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Steel and aluminum reaction

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911cop

911cop

Freshman Member
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My BN-6 has shrouds that are surpirsingly dent free. The front shroud-to-fender joints are OK, but the rear joints have suffered badly. Fenders are off and I will be undertaking a body resto; any experience with strengthening, replacing or otherwise resolving the crumbly aluminum flanges? Thanks,
 
Hi Chris,
The only really successful way to do the repair is to remove the old flanges, form new ones, & weld them back to the shroud. Someone experienced at welding light gage aluminum is necessary. If the car is not exposed to salt & other deicing chemicals, the aluminum will last a very long time. Some folks have used thin insulating strips between the steel fenders & the aluminum shrouds. I don't know how much this helps. Mostly, they rely on a good, intact, paint film on both parts to prevent corrosion. Shroud & fenders are painted separately before assembly.
D
 
Hello Dave,

steel, aluminium and damp is bad, ask any 60's Aston owner. Astons used to wrap the steel tubing with cotton tape which really was a bad idea, cotton being so absorbent.
The electrolytic action just dissolves the aluminium so any insulator is a good idea, plastic sheet being an obvous choice, as would insulating any fasteners that are used.

Alec
 
Thank you. I suspected that the fix would be to cut and weld; it just seems that that skill, with aluminum, is hard to find. To make matters worse, the panels are so large that warping and "oil canning" might occur. BTW, Alec, I agree about insulating (isolating) the fasteners. They are likely wearing points and might serve as concentrated, metal-to-metal conductors for corrosion. Any other experiences appreciated.
 
Alec, you are so right. I had three Astons.A DB5,DB2/4 MK1 and DB 2/4 MK111 and didn't they suffer in varying degrees.I'll talk to a pal of mine and see what they use when restoring the DB's
Curtis
 
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