[Aussie Mike]

I can see the benefits of both mounting practices.

personally I like bolt on but that's because I'm a chronic tinkerer and I know I'm going to want to pull the body off in the future to mod something.

Composites can be extremely strong these days. The body and chassis of many modern supercars are made from composites. Check out the carbon fiber body and chassis on the Mclaren F1 supercar.

The body and tub on my Classic are all one piece and it's a strong structure just on it's own. It's made from Quadra mat and vinyl ester resin with many honeycomb sections in critical spots. The body is mounted in most places by sandwiching it between chassis structures. For example the frame that supports the seat belts and the one leg of the roll bar clamps the body down to the chassis with 8x M12 bolts. The hoop that supports the steering column and the door hinges sandwiches the body with another 6 bolts through the floor and another 9 bolts through the foot boxes and the fire wall. The body is sandwiched to the chassis by a further 6 bolts through the posts for the door locks, 8 bolts where the seats mount, 2 bolts for the seat belts and 3 bolts for the hand brake.

Bonding and riviting probably makes for a secure attachment but you also have to look at where the body is attached and at how many spots. Is the body just a shell to give the car it's shape or is it an integral part of the chassis.

Cheers