I see a flaw with the stiffeners

Well yes, but then I couldn't flash around my minor in chemistry...

 

Major in Biology no doubt?

 

Microbiology actually. And before anyone asks, no, it's not the same thing.

 

The microscope slides are MUCH smaller!

 

OK, I thought to chime in because I mentioned something about zinc when Brian first introduced this part. I am no chemist, only an industrial engineer who has spec'd out and implemented assembly processes for automotive and truck/bus OEM's. I have been involved with aluminum space frame and monocoque aluminum bodies.

From my experience, anodized aluminum against steel does not pose a huge threat to corrosion when the surfaces mate. However, what I am concerned with is BT's use of stainless bolts. Now, it may not be a big deal in this instance because the bolt threads are cutting through the nut on the body (which is probably steel). However if the threads scratch or cut the oxide layer on the plate, expect corrosion within 2 years in the north (this also pertains to any slight burr or debris that might be on the washer or the flat area on the bolt). For this reason, automotive OEM's always use zinc treated fasteners when securing aluminum to steel.

To 200Volt's concern, steel and aluminum are mated together on all sorts of parts on today's automobile. You can be assured that great considerations are made when this occurs, much more so than with an aftermarket manufacturer. OEM's have books (if not encyclopedia's) on how materials react with each other, which is why you will never find an untreated steel fastener cutting through an aluminum nut or surface. Before releasing parts, every consideration is made to ensure their customers are safe and pleased with the quality of build (eventhough it does not appear this way after reading about lawsuits and recalls).

While I love the idea of this stiffener & am happy for those pleased to own one, I did not purchase it because I am unaware of the level of corrosion consideration made in the part's design. If it were made of stainless steel, rather than aluminum, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. The Tom's Brace mentioned on other threads
is made of stainless steel, which is why Toyota approves and markets the item's design (too bad it costs more than I'd like to invest). I can only imagine that Toyota would approve of it because it meets their design criteria for material and corrosion resistance.

 

Thank you. Very nice. Confirms what I learned as a child in Ohio, enough salt, water, and time will rot out your car

 

Hmm...it sounds like to me just get the stainless steel bolts electroplated with zinc will fix the problem or just replace the bolts with zinc plated fasteners. I'll call around to some of the companies in Milwaukee that do this type of work to see how much it will cost.

 

If someone was concerned about it, they could easily find the "proper" bolts at Home Depot/Lowes/etc.

 

What bolts are originally used on the car, and what material is the original brace?

 

Steel brace (powdercoated I think) and steel bolts.

 

I talked an engineer about my concerns. If you all are that worried about stainless bolts and the plate, go out Spend $3 more and come with a bicycle inner tube. Cut it to fit the mount points with the approiate holes.

No more problem. Check it in a few thousand miles for wear.

I should mention, I didn't do this. cause as my friend pointed out, its not a HUGE concern (he is an engineer at a plant doing trouble shooting work for GM)

 

What is the difference between hard anodize and just plain anodize?
Powder-coating would be foolish indeed. Not only does it scratch
easy, if there are any sharp corners, they will have a tendency to
chip. But, anodized aluminum can be scratched as well. But as
far as salt spray resistance, you'd be better off going with a
70% Kynar than an anodized finish.

The question is, if installed properly, will there be any significant
rubbing over time, enough to cause a breakdown in the finish?

 

I doubt it. The plate, in order to do it's intended function, would have to be tightly coupled to the frame. If there is too much "wiggle room" the frame would flex and that would defeat the function of the stiffener. If there is an movement, it's likely high frequency oscillation. While it would probably wear through the anodizing, the area would be very small, and it would be so tightly pressed agains the car fram that water would not get in very easily.

IN other words, I still don't think it's going to be any sort of issue.

 

Hummm, the numerous steel parts connected to my un-coated, un-annodized aluminum heads in the 4 other cars I own don't seem to have any problems....... <_<