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P415 Product specialist/Dearborn truck plant
If you waste your time thinking about what if, you will miss what was myspace.com/f150builder
What happened to the frame? The current F-150 does not have all those "swiss cheese" holes drilled in the frame. Can someome say welcome back to the 80's. Second the current F-150 has tube cross sections welded through the frame rails I did not see any in the pics. The tranny is the 6 speed used in the expeditions right now.Looks like just a body change for 09.
You may want to take a closer look at the current F-150. My 05 has most of the wholes in its frame. The frame is almost identical.
if you look closely the lower control arms are not aluminum like the current model. the cab is a little longer and the front finders are larger. that is that is the only difference I can see in these pics. I don't want to over analyze what I see though. these pictures are of test mules, not the final product. until this thing goes into production there will probably be a lot of little changes made.
that is an 09 you can tell by the 3rd brake light and the fenders. That is an Extended Cab not a Crew Cab and it appears to be a tad bit longer than the current Extended Cabs. just my .02 take it or leave it
It's a crew cab, super cabs don't have the pillar between the doors
if you look closely the lower control arms are not aluminum like the current model. the cab is a little longer and the front finders are larger. that is that is the only difference I can see in these pics. I don't want to over analyze what I see though. these pictures are of test mules, not the final product. until this thing goes into production there will probably be a lot of little changes made.
With six months till job 1 (and 100 being built on the line next month) Ford will not be making anymore changes. There are a lt of things in those pictures you can't see that have changed.
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P415 Product specialist/Dearborn truck plant
If you waste your time thinking about what if, you will miss what was myspace.com/f150builder
I hope Ford tightens up their quality control. I am actually on the market shopping for a new truck to replace my 98 F150(of course, I am going to buy another Ford). I don't mind what engines Ford is going to use in its new F150 or what price the new truck is going to be, all I care is the new F150 is the best quality truck in the market.
Looking good. Does anybody know what "trim skillet" is?
The skillet is the platform on which the body moves down the trim lines. This is a primary feature of the new lean flexible plants--the DTP can build 9 different models on three different platforms if need be. Notice the wood floor on the platform? It's a more comfortable surface to work on than a concrete floor. And since it's the skillet that moves, not just the truck on a chain, it saves a lot of steps for the operator.
The trim skillet has an electric lift that sets the job to the desired height at each work station. It's a "smart" skillet that communicates to the operator about the job that's on it, if that operator has to choose among commodities to install. The chassis line has dumb skillets as well, without the electronics.
If you're in Detroit, you can tour the plant and see the skillets in action. The tour is run through the Henry Ford Museum.