Quote:
Originally Posted by JHZR2
Why not? Worked great for my repair job. This stuff is approved by OEMs. Some parts on cars come from the factory this way. It’s definite that it’s bonded and corrosion inhibited. Like using wood glue, the adhesive can be stronger than the metal itself.
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But you're not comparing apples to apples.
Adhesives can certainly be used for body components and very effectively. However, when they are used, those seams are engineered to be connected by adhesives. The bonding surfaces are specifically designed to be large enough and in the right orientation to be effective structural members in the vehicle.
Imagine something that is bolted together, like this pipe.
You can compare the adhesives to the bolts. Both need a surface area to communicate the load across the joint. Now compare that to a welded pipe.
Those pipes are designed differently than the flanged connected ones. Try to imagine gluing a pipe that was designed to be but welded, the connection would not be strong.
And in terms of using adhesives in our vehicles (like the w123), most of the areas they'd be used aren't designed for that type of joint. Welding replaces the metal and restores the strength of that section of the car to what it was designed to.
Add thermal expansion to the mix and adhesives are a really bad idea. Adhesives are going to expand and contract at a different rate than the metal its bonding which will weaken the bond over time. Welded metal joints aren't going to have that problem.