QUESTION - Someone told me that my Land Rover is made from something called Birmabright and not aluminum.  What is this stuff anyway?

ANSWER -  Birmabright is a proprietary aluminum alloy that is a mixture of aluminum, magnesium and manganese.  Brimabright resists oxidation better than most aluminum alloys and is more resistant to dents than most aluminum alloys. Series Land Rover body panels were made of the Birmabright alloy from the first Series I Land Rovers in 1948 to 1980 then the Birmabright works was shut down.  Later Series Land Rover and Defender body panels are made from a different aluminum alloy that oxidizes easier and is not as strong.

Common aluminum welding rods do not work well with Birmabright panels.

As an aside, the body panels on Series I and Series II (not A) are thicker than Series IIA and later body panels making them the most dent resistant of the bunch.

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