Fire Trucks are trying them, I have 2 E350 vans with aluminum boxes on them and stainless steel
handles/frames that are corroding. I'm just bought zink anodes to help with this.

 

I doubt that a zinc anode will do much in this case. The reason it works on boats is because the aluminum boat / motor and the zinc anode are both submerged. The zinc being more reactive corrodes away protecting the aluminum. Simply bolting a chunk of zinc to an aluminum vehicle does nothing, otherwise you could bolt the zinc anode to the inside of the boat!
There are lots of aluminum alloys available. Most of the "military grade" aluminum used by Ford is from the 5000 and 6000 series alloys. In general, the more form-able an alloy is the less corrosion resistant it is. In some cases, the car manufacturers use an aluminum alloy in the annealed state for its form-ability and then rely on the heat in the paint baking ovens to heat treat the alloy to a stronger state.
One of the reasons aluminum trailers and boats don't corrode easily on exposure to the environment is because of the oxide layer that forms almost immediately on exposure to air which prevents further oxidation. Unfortunately, that oxide layer also makes it difficult to get paint to stick so special primers are used that electro-chemically adhere to the aluminum by penetrating the oxide layer. Works great until you get a crack in the paint.
Maybe Ford should offer F150's in unpainted "bright" finish. Just bare aluminum. Would be interesting.

 

Aluminum does burn.

 

Its worth a try with winter salt and the melting as it warms up, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

Is it me or is this thread the perfect summary of short attention spans? The OP started it as a joke and a nice counter to all the "issue" posts as of late. But now folks are actually debating long term corrosion/rust possibilities...

 

Does anyone against aluminum realize that it's not exactly a new, untested technology to the automotive world? Ford has been using aluminum hoods for 20 years. Does anyone have 1997 F150s with rusted through hoods?

Around here, streetlights along every major, non-stop-traffic road (including every freeway and highway we have) has had bare aluminum lightpoles for decades. They have been subjected to constant salt-slush spray from cars day and night, all winter, year after year. Other than some surface corrosion, (in the form of white powder, absolutely no pitting) they are perfect. They probably have the equivalent of several million miles on any 2015+ F150 body, if it weren't painted. Meanwhile, many powdercoated steel traffic lights (which see far less traffic) are only 10-15 years old, and are starting to rust through. They're being replaced with aluminum versions!

I know there are some other drawbacks. Easier to damage? Yes, if you drop cinderblocks from 10 feet like you have a Caterpillar dump truck. From what I've seen, F150s have generally been used for around town driving, towing, and the occasional furniture-hauling. If you do haul something that could damage your bed, why not get spray-in or drop-in bedliner? The only drawback to a drop-in has been water being trapped underneath, causing rust. Not a factor anymore!!

Combustible? Maybe, but when was the last time your truck was involved in an extreme fire with anything worth salvaging? You'd be hard-pressed to find many vehicles these days that are involved in fires, period!!

Higher prices for repair? A little, for now. It's official that GM will be adding more aluminum to their trucks, and the more expensive repair processes that come with a less-used metal will probably wane as more and more vehicles start to use aluminum.

 

My 1988 F-150 was a perfectly good truck even at 225,000 miles until it started rusting. I sold it at 250K because I didn't feel that I could prevent the rust from returning. The aluminum won't have this issue. The hood and rear gate on my '04 Expedition are in perfect condition.

 

Our 99 F150 has galvanatic corrosion on the hood between the hinges, but nothing extreme and has been there for at least 7 years.

 

Its all good ☺☺☺

I was just joking around because of the bashing threads i see on f150s and aluminum.
I have dealt with aluminum products most of my life.
Aluminum has proven to be a great product for me.
I actually have Peterbilt trucks only because of their extensive use of aluminum.
Otherwise I likely would have bought other brands instead.
The tanks are aluminum for the same reasons.
My older fords with the aluminum hoods never ever showed a tiny trace of corrosion either.

I'm just glad to see people discuss this without the anger and hatred I've seen in a few threads.

Mature adults rationally discussing things is great! ☺☺☺

Cheers

 

Here the actual street signs and posts are also aluminum as well as the light stands.
The post office van in town is aluminum body so it last because they kept having to buy new ones every 5 years due to rust....the lady who drives it told me its 18 years old and on its econd engine and 3 transmission but the body is still like new.

For many decades before I was even born vehicles large and small used aluminum extensively to ward off the rust.
From Land rover to Peterbilt and many in between.
I'm a Vancouver Island boy born and raised.
The hard working commercial boats down there are mostly aluminum because they last.
My uncles commercial fishing boat was made in 1962 and he said the steel parts of it fail regularly but the aluminum parts that make up the hulk, buk heads, cabin, doors, and many items on deck are original and still like new condition.

I regularly walk my dogs around the local streets.
Every single aluminum sign is like new still....despite the plow trucks and traffic spraying them with salted road spray.
I bought my grandfathers old De Haviland Beaver airplane on floats to one day restore.
It was used for almost 50 years as a busy commercial use airplane on the west coast of BC in the Pacific Ocean.
Its home was tied to a dock in salt water.
The engine, interior, gauges, even the windows are trashed.
The aluminum floats and body are fine just some dents and 99% of the paint is long gone. The salt water spray at take off and when landing is a lot and showered much of the plane many times per day.
I'm convinced even if others aren't that aluminum is a great product.

 

Just outta curiosity, which heavy truck makers don't use aluminum? Every Freightshaker and KW I've driven had an aluminum cab, and I think Volvo uses composite for much of theirs. Does anyone use steel for their cabs?

 

Mack Trucks

Josh

 

Hug my truck every day, thank you. Fire apparatus manufacturers have been using aluminum for decades. If it's done correctly, very few issues.

By the way OP, I have a bag of doggie treats if that pup in your profile pic just tugs on that string a little harder.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

Presumably (hopefully) Ford got it right with the F150. I haven't heard of any corrosion problems with the F150 but I've heard of plenty with the Mustang, Explorer and Excursion. So has Ford. They had several law suits filed against them over the issue. Unfortunately, the judge in the case dismissed the suit on the grounds that the plaintiff had not suffered any financial loss due to the corrosion. Apparently he was right. When my 2014 Explorer was appraised by the dealer as a trade-in I was told that they don't even take the corroded hood into consideration in their appraisal.

 

Some big trucks use lots of fiberglass where Peterbilt chose to use aluminum.
When the weather is cold and something bangs the fiberglass it tends to shatter.
The aluminum just gets a dent.