Raw Aluminum... armor, wheels, whatever

So I am in the process of stripping some previously powder coated aluminum wheels and aluminum bead lock rings and have been throwing around the idea of not painting them and just leaving them as is. I had a old 40 series Land Cruiser before with an Aqualu aluminum tub and enjoyed the functionality of it and did not mind the way it looked. I don't mind if it gets a bit oxidized or develops a bit of a patina and I don't think I will need to worry much about corrosion or pitting as I am in Southern California and don't need to worry about salt on the roads or things of that nature (I am in the desert and not going to the beach all that often--when I do I will be sure to hose the truck and wheels off).

I had also been contemplating aluminum armor in the past and leaving it all natural which has recently gotten me thinking about doing the same with the wheels vice rattle canning them.

Does anyone have any experience with anything along these lines dealing with raw aluminum?
 

bansil

Adventurer
Talk with an anodize shop to clear them; at least they will be protected from corrosion from water
 

Inyo_man

Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining.
I've been slowly fabricating alum. bash plates for the under-side of my rig.
So far, the inter-cooler/sump plate and transmission plate are completed and have been mounted for the past few years.
I went with raw alum. and I'm happy I did so. The oxidation is minor so far, and it's nice to be able to straighten and pound out dents without worrying about the paint job. I'm currently working on fuel tank and transfer case plates.
 

rkj__

Adventurer
I have uncoated aluminum skid plates. I've run them for over a year, through a salty winter. Sure, they are not shiny anymore, but they are scratched and bent skid plates!

I do have uncoated / polished aluminum wheels too, but I will be taking those off for winter, as the road salt would not be kind to their finish.
 
Last edited:

graynomad

Photographer, traveller
There's a product called Nyalic (sp?), it's a clear nylon coating that stops oxidisation but has no visual affect on the alum. Works great I've used for years.

No good if you just don't want to do anything of course, but if you want to maintain the new natural look it would be appropriate.
 

madmax718

Explorer
it doesn't actually do anything bad. aluminum oxide is one of the tougher things known to man. somewhere close to diamond in terms of hardness. id be more worried about galvonic corossion. and yes, my shift key is currently out of service. i spilled coffee in it.
 

fluffyprinceton

Adventurer
it doesn't actually do anything bad. aluminum oxide is one of the tougher things known to man. somewhere close to diamond in terms of hardness. id be more worried about galvonic corossion.
Yes

The point of the stuff is it doesn't corrode when left uncoated - the oxide that forms is it's protection. Coated it looks as pretty as any other material but when used as armor it's supposed to hit stuff...and powder coating is brittle stuff totally unsuited to armor, it will chip & look like hell if used as intended. You can get galvanic corrosion when you bolt aluminum parts to steel - if it gets & stays wet - but it's easy to prevent by using an insulating layer between the metals.preventing-galvanic-corrosion.jpg

Aluminum net skiffs are seriously abused vehicles - no coatings - no freshwater washdowns (except for rain...) they do fine.Set Net skiff.jpg

Now for mall crawling retail expeditions, well yes, make it shiny & new...Moe
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,529
Messages
2,875,555
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top