Paul-Ernest,
When Lotus bond the Elise chassis together (or rather Norsk Hydro, who do
the assembly for them), it is a highly controlled process - surface
preparation, application of the adhesive (specially developed for Lotus by
3M I think), followed by baking at a controlled temperature for a controlled
time. This is also done with aluminium, and with pieces of it that are
designed with a large overlap to give a decent area to bond. The result is
a bond that is stronger than the metal itself.
Somehow, I suspect it will not be straightforward to replicate these sorts
of controlled conditions in your garage, using a big tube of Araldite...
Bonding and riveting may still be adequate for the loads that the floorpan
has to carry, I really don't know. Maybe someone else has tried this?
I can appreciate the temptation of this approach, as another who has yet to
get round to mastering the art of welding!
Richard Gosling
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