My most recent issue of Pop. Mech. says that in 2015 the F-150 will be 700 lbs lighter with an all aluminum body. It will have more cargo capacity, better gas mileage, and higher insurance because not many body shops have tools to straighten dented aluminum. The F-150 is Ford's bread and butter, and they sell more than any other vehicle. If sales are good they say other major manufacturers will follow to meet federal gas consumption standards. Maybe Alcoa Aluminum stock will go up in the next five to ten years if Ford and the others buy aluminum from an American company. I think China then Russia have the most aluminum in the world. I think Alcoa is about eleven dollars a share. If I had money or even a portfolio I would think about buying a thousand shares. I don't think it would go down or lose money. You never know the future though.
In 2015 Ford F-150: All aluminum body
- Thread starter zean
- Start date
I think I'll wait to see how the first year sales go before I call my broker.
Mass produced aluminum bodies will certainly require some adjustments in repairs as well as manufacturing processes but they would have some benefits. It just seems to me that some of the new plastics would be a better alternative. GM's Saturn line saw a lot of success with their plastic body panels. I have to question Ford's decision to go with aluminum. But only time and customer acceptance will tell.
Tom
Mass produced aluminum bodies will certainly require some adjustments in repairs as well as manufacturing processes but they would have some benefits. It just seems to me that some of the new plastics would be a better alternative. GM's Saturn line saw a lot of success with their plastic body panels. I have to question Ford's decision to go with aluminum. But only time and customer acceptance will tell.
Tom
I'd wait to see how bad the insurance is also. My bet is that any hard hit and it's a write off and we all know how the insurance company feels about that.
Steve.
Steve.
This is a good thing.
It is just aluminum. We have been building production airplanes out of the stuff since the 1930's. There is no voodoo involved in working with aluminum.
it has been a very long time since cars were fixed by beating / heating / shrinking / soldering. Plenty of newer cars get totaled with very little damage because the labor is more than the car is worth.
An all aluminum body will not have rust streaks & holes at 5 years old like most of the rolling stock in Manitoba.
A lighter F150 will burn less fuel & haul more weight. Virtually every class 8 truck on the road already uses aluminum in many places for that reason. With the exception of heavy uses like rock hauling, most semi-trailers are aluminum, and have been for decades.
It is just aluminum. We have been building production airplanes out of the stuff since the 1930's. There is no voodoo involved in working with aluminum.
it has been a very long time since cars were fixed by beating / heating / shrinking / soldering. Plenty of newer cars get totaled with very little damage because the labor is more than the car is worth.
An all aluminum body will not have rust streaks & holes at 5 years old like most of the rolling stock in Manitoba.
A lighter F150 will burn less fuel & haul more weight. Virtually every class 8 truck on the road already uses aluminum in many places for that reason. With the exception of heavy uses like rock hauling, most semi-trailers are aluminum, and have been for decades.
These days, there is very little actual bodywork done as far as metalwork. They just pull the frame straight and replace all the bodywork. Any wreck needing more repairs is totaled
There will be very little change required for most body shops. Mostly in welding.
Don't think for a second that it won't cost more though....
There will be very little change required for most body shops. Mostly in welding.
Don't think for a second that it won't cost more though....
It's an interesting idea, I'll give Ford that. Sturdier than fibreglass or ABS resin panels, which I would want in a truck (because, for me to have a truck I would expect it to work and get dirty, maybe even a little abuse too 
...[/mini-rant on] can't stand people that buy a truck and then lower it and put skinny tires on giant rims etc.. IMHO, when a truck reaches 50, it's allowed to retire from working and be nice to look at again. [/mini-rant off]) Something that'll take a ding and you can hammer it out, vs the panel cracking or breaking.
Time will tell how it works out.
...[/mini-rant on] can't stand people that buy a truck and then lower it and put skinny tires on giant rims etc.. IMHO, when a truck reaches 50, it's allowed to retire from working and be nice to look at again. [/mini-rant off]) Something that'll take a ding and you can hammer it out, vs the panel cracking or breaking.Time will tell how it works out.
