably hang up, if he reacts to DRM the way most poeple seem to. :p

tried to call him yesterday- left a message and everything, hasnt returned my call yet...