Would a bolt-together chassis survive the big spinners?

[daveimi]

As above really, is it a viable option to cut plates and bulkheads to make a robot and then use angle iron etc to drill and bolt it all together? This would involve hefty plating and m8 bolts. I've been curious about it as it's something I could make with stuff I have at home. I fancy a go at the champs in 2015 but can't weld nor afford for someone to do it for me lol.

Or if I were to use hdpe how thick would i need to go?