It will be interesting to see how aluminum holds up to the mag-chloride ice melt they use in Colorado. It has done some damage to steel cars, inner fender wells, rocker panles etc.
Yes, airplanes are primarily aluminum, but they don't roll down a highway and get covered with sand, salt and chemicals. Corrosion is a factor with aluminum.
http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Aircraft/Aloha.htm
Tom
Yes, airplanes are primarily aluminum, but they don't roll down a highway and get covered with sand, salt and chemicals. Corrosion is a factor with aluminum.
http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Aircraft/Aloha.htm
Tom
Tom:
I lived in Berthoud for 10 years. That crap they spray on the roads in Denver is murder on steel. Never saw it damage an aluminum body panel or road wheel however.
Aluminum body panels have been used in US automobiles for a long time. I remember the first Coupe DeVille that I could not get a magnet to stick to.
Here is a partial list of the aluminum body panels by manufacturer:
http://www.paintgages.com/List-of-Car-Manufacturers-who-use-Aluminum-Body-Panels-s/51.htm
If I recall correctly that Boeing 737 was 19 years old when that joint failed. Have you ever seen an aircraft de-iced? They get plenty of crud thrown at them too - around 200 mph.
I think the aluminum F150 will be fine. Lots of hand wringing in the truck community over nothing.
Brad
I lived in Berthoud for 10 years. That crap they spray on the roads in Denver is murder on steel. Never saw it damage an aluminum body panel or road wheel however.
Aluminum body panels have been used in US automobiles for a long time. I remember the first Coupe DeVille that I could not get a magnet to stick to.
Here is a partial list of the aluminum body panels by manufacturer:
http://www.paintgages.com/List-of-Car-Manufacturers-who-use-Aluminum-Body-Panels-s/51.htm
If I recall correctly that Boeing 737 was 19 years old when that joint failed. Have you ever seen an aircraft de-iced? They get plenty of crud thrown at them too - around 200 mph.
I think the aluminum F150 will be fine. Lots of hand wringing in the truck community over nothing.
Brad
Brad,
All of the alloy (cast aluminum) rims on our cars, a Ford Ranger, Jeep Cherokee and a Saturn show signs of corrosion. Anywhere where the clear anodize is chipped there is corrosion. I can't help but attribute it to the mag-choloride and salt that they mix with sand here. We try to keep the stuff washed off but in the winter it isn't always possible. The chips are unavoidable. Normal road debris and the pebbles they drop, calling it sand, will eat away at the rim surface.
As for de-icing planes, they use primarily a mixture of propylene glycol and some inhibitors/corrosion control. They used to use ethylene glycol but its was considered to be a threat to ground water and its use has declined or is prohibited at most airports.
It would be interesting to know the total weight savings of aluminum body panels over steel components. On a truck the size of a F-150 it should be substantial. How that will equate to fuel savings will also be of interest.
Tom
All of the alloy (cast aluminum) rims on our cars, a Ford Ranger, Jeep Cherokee and a Saturn show signs of corrosion. Anywhere where the clear anodize is chipped there is corrosion. I can't help but attribute it to the mag-choloride and salt that they mix with sand here. We try to keep the stuff washed off but in the winter it isn't always possible. The chips are unavoidable. Normal road debris and the pebbles they drop, calling it sand, will eat away at the rim surface.
As for de-icing planes, they use primarily a mixture of propylene glycol and some inhibitors/corrosion control. They used to use ethylene glycol but its was considered to be a threat to ground water and its use has declined or is prohibited at most airports.
It would be interesting to know the total weight savings of aluminum body panels over steel components. On a truck the size of a F-150 it should be substantial. How that will equate to fuel savings will also be of interest.
Tom
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If the site I was looking at is right (and I've interpreted it correctly), a cubic foot of aluminum weighs approximately 160 lbs. A cubic foot of rolled steel weighs roughly 490 lbs. So per unit, the aluminum is approx. 1/3rd of the weight of (rolled) steel.
