On the question of bonded panels, the aviation industry has for some
years now used bonded panels in the construction of airliners, fighter
aircraft, and bombers. I inspected the horizontal tail surface of an
F-15 fighter and was surprised to find the surfaces bonded or glued to
the support structure inside. I was accustomed to rivets holding those
kinds of things together. Those skins experience a lot of stress
traveling 600 to 1500 mph, and if they hold up to it....and they are....
then I'll buy it. The manufacturing industry cannot afford to have
failures in such equipment, nor can they afford not to avail themselves
of the newer technologies out there.

There is a saying "Technology for Competitive Advantage". In the auto
industry it's driven by the necessity of economic survival. The new
technologies must be safe (who could afford the lawsuits?) and it must
allow an edge on the competition.

Same true in the aviation industry, but with an added twist. Who wants
the defenders of the nation to be flying something that going to peel
it's skin or have a structural failure in flight because of a failed
glue line.

Yup, must be pretty good stuff.

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver.

Terry Kay wrote:
>
> Wade,
> Door panels on new Ford's?
> Glued.
> Chrysler door panels?
> Glued.
> New GM's?
> Glued.
> They have only a couple of pinch welds, under the window moldings.
> There are a couple of manufacturers  (Fuzor, and Duramix) of body panel
> adhesive's  that have conducted crash test's on cars that have had the
> roof panel's, and quarter panels glued on.
> In a roll over situation it was found that the adhesives were as strong
> as, or stronger than a weld.
> If the factories are using the stuff, why shouldn't anyone else?
>
> It works for me.
>
>   ______________
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> Terry 85 GL