Thread: Aluminium Or Not?

They all have some aluminium and some steel sheetmetal. What is what depends on the model.

Depends on model. As a general rule, the outer skin of the body is aluminium, the inner/frame is steel. ALL landies have some aluminium (not 100% sure on the freelander).

Also as a general rule, as the models have progressed, the proportion of aluminium has lowered - i.e. more parts of the earlier models were aluminium.

The RRC has steel corners at the rear, steel roof pillars, steel tailgate upper, steel bonnet.

The disco has all the above, plus the roof skin is steel.

Defenders have more aluminium, but I think since a few years ago, they have a steel rear tailgate skin to increase strength of the spare tyre mount ?

new defenders even have steel front doors! rear has been steel since 02.

Originally Posted by Black Dog

Hi all,
I'm looking for a definitive answer here so you may be able to help me.
I was told by a friend who owns a Disco 2 that ALL Landies were Aluminium chasis up.
A well known dealer told me yesterday that ONLY Defenders and the Range Rover Vogue were aluminium.
Today I spoke to a Land Rover mechanic who said ALL were aluminium but when I told him Land Rover said they weren't he basically said he did know...
Can anyone give me the absolute facts?
Thanks
Mark

He'll find the following if he checks his own Disco2 with a magnet:

Aluminium:
Bonnet
Front guards
Rear 1/4 panel
Rear door.

Steel:
Front doors
Rear doors
Roof.

As I understand it, LR changed the doors from aluminium to steel to improve the fit as the edges are folded and not rolled. I'm pretty sure all Disco's have steel roofs.

Originally Posted by Slunnie

I'm pretty sure all Disco's have steel roofs.

I know all D1s have a steel roof - have seen rusty ones.

I thought the rear corners and bonnet on discos was steel - same as RRC's??? Obviously not...

Freelanders (1) are steel except for the front guards which are plastic.

Originally Posted by garrycol

Freelanders (1) are steel except for the front guards which are plastic.

I assume you mean the inner guards?

Sounds dodgy. Except that the current F250 is the same.

a simple rule of thumb is that if its a shed on wheels class rover (one that looks like a smaller brick on top of a bessa brick insofar as areodynamics considerations go) then the majority of the bodywork is ally with the exception of the firewall, the door framing(and sometimes skins) and some of the support structure, the chassis is a welded steel box section type assembley and everything welded to it is steel traybacks can have whatever you choose as the tray and the tubs are generally ally.


the others have some ally in them in varying quantities D1s Im pretty sure had steel all the way through the body (rust develops in the floor pan, gutters, pillars and roof) but the guards were ally and the rest was as per deefer.

Rangies are a mixed bag and as of yet I havent had to do hack work on a D2 or later or a freelander but my hunch is that they follow the same construction as a D1 steel where it needs to be strong for protection and ally where theres a sub frame or similar.