The article reflects information from the field of designing freight railwagons. The issue of assembling elements of a freight car body made of aluminum alloy without welding is considered. The results of testing pins with a crimp head are presented. Crimp head pins are used as an alternative to welding. Such connections have the advantages of both rivet and bolt connections. Eliminate the shortcomings of the bolted connection, in particular, the weakening of the bolt tension as a result of unscrewing the nut during vibration. For the correct choice of the number of connections, it is necessary to determine the load-bearing capacity of a single connection under different loads (static, cyclic, shock), taking into account the actual operating conditions of the connected body components. The proposed samples simulate the working conditions of individual body elements. Based on the test results of model samples, it is possible to determine the load-bearing capacity of pins with a crimp head of the selected type and calculate the number of connections that can withstand standard loads without destruction during the specified service life of the wagon. Tests have shown that the strain relief and loosening of the pins with the crimp head occurs at different impact energies, depending on the amount of preload and the size of the connection parts. The tests of joints with samples of aluminum profile it was found that by proper selection of the type of pins and crimping heads, as well as the number of joints of individual elements of the freight car body of aluminum alloy to ensure long-term usage of the body without damaging the base metal and the joints.