Not that I am in the market for a truck but this did catch my eye and wondered how Ford truck buyers would react. Trade steel for mpg. On the bright side less rust.


Ford gets ready to unveil the aluminum F-150 - Jan. 2, 2014

 

Maybe less rust for you folks in California.

Here in the North East the road salt and Mag Chloride will turn these trucks to a white, flaky pile of dust in no time.

 

Aluminum frames, front axles, bumpers and cabs have been used for years in larger class 7/8 trucks. Less now than before as the weight restrictions that made these higher cost options less affordable from a tare verses GVW payback point.

It does not take steel to make something tuff. But it is CHEAPER to use steel to carry a certain load. That is why out light duty trucks are made primarily from steel.... its cheap, and not only from a pound verses pound material price, but it is cheaper to form and work than aluminum.

David

 

Depending upon the grade and type of aluminum, it is possible to get a longer life out of aluminum that steel. There are a lot of 40 plus year old aluminum boats that have sat in salt water that are still going strong.

But true if you use most aircraft grade aluminum, it will shortly turn into a pile of white after fairly short exposure as it will suffer from inter granular corrosion which make it seemingly disintegrate right before ones eyes!

David

 

All the aluminum stock I have ever purchased was cheaper than the steel and was near the same strength in most applications. I am sure that Ford has done their research to continue to make a quality truck. I am sure there are ways to protect and prevent the deterioration of the truck. The land rovers seemed to do all right with the aluminum bodies I believe, but am by far not an expert on the land rover. That comment was about the land rover is purely hearsay.

I would buy an aluminum F-150 if I was in the market for a brand new truck.

 

Proper coating can protect aluminum in nasty environments. Navy aircraft survive for decades.

The solution is to let other people buy them first instead of being a beta tester. That applies with any new truck, since a new truck is not a necessity except for businesses. Let the rich buy the new ones, then monitor FTE to see how they survive!

 

Maybe the U.S. Navy should have better attention to this, rather than eliminating the electrolytic control system from LCS-2?
Hundreds of millions of dollars, evaporating into the seawater.

 

Nothing money and a whole lot of welding can't fix! Just think of the hull as a really big sacrificial anode bravely protecting whatever steel hardware is poking out of it.

If a ship dissolves like an Alka-Seltzer that's one way to ensure Congress pays for its replacement.

 

I think it's mostly where the stainless jet drives and engine bunks attach to the hull that is a problem.

Which brings up the issue of how these body panels are attached to each other and the frame.
I can't see things like aluminum hinges and fasteners becoming commonplace in a mass produced vehicle.

Actually, I'm all for more aluminum in our cars and trucks.

 

Again, it really boils down to cost. Aluminum is more expensive to buy, mold or work into shapes. Ford I see is learning some of this with there recent hold up of the new f150. Aluminum can be difficult to work with when molding into shapes, the severity of which is directly related to the final shape. Ford has close to a 100 years of working with sheet metal, and the learning curve on aluminum is steep, as they are learning.

Can't really compare a for profit company with the US Navy, the Navy has a rather unlimited budget within reason, as well as not having to report to the shareholders. The big question is this, when did the Navy reports its last yearly profit?

Which is why cheap and easy to work sheet metal has been the choice for years on cars and light trucks, not because it is better, but because it fulfills the function asked of it and is, again, CHEAP.

But throw in tare weight verses cargo capacity in the aspect of commercial for hire trucks, and the resulting money that can be charged for the cargo hauled, verses NO return on investment with the tare weight of the truck, OR if it has to be light enough to fly, then the higher cost of Aluminum makes more sense.

Or if the Ford will have to pay a penalty for poor fuel economy, then, yup that makes higher cost aluminum more attractive. It is all about the end result - the bottom line. At the end of the day, legal and moral aspects aside, there is absolutely no other driving force than the bottom line. Ford is no different in the aspect than any other for profit company. Perform or be cast out.

David

 

That will be interesting to see. It's a somewhat risky move but I've not heard of an aluminum hood rot problem on the older models. Of course hoods don't get much road splash.

Aluminum hinges with plastic bushings would be do-able.

 

Excellent! I agree - never be a beta tester unless it does not matter as to the end result or one has more money to potentially throw down a deep hole....

David

 

I would bet if Ford, GM, Dodge, Toyota or any other popular car/truck manufacture came out with a plastic frame there are going to be plenty of people who will buy them. The average guy/gal pays no attention to what these vehicles are made of. Most just want to know what the payments are.

 

Navy aircraft survive for one reason and one reason only - constant maintenance by the plane Captain and his crew. No Navy plane can just sit there for a couple of years without some corrosion forming somewhere. I well know that from the planes I have seen. Anywhere salt water can get can be a future trouble spot like say at a rivet head or around the hinge of an access panel.

 

No doubt, but they also operate in the "perfect storm" of salt-vapor atmosphere the whole time they are at sea.
Terrestrial trucks, not so much.