Armor - Steel vs. Aluminium

[Boinked]

I'll start by saying that I spent almost 25 years working with aluminum. A couple years in extrusions, a couple in anodizing and many in machining with a couple of those years in engineering.

Then I'll say that I know aluminum will corrode but I don't even know what this guy in the video is saying. I'm not saying he's wrong, it just seems like more details than I could ever get a grip on.

It is move of a deep dive then i wanted. But it was more of the visuals of aluminum failures. More importantly the visual effect of ground contact. Especially for the guys the go through the mud and wet ground that can build up on top of the skid plates. It can lead to really bad things.
Like anything on the jeep its important to do corrosion prevention on not only the steel but the aluminum also. Many people think aluminum is maintenance free.

 

[Chris]

A metallurgist once told me, "All metal wants to return to it's natural, earthly form".

I suppose the same can be said for anything in this world. U.V. rays, salt, water, and exposure to the elements will destroy anything in with enough time.

 

[mrblaine]

It is move of a deep dive then i wanted. But it was more of the visuals of aluminum failures. More importantly the visual effect of ground contact. Especially for the guys the go through the mud and wet ground that can build up on top of the skid plates. It can lead to really bad things.
Like anything on the jeep its important to do corrosion prevention on not only the steel but the aluminum also. Many people think aluminum is maintenance free.

That has been one of my bigger battles. I have explained endlessly that the aluminum armor was never meant to be left raw. Then I have to watch folks bitch on the internet about their Savvy armor that looks like shit a year later because it was left raw.

I like it due to the fact that you don't have to immediately touch up the scratches and damage to stop the brown rust from showing up with a quickness.

 

[Chris]

That has been one of my bigger battles. I have explained endlessly that the aluminum armor was never meant to be left raw.

Which is funny, because all the guys with aluminum armor insist on leaving it raw (or so it would seem).

Can you get away with that more-so down in Southern California than let's say up here in rainy Oregon? Or does the aluminum just being exposed in general (even if it's just sun) still cause it to corrode?

 

[JDS123]

That has been one of my bigger battles. I have explained endlessly that the aluminum armor was never meant to be left raw. Then I have to watch folks bitch on the internet about their Savvy armor that looks like shit a year later because it was left raw.

I like it due to the fact that you don't have to immediately touch up the scratches and damage to stop the brown rust from showing up with a quickness.

What would you recommend I do with my current Savvy armor? I had all the steel parts of the under armor powdercoated, but I haven't done anything to the actual skid part of the system. Should I get that powdercoated as well? What about the gas tank skid? I'm not very familiar with what coatings are available or which one is best.

 

[JEEPCJTJ]

Painting aluminum is important. Where I was working we started shipping 8 x 2 inch aluminum tubing to a dump truck builder. Boy did they look great when brand new, nice and shiny, almost like a mirror, then 6 months later they looked like any other aluminum dump truck bed...a textured medium dark grey.

 

[mrblaine]

What would you recommend I do with my current Savvy armor? I had all the steel parts of the under armor powdercoated, but I haven't done anything to the actual skid part of the system. Should I get that powdercoated as well? What about the gas tank skid? I'm not very familiar with what coatings are available or which one is best.

If you live where it is harsh and or wet, powder coat over sand blast and coated immediately after sand blasting.

 

[JDS123]

If you live where it is harsh and or wet, powder coat over sand blast and coated immediately after sand blasting.

Do you think powder coat makes sense for something that will be taking hard impacts like a skid plate? I'd imagine it would have to be touched up after a few trips to the rocks. I'm also considering having my Savvy rock sliders powder coated. Is that a good idea?

Nothing is installed yet so getting it powder coated is as easy as driving it over to my powder coat guy.

 

[Squatch]

I sold the gas tank skid. I posted it up for sale a while back and even tagged you in it. I think you responded and said you didn't need it at the time

Hmmm...I vaguely recall that......maybe...… They say the memory is the first to go!

 

[mrblaine]

Do you think powder coat makes sense for something that will be taking hard impacts like a skid plate? I'd imagine it would have to be touched up after a few trips to the rocks. I'm also considering having my Savvy rock sliders powder coated. Is that a good idea?

Nothing is installed yet so getting it powder coated is as easy as driving it over to my powder coat guy.

Powder coat over sandblast on aluminum is about as good as you will get done correctly with enough bake time to get good bonding. If they flash it, it will peel and be a mess.

The aluminum backer should be done. You can do the slider as long as you pick a sheen that can be touched up with rattle can.

 

[JDS123]

Powder coat over sandblast on aluminum is about as good as you will get done correctly with enough bake time to get good bonding. If they flash it, it will peel and be a mess.

