Tim,

Surface preparation [of the Aluminium] is by far the most important factor.

Phosphoric Acid is useful, but you can often get away with mechanical abrasion; IF you can clean off the dust, and apply the adhesive within about 30 seconds. [Oxidation occurs very quickly]

MichaelG.

Any idea what originally attached the aluminium to the plywood? and use the same stuff as the original manufacturer used.

Like yourself I am thinking adhesive with the properties you require is quite exotic.

Rubber based contact adhesive would do for all but petrol resist

Cyanoacrylates do for most but moisture.

Arardite types would do for most but heat and vibration, so you seem to be asking a lot from an adhesive.

So unless you know a good welder – looks like you could be stuck.

Sorry

Why not use a contact (impact?) adhesive like Evostic?

You dont quantify temperature and some other factors. thickness of the two item is relevant too. Once bonded I dont see where the waterproof requirement applies, aluminium obviously is not porous and presumably that is the side that sees the weather.

Used correctly Evostic will securely bond your two materials and am sure will comply with your list of properties (I'm presuming its flat rather than a contoured surface). As an alternative, 3M and others make sheet adhesive to bond trim in automotive applications and I know from experience that some bonded parts are together for life!

Ian P

thought "Gorilla" glue fixed everything….hahaha…..

doing the turn, the expression when I lived in S.Africa..was.— "Magicone" = Silicone, that also fixed everything……

I also used "SIKA-FLEX" adheisive for laminating body panels Steel-Wood-Ally but NEVER where heat is a factor….seems to be impervious to fuels when cured (24h), once stuck down tho, no-way will come apart…..

bit like No-Nails, the glued item will come off the wall but removes the plaster as well……good luck……

let us know what you use please……..Clogs……

I have built a few cars and rebuilt a few others. My bulkheads where made from thin ply and aluminium sheet bonded to it with either an araldite style of two pack when it could be scrounged in quantity. The others where done using regular resin as used in fibreglass work. None failed in use and a trials car has a hard life.

Evostic will do the job, use the 528 if applied correctly (Let the adhesive dry on both surface's ) the bond is instant and won't move.

Mike.

As an aside I have read on the 'net that a boat builder was putting the adhesive on the panel and then scrubbing the panel with somewhat coarse sand paper. It got the adhesive down as fast as the oxide was removed.

I built a model boat hull about twenty years ago – wooden keel and formers with aluminium sheet glued directly to the wood using Evostik. The aluminium was simply abraded clean with emery clean. It is about 36" long, powered by a 5cc Diesel engine. It is still in useable condition despite years of water (fresh and salt), diesel, various oils, vibration and numerous collisions. Due to a design oversite, the hole for the propellor shaft had to be drilled after construction, which effectively cut the keel in two at the point the shaft tube went into the hull. The brass prop-tube was then also glued in place with Evostik, and has never shown signs of leaking or breaking free. I never expected the thing to survive as well as it has, so I guess that is as good a recommendation as any. I can't tell you the type number of the Evostik I used, but it was just a tine of the stuff bought from a local hardware shop, probably just aimed at general use.

I have tried on occasions using Araldite, and found it to be a complete waste of time – it eventually goes brittle, and breaks away from the aluminium, however the surface is prepared. Similar effects occurred with fibreglass type resins.

Two-part glues labelled 'polyurethane' seem to be better, but I have no long term experience of them.