Ali sheet - wanted

[Ian Kelly]

Hi,

Any recommendations as to where to get cheap ali sheet from? Looking for 1M x 1M (ish) in 1.5mm.

Tried a couple of local places and it's either more expensive than I thought, or going at lunchtime in a suit is inviting people to extract the michael price wise. £40 for 1M is the cheapest I've been quoted.

Thanks,

Ian

[Ian Kelly]

Ignore me. Ebay to the rescue, £19 is the cheapest local to me. Bargain.

Ian

[Maverick440]

Hi Ian

Just got me a sheet of 1.5mm of the net to make my rear diffuser.....

[Ian Kelly]

Hi Mark,

That's what I'm making. Done it in cardboard already, Blue Peter style!

Glad to see it's getting lighter, looking forward to getting the car out again. How's the engine, all back together?

Ian

[Maverick440]

Yep.........
Feels like its going to be a stonking motor, took her out the other day on a cold road and got wheel spin in third at 60 on full throttle accell......
Hoping to get to Donington this weekend to give her a run out.

[Maverick440]

Got any pics of your diffuser?

[adithorp]

My first job this weekend is stripping off my very bent diffuser. I drove the car for the first time this year today to get the GRP assesed by a mate. Shit it's quick... and it lit the (cold) tyres up, in second, on light throttle, at 30mph!!! The new power commander map is awesome.

Ian, did you use sticky back plastic on the mock-up?

adrian

[Timbo]

Search yellow pages for a local non ferrous metal/ aluminium stockholder. I'd suggest that 1.5mm is a little on the heavy side for a diffuser, and you will find that 1mm (20swg) will be fine for this purpose. Apart from anything else you'll find it a lot easier to work Once it has some form it gets very stiff. I've used it for a radiator cowl/duct amongst other things, with no problems.The last sheet of 20swg Ali I bought cost me £25 for a 2M x 1M sheet. Biggest problem was getting it home. Most stockholders will also have a guillotine, and I'm sure if you spoke to them nicely they would cut it in half for you. Most net "stockists" buy from a stockholder and sell it on for double the money for a small piece of the stock item. Take it from me, I used to work for one.

[Ian Kelly]

My first job this weekend is stripping off my very bent diffuser. I drove the car for the first time this year today to get the GRP assesed by a mate. Shit it's quick... and it lit the (cold) tyres up, in second, on light throttle, at 30mph!!! The new power commander map is awesome.

Ian, did you use sticky back plastic on the mock-up?

adrian

Hi Adrian,

Not sticky back, just gaffer tape! Proudly showed Jo after I'd sprayed the 'cardboard creation', she looked "impressed", as girls sometimes do when you show them something that's faintly unimpressive...

If you do take your diffuser off, can you take some pics of where & how you've mounted it? Or just put the details here?

I've got a 100x70cm ali panel, folded to 20 degrees or so at 36cm, which is the depth of the diff cradle. I was going to butt the panel against the rear edge of the floor pan. I'll leave it 1M wide at this point. The diff cradle is 36cm square, so that leaves 32cm either side of the cradle. Hopefully a couple of ali L sections riveted onto the rear floor member will hold it in place with rivnuts. If I leave it 1M wide under the lower wishbones I might need to put some cut outs in, to allow the wishbones to fully droop. Not sure if I'll need some small L sections running front to back on the outer edges, to provide rigidity. The 1.5mm ali seems fairly stiff, so maybe not.

I'll then rivnut through to the rear of the cradle, near the tow hook (needs a hole to poke through), and maybe put an ali L section the full width where the ali is folded to brace it. That leaves c34cm coming up at 20 degrees from the rear of the cradle. I'll connect to the rear tub with some ali tubes and long machine screws, connecting the rear edge of the diffuser to the lower edge of the bodywork. Final bit will be about 4 aerodynamic, wedge shaped ali sections bolted on lengthwise to mimic said 'diffuser'. I've also got a 9 inch square vent panel from B&Q (£5!) for cooling. I'll put it under the diff, which i can use as an access panel for the diff, fuel pump, filter, etc.

Then off to the powder coaters to be ripped off again...

[Maverick440]

Going to leave mine in "raw" alli,, i might even polish it.........