The odds are that if you’re on this site, you’re an owner and/or avid fan of the Ford F-150 and you’ve heard a lot about the 2015 model. So I’m not going to bore you with stuff you already know, such as the facts that its body will be aluminum and weigh a lot less than the 2014’s.
But I will tell you a few things that might surprise you.
Ford has been working on “an aluminum-intensive vehicle for over 30 years.”
Back in 2009, the company provided aluminum prototype F-150s for blind truck tests out in the real world. The results of that sneakiness told the Blue Oval that it had the right formula for the next generation of its best-seller.
The aluminum used for the new pickup’s body is an alloy of that lightweight metal, magnesium (also scale-friendly) and silicon.
More high-strength steel is used in the frame than in that of the preceding rig. Revolutionary roll-forming allows the backbone to be lighter than if it were constructed using alternative methods.
Both aluminum and steel parts are electrocoated to make sure that water can’t penetrate the F-150’s joints. (Although they don’t say it in the clip below, this should also prevent the corrosion that takes place when the two materials meet.)
Of course, we’ll all learn a lot more about the 2015 Ford F-150 when it hits dealerships late this year.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
