I'm going to be buying some aluminum sheet for firewall and other parts around my car. The local metal supplier has different tempers to choose from.
T4, T6, T651, H14, and H 32
Which should I be looking for?
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I'm going to be buying some aluminum sheet for firewall and other parts around my car. The local metal supplier has different tempers to choose from.
T4, T6, T651, H14, and H 32
Which should I be looking for?
Depends on what you need. The tempers listed are associated with different alloys. If you need strength and willing to sacrifice some work-ability then go with 6061 T6 or T651, that's a common structural aluminum. 6061 with a T4 hardness trades some strength for more work-ability. For a typical flat firewall that doesn't need a lot of bending on a brake I'd go with 3003 H14 as the 3003 alloy weathers well and the H14 is plenty strong for something that is bulkhead supported by steel tubing. 5052 H32 would also work.
Now if you need to form the aluminum by bending or braking it I'd consider an O temper in 6061 or 3003 alloy as that is much easier to form.
Dart Little M 406" SBC 800 HP N/A & 1,100 HP on nitrous, 2-spd Powerglide with trans brake, 6,000 RPM stall converter, narrowed Moser 88 3.90:1 spool with 35-spline gun-drilled axles & Torino bearings, custom parallel four-link, custom tube chassis & roll cage NHRA certified for 8.5-sec (only two FFR Hot Rods have this cert).
33 Hot Rod Super Pro Drag Racer Build: 33 HR NHRA Cert Roll Cage Build
Factory Five provides 6061. I believe it's the 6061T6 variety. If you want to stay with what's in the kit, use that. I order mine from Aircraft Spruce, and get 6061T6. Can't tell the difference.
In a pinch, I stopped at a local metal supplier for some aluminum sheet. They only had 6061 in full sheets (4 x 10 as I recall) but had some scraps of 5052. Said for my use would be an acceptable alternative and actually would bend a tighter radius without fracturing. Found that to be the case.
Last edited by edwardb; 03-05-2019 at 03:15 PM.
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FWIW: Dan Ruth recommended using 3003 for fabricated parts. Also, it is much less expensive at my local metals store. Keith
If you want to learn a bit more about aluminum (and other metals), Online Metals has a fair information section on their website. They are also a convenient source for small quantities of metal. Google www.onlinemetals.com
Dart Little M 406" SBC 800 HP N/A & 1,100 HP on nitrous, 2-spd Powerglide with trans brake, 6,000 RPM stall converter, narrowed Moser 88 3.90:1 spool with 35-spline gun-drilled axles & Torino bearings, custom parallel four-link, custom tube chassis & roll cage NHRA certified for 8.5-sec (only two FFR Hot Rods have this cert).
33 Hot Rod Super Pro Drag Racer Build: 33 HR NHRA Cert Roll Cage Build
Thanks guys