The aluminum backer should be done. You can do the slider as long as you pick a sheen that can be touched up with rattle can.

Interesting. My sliders shipped out today so I'll definitely have those powder coated. Was considering just painting them. I might also pull my GTS off and have it powdercoated even though it looks great after 3 years.

Thanks for the help.

 

[mrblaine]

Interesting. My sliders shipped out today so I'll definitely have those powder coated. Was considering just painting them. I might also pull my GTS off and have it powdercoated even though it looks great after 3 years.

Thanks for the help.

If it looks good after that length of time, then you live where the conditions that accelerate corrosion are minimal.

 

[StG58]

L

Which winch plate? What material?

Generally though, you are correct and the wrong question is asked which is which is stronger? Steel is always stronger. The correct question is whether or not aluminum is strong enough and the answer is when it is done right, yes it is.

UCF, it's 1/4" 6061-T6 and looks to have the proper bend radii on it.

http://www.undercoverfab.com/winch-plates/54-hd-winch-plate-for-jeep-yj-alum.html

 

[mrblaine]

L

UCF, it's 1/4" 6061-T6 and looks to have the proper bend radii on it.

http://www.undercoverfab.com/winch-plates/54-hd-winch-plate-for-jeep-yj-alum.html

Should be fine on top of a bumper. Not by itself though.

 

[Mr. Bills]

Do you think powder coat makes sense for something that will be taking hard impacts like a skid plate? I'd imagine it would have to be touched up after a few trips to the rocks. . . .

I have aluminum skid plates on one of my 4WD vehicles - powdercoated the ubiquitous semi-gloss black.

Krylon rattlecan touch-ups keep any corrosion at bay in locations suffering rock rash. Its part of my routine when inspecting the undercarriage after a run and takes only a few minutes.

Yes, one can see the spray painted areas if one looks for them, but these are skid plates underneath an offroad vehicle and I'm not prepping for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

 

[JDS123]

I have aluminum skid plates on one of my 4WD vehicles - powdercoated the ubiquitous semi-gloss black.

Krylon rattlecan touch-ups keep any corrosion at bay in locations suffering rock rash. Its part of my routine when inspecting the undercarriage after a run and takes only a few minutes.

Yes, one can see the spray painted areas if one looks for them, but these are skid plates underneath an offroad vehicle and I'm not prepping for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

If you're going to be touching it up after every trip, why not just spray paint the whole thing in the first place? I don't see the point in powder coating something that you know is going to get hit super hard (such as the skid plates under the vehicle). If I was going to coat my skid plate, I'd just hit it with spray paint. It'll look better in the long run and is much easier than powder coat. I'm sure powder coat is much stronger than paint, but if you're hitting the skid plates you're most likely hitting them hard enough to do damage to any coating you have on there.

I don't expect my rock sliders to take too much damage so I'm powder coating those. If I expected them to get beat on a lot, I'd just hit them with spray paint. With the type of wheeling I do, the rockers aren't likely to get hit very hard, so powder coating is the better option IMO.

 

[Mr. Bills]

I had my skidplates powder coated rather than spend the time prepping and painting raw aluminum because the protection offered by quality powder coat applied to a freshly sandblasted and primed surface and baked properly is superior to a DIY driveway paint job. Also, there is a lot to be said for being able to install a set of skidplates right out of the box without having to wait several days while the skidplates are prepped, painted, and the paint allowed to cure.

My powder coated and rattlecan patched aluminum skidplates have stood up better to corrosion than identical skidplates on the same make and model of vehicle owned by acquaintances who chose to paint or bedline them instead.

Its your time and money. You choose how best to invest it. There is no single correct answer in this situation.
_______________

PS - One of the reasons I touch up points of contact and spots where parts rub after a run (other than to prevent corrosion) is to help differentiate between a one-time hit and ongoing issues that may need correction. Unless I do that I cannot always be sure whether the rubbing or contact occurred on this run or another run several weeks or months ago or both. Its in Chapter 3 of The OCD Jeepers Guide to Vehicle Preparation.

 

[Jeepers-n-Creepers]

I cannot contain this any longer--I have to confess something:

All of my skid plates, body amour, interior cab lining, top, etc., are protected in spacecraft-grade polymer (mix design obtained from Glock, Inc.,), bolstered additionally with kevlar (rated for .308 point-blank).

The aim was that to sustain direct attack from RPG's, whether directly from the side, or directly beneath.

Hhhhhhhhhhhh, I feel so much better now, and I remain grateful that I can be this transparent, among friends.