Quote:
Originally Posted by 8 Valve Ed
You could always hot-dip galvanise it, after all mods are done of course... Then it would last at least 30 years with no maintenance.
Trouble with aluminium is age hardening and work induced cracks. Stainless would be hard to work, heavy and expensive! Building cars to last was never easy.
What's really needed is good steel. I remember Austin Seven main chassis rails almost never rusted, the rest of the car fell apart around the central chassis. That steel seemed to last forever, without any signs of rot.
My original 1949 Land Rover chassis was perfect with no signs of rust in about 1974 or so? I believe there is a 'better' perhaps purer steel, they just don't use it any more. Wrought Iron didn't tend to rust heavily either.
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My 1925 Citroen steelwork is still almost perfect. Unlike my Navara (a lot younger!) I can undo virtually any nut with an open ended spanner without any chance of rounding the nut.