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2015 All Aluminum F150

drew4x4

drew4x4

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http://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/13/2015-ford-f-150-detroit-2014/


Is nobody talking about the most desirable feature of an all-aluminum body?
The body on this truck will never rust! They haven't advertised this at all.. right now the average truck's resale after 4 years in Michigan WAY less then the same truck in Texas. This body should change that!

Any disadvantages to an aluminum body?

Need Chevy to take note and follow suit..
 
I dont know if its a big feature or not--though I see lots of old all aluminum step-vans still in nice shape around here,I also see many with little white zits all over them, and the aluminum pits after long salt exposure...

I suppose they never get waxed or washed much either though...
I can see aluminum being easier to dent and a pain to repair when you get in a fender bender though...and more expensive..

What we need is a vintage "retro" GM truck made of stainless steel,like a Delorean!..then you'd have something that will never rot!.:D
 
Ford has done several Stainless Steel concepts, starting way back in 1936...

stainlesssteelfords_2000-700x514.jpg


http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/...ives-allegheny-ludlums-stainless-steel-fords/


Heavy, and one little dent and you gotta paint the whole car. Ever see a painted DeLorean? Guaranteed it was in some sort of wreck at some point...
 
drew4x4 said:
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/13/2015-ford-f-150-detroit-2014/


Is nobody talking about the most desirable feature of an all-aluminum body?
The body on this truck will never rust! They haven't advertised this at all.. right now the average truck's resale after 4 years in Michigan WAY less then the same truck in Texas. This body should change that!

Any disadvantages to an aluminum body?

Need Chevy to take note and follow suit..
Click to expand...


Aluminum will not fix Chevy. They need to fix A LOT MORE then making an Aluminum body to get me to buy a chevy again, unless it's a classic muscle car or old truck. I have always wanted to fabricate Aluminum K5 body panels. Thick ones though, like 1/8 thick.
 
When I first got my k5 and drove it for a winter, I made some quick aluminum patch panels for the floor and riveted them down to get by for winter.

When I went to actually cut out floor and weld in steel in the spring the alminum was so destroyed from corrosion it wasn't even covering any holes anymore.


So I forsee no improvements for corrosion.
 
I bought a 2wd '75 K5 that had aluminum roof flashing pop riveted over the holy floors in it--the floors were all white fuzz from the electrolosis between the two dissimilar metals--it looked like a battery spilled acid there!....where every rivet was, there was about a 5/8" hole of crumbly aluminum all eroded into a fungus looking crud..it actually made the steel rot worse..

I ended up tearing all that stuff out and doing it right with 16 gauge galvanized steel...

I know there is dozens of different grades of aluminum,but I still think it has its own problems..it might not rust,but it can crack,corrode,and its not as easy to weld or repair..maybe if it is aircraft grade like the skin they use on planes it would hold up better..
I'd be happy with a truck made of thicker steel that is rust resistant...
 
The Aluminum you guys are talking about is raw and bare. I'd bet the type of Aluminum Ford is using is a special type that forms well under pressing and will get some type of coating. Of course the exterior is painted, but I'd bet there is some special type primer used for Aluminum as well. Aluminum car parts are not a new thing. And a vast difference vs a scrap piece of Al. pop riveted down. Will be interesting in a few years when there is time for the faults to come out. Like any car or truck has.
 
My buddy owns the largest body shop in Lincoln. At this time they won't be fixing the new F-150's. The investment is huge, they have to have all dedicated welding and finishing tools that can't ever be used on steel bodies, dedicated rooms closed off from the rest of the shop to keep sanding particles from either steel or aluminum cross-contaminating other vehicles, the bonding procedures are all different, the amount of schooling for the techs is long and very expensive. They estimated to upgrade their shop would be close to $1M.

As a result, for at least the first two years the only place to have even minor body repair will have to be done by the dealer because Ford will force them to make the investment. Also because minor damage will require entire panel replacement instead of repair I think the auto insurance costs for the new aluminum body trucks will be substantially higher than the steel ones. Might be a sad awakening for owners when opening up the insurance renewal bill...
 
Modern steel panels don't rust very easily these days due to the treatment prior to painting. I live in AZ now, but from MI... The only newer rusty vehicles I ever saw were Dodge trucks. They had some bad ELPO/paint for awhile.

I think the weight savings is significant for fuel mileage but the "other" costs are TBD... The comment about body repair being one of them. There will be growing pains but I give Ford credit for heading down a different path. Gutsy.
 
This is the final year of steel bodied trucks from Ford, next year the Super Duty's will also be aluminum bodied. There is the body work consideration, but as was seen a few months ago, there is also the burn factor. A steel bodied vehicle will be mostly recognizable after a fire, these aluminum trucks turn into a frame, engine and puddle on the ground. Fires cannot be extinguished using regular water, or the mag will explode, so fire crews are going to need to remember the proper fire suppression on these trucks.

Honestly, this is a ploy for a company that is unable to compete with GM for fuel economy numbers on their trucks. GM trucks can already get better mileage than the Ecoboost V6, and it's only going to get worse as the newer LT version of engines begin being refined. Ford has yet to produce a V8 that has the power and fuel economy numbers, so they are trying anything they can by swapping to aluminum bodies. I hope it works for them, but I'm very curious to see how long they last compared to a steel body truck.
 
Can't just use aluminum and call it good. Buy hey, look at the hmmwvs. All aluminum with carc paint. Those bodies last forever. I think 90% of that is the carc paint. My cucv's body was in pretty perfect condition, the only rusty area was the front floor boards from years of feet rubbing paint away.
 
Aluminum body panels have been used for years, usually it's hoods. German cars often have other panels that are aluminum.

They do hold up better as far as corrosion, but they DO corrode. Repair procedures are usually a PITA. I predict a lot of future disgruntled Ford owners with undesirable trucks. I remember when Ford had a commercial on TV about their fancy ass spark plugs... we've seen what has happened with that.
 
Land Rover and Jaguar have been making AL-loo-MIN-EEEE-uhmmm bodied vehicles for decades now.

Just a different take on a subject. Ford's just the first major US maker to adopt it.
 
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