Metal...body?

[Coss]

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Elio Motors Customer Service (Elio Motors)
Aug 1, 16:49 EDT
Hello Robert,
Thanks for reaching out to!
Sheet molded composite is still the design direction but we are looking at other materials, i.e. steel and other automotive skin materials that could help us make the vehicle better, safer, more reliable and improve upon our four tenets. All changes and potential improvements must fit within our four tenets and our existing timeline to be considered.
Thanks,
Elio Team

r.veach
Aug 1, 10:47 EDT
In the new Shreveport video, did Frick (Elio Plant Mgr) say "...Metal body..." It's @ the 2:13 mark of the video. Has the Elio design team switched to steel exterior panels?
Thanks;
Robert Veach
All In Guy

Go all the way back to the beginning of this thread and do a little reading.
You'll find that we've already gone over that, and the answer they gave you, is the same answer they gave me that's posted in here also.

 

[pistonboy]

While there are some very strong paints, sometimes things go wrong and paint does not stick well. (How many of us have peeling paint and clear coat.) This means the paint could come off the space frame and the body panel (glued to it) would come off with it. This problem would be avoided and the cost of painting saved, by gluing the body panels to the bare metal frame, and then painting the entire assembly.

The picture of the E-series frames are painted, but may be misleading. I suspect the supplier of the frames provided them that way, and they will not be painted in production models.

 

[outsydthebox]

View attachment 10933
......I suspect the supplier of the frames provided them that way, and they will not be painted in production models.

Would you please provide the "BASIS" for that conclusion? Because "I suspect" you are wrong. I don't think there is ANY vehicle manufacturer that does NOT coat every inch of their "unibodies". And I have no reason to think Elio will provide LESS.
That is, unless you can show me a reason.

 

[outsydthebox]

View attachment 10933
..... I suspect the supplier of the frames provided them that way, and they will not be painted in production models.

Would you please provide a link to the "reason" you think EM will NOT be "coating" their frames?

 

[pistonboy]

Would you please provide the "BASIS" for that conclusion? Because "I suspect" you are wrong. I don't think there is ANY vehicle manufacturer that does NOT coat every inch of their "unibodies". And I have no reason to think Elio will provide LESS.
That is, unless you can show me a reason.

In my post I said "This problem would be avoided and the cost of painting saved, by gluing the body panels to the bare metal frame, and then painting the entire assembly." Note I said "entire assembly". By this I mean they will paint entire unibody assembly, consisting of space frame and body panels. Thus EM will also completely paint their unibodies just as other manufacturers.

 

[Marshall]

In my post I said "This problem would be avoided and the cost of painting saved, by gluing the body panels to the bare metal frame, and then painting the entire assembly." Note I said "entire assembly". By this I mean they will paint entire unibody assembly, consisting of space frame and body panels. Thus EM will also completely paint their unibodies just as other manufacturers.

I thought I remembered hearing they intended to DIP rather than spray on at some point. I just don't remember the details.

 

[NSTG8R]

I thought I remembered hearing they intended to DIP rather than spray on at some point. I just don't remember the details.

Maybe there's a dip process for the unibody to get the protective coating [charged dip tank like plating] into all the nooks and crannies. The Elio's narrow enough that they could run them side by side through the tank instead of single file and essentially double their through rate.

 

[Marshall]

Maybe there's a dip process for the unibody to get the protective coating [charged dip tank like plating] into all the nooks and crannies. The Elio's narrow enough that they could run them side by side through the tank instead of single file and essentially double their through rate.

That might be it.

 

[outsydthebox]

Maybe there's a dip process for the unibody to get the protective coating [charged dip tank like plating] into all the nooks and crannies.....

"I believe" this to be true. Because the body panels don't require corrosion protection, and the "unibody"/frame doesn't require color or UV protection, It would not be practical to paint them at the same time.

 

[Frim]

View attachment 10933
While there are some very strong paints, sometimes things go wrong and paint does not stick well. (How many of us have peeling paint and clear coat.) This means the paint could come off the space frame and the body panel (glued to it) would come off with it. This problem would be avoided and the cost of painting saved, by gluing the body panels to the bare metal frame, and then painting the entire assembly.

The picture of the E-series frames are painted, but may be misleading. I suspect the supplier of the frames provided them that way, and they will not be painted in production models.

I cannot imaging that they will not be painted. Steel can rust overnight.