Neat Idea. you could whip up an experimental chassis with a pair of side cutters in a few minutes.
the local Home Despot stocks some sheet metal, cane metal aluminum included. Any sheet large enough to be really usefull is too thin to be sturdy, if I recal we are talking .020 or so thick sheets for anything over 12x12.
Too flimsy for even a front panel, let alone a chassis.
The mom & pop hardware store they forced out of business had a good selection of sheetmetal, fittings, etc. You could have built ANYTHING from their stock. Alas... all that's left are memories, and cheap chinese crap in HD orange.