Finishing Considerations for Aluminum Body Sheet Alloys

Finishing of aluminum is discussed with emphasis on its compatibility with existing systems employed for the repair, pretreatment, and electropriming of steel auto body components.

Included is a comparison of the finishing practices used to repair fabricating damage on steel versus aluminum components.

The need to modify the chemical pretreatment and electrodeposition priming systems presently used for steel bodies is minimal with aluminum or bimetallic assemblies. Initial results from ongoing laboratory finishing studies indicate that no major alterations of either equipment or processing techniques will be required to accommodate aluminum as an auto body material.