Abstract: Disclosed is a method of making lithium containing aluminum base alloy products having improved properties in the short transverse direction. The method comprises the steps of providing a body of a lithium containing aluminum base alloy and heating the body to a temperature for initial hot working but at a temperature sufficiently low that a substantial amount of grain boundary precipitate is not dissolved. The method further includes hot working the heated body to provide an intermediate product, recrystallizing the intermediate product and then hot working the recrystallized product to a final shaped product. The final shaped product is solution heat treated, quenched and aged to provide a non-recrystallized final product having improved levels of short transverse properties.