The bar looks good Brad! I would definitely feel better with a tubular steel unit. The only problem I have is with my big speaker box in the way. Can you do a modified design with that would go above the top of the box? If you look at my car audio setup in my home page then you can see what I am talking about. My box is pretty tall.
BTW, aluminum is much more sensitive to cyclic stresses than steel is and you would have to logically conclude that if the bar recieves a compressive force then it will automatically recieve a tensile force as soon as the compressive force is removed.
I do not have any problem with an aluminum bar that is designed with 'actual' stresses in mind.
However, it must be of a significantly larger diameter than a comparable steel bar. Other than welding, I don't see any disadvantage between using aluminum versus steel. Welded steel would give good peace of mind though.
(my 50 cents)
warmonger
