Aluminum 2015 F-250??

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Aluminium?been using anodized aluminiumon big rig for about 35 years.butpainted aluminium is bof!and i doubt ford went beseark and anodize aluminium body part then send them powder coating.(would be awsome tho
 
I say why not? These trucks could stand to lose a pound or two. Mine is over 7000 pounds, get a crew cab with a diesel and they're over 8000.
 
I read that the new F series will be nearly 1/3 ton lighter just by swapping some steel parts to aluminium! That's quite an achievement
Also they're getting imported into Australia and reengineered locally so that's good news for me!
 
These trucks have been overweight and bloated for several years now. Ford finally stopped drinking the stupid Kool-Aid and figured it out. Need a freaking stepladder to get into the bed anymore.
 
I like the idea myself. I read the F-150 will have about 700 lbs taken off, which is quite the achievement. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes GM and Chrysler to jump on this bandwagon.
 
Ford welcome to year 2000!
laugh.gif


I have aluminium hood, trunk lid and other things on my 9 year old volvo.....
 
Originally Posted By: magnus308

Ford welcome to year 2000!
laugh.gif


I have aluminium hood, trunk lid and other things on my 9 year old volvo.....


Ford is going to produce the first pickup (not car, Volvo etc) with all aluminum body panels. That being said, you should have welcomed GM and Chrysler to the 21st century.
 
Originally Posted By: magnus308

Ford welcome to year 2000!
laugh.gif


I have aluminium hood, trunk lid and other things on my 9 year old volvo.....


My nearly nine year old Chrysler does, too. But that's a far cry from what Ford is doing with a whole body. There may be issues but if this works out it may be the BEST fuel economy versus performance trade off yet in pickups.

Ford had a LOT to lose, meaning their pickups were consistently 3-500 pounds heavier than General Motors. Then factor in 40k miles MORE warranty. Just exactly who needed to be woken up here?

I think Ford needs to step up their warranty now. With all the 100k mile warranties 60k is starting to sound a bit lame...
 
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I don't care for the 15 F150 I saw at the car show, looked like a Toyota and it was loaded with gadgets. Its an accountants truck not a contractors.

As long as insurance rates don't go up I don't care what the truck is made out of.
 
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Originally Posted By: magnus308

Ford welcome to year 2000!
laugh.gif


I have aluminium hood, trunk lid and other things on my 9 year old volvo.....


Ford has had aluminum body parts for quite awhile, i.e. my 2004 F-150 had an aluminum hood. This will be the first truck to have that much aluminum used in the body.
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
I don't care for the 15 F150 I saw at the car show, looked like a Toyota and it was loaded with gadgets. Its an accountants truck not a contractors.

As long as insurance rates don't go up I don't care what the truck is made out of.


Note that rates will indeed go up a bit on these as repairs are markedly more expensive. Also most indie shops cannot yet work on aluminum. It is supposed to cost 200-300k just to get the correct tools, and they cannot be used at all on regular steel due to corrosion issues!
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
I don't care for the 15 F150 I saw at the car show, looked like a Toyota and it was loaded with gadgets. Its an accountants truck not a contractors.

As long as insurance rates don't go up I don't care what the truck is made out of.


Note that rates will indeed go up a bit on these as repairs are markedly more expensive. Also most indie shops cannot yet work on aluminum. It is supposed to cost 200-300k just to get the correct tools, and they cannot be used at all on regular steel due to corrosion issues!


You got that right Steve. I wouldn't want an aluminum body vehicle if someone bought it for me. Bolt on panels is one thing but not the whole body.
As it is now i can pull and cut off a rear quarter and mig/spot weld it back on, no big deal but not aluminum.
It sounds like a nightmare for small to medium sized shops and even body guys doing it on the side.

The body guy will need to be a pretty good welder if not a pro. I can see a load of hack jobs flooding the market.
Repairing these things will cost a fortune, the insurance has to go up. Another case of Ford has a better idea.
Aluminum on a high end car is one thing but a working pick up?

http://triblive.com/business/headlines/5739750-74/aluminum-150-repair#axzz367VUbhrn

http://www.collisionbodyshop.com/services/specialty-repairs/aluminum-repair

http://www.audiusanews.com/newsrelease.do;jsessionid=AB2E9C15B98914E3A3E7C0D2E6379DD6?&id=2238&allImage=1&teaser=high-tech-production-aluminum-bodies&mid=111

http://www.autonews.com/article/20131202...age-of-aluminum
 
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Yeah, there is really no need for all the weight of steel. I ordered aluminum housing drive axles on my last semi truck as well as some other weight trimming stuff. With all the road salt stuff and other issues, Aluminum should have been a major part of auto an pickup design for quite a while. Always curious how long it takes auto and pickup OEM's to arrive at the party when it comes to technology.
 
The 2nd and 3rd generation Explorers had aluminum hoods as did the Expeditions and Taurus X / Freestyle.

They are flaking away. Instead of rusting ... they will just flake away!
 
There are a fair number of aerospace workers who work with aluminum all day long. Might be nice synergy, to have a similar material yet have the price constraints of the commercial market.
 
100% aluminum. No paint problems, no corrosion problems, 10 years old and expected to be airworthy for another 30 years. That's a lifespan of 40 years. And, yet there are people who don't like aluminum....

GV_beach_flyover_resize.jpg


12+ years old. No problems

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Oh, and here is a local vehicle, made of aluminum, that is quite old, and still safe enough to fly!

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Aluminum is the right material for modern vehicles. Period, end of story. It's tough, stiff, corrosion resistant, not difficult to repair, lasts a very long time and enables massive weight savings. In fact, aluminum structures can often be lighter than composites for certain applications.
 
I don't see how the aluminum bodies will affect insurance rates. If it costs more to fix, then the truck is more likely to be totaled out. But that doesn't have anything to do with rates.
 
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