Chevy disses new aluminum body F150

[Cowpie]

What most folks are unaware of, is that most of the semi trucks running up and down the road daily, except for the frame and drive train, are primarily aluminum, composites, and fiberglass. Ford finally arrived to the party in a big way. Really surprising that the pickup OEM's have been so long in moving this direction. Semi trucks have been in this game for over 2 decades.

[GPGuy]

One issue I have heard of (for now anyhow) is finding a body shop who will fix them when they get into an accident.

[SouthernSilveradoGuy85]

What most folks are unaware of, is that most of the semi trucks running up and down the road daily, except for the frame and drive train, are primarily aluminum, composites, and fiberglass. Ford finally arrived to the party in a big way. Really surprising that the pickup OEM's have been so long in moving this direction. Semi trucks have been in this game for over 2 decades.

 

I'm not sure what the cab itself is usually made of, but the hood on a semi is usually fiberglass mainly to save weight for both fuel mileage and to be easier to open. The difference between a semi and "4 wheeler" is that big rigs you either just replace the whole front clip/hood and if the cab itself is damaged it usually seems to be totaled where as for "4 wheelers" the % of totaled is a lot less so more % is being fixed. So aluminum and fiberglass are harder to fix and cost more to fix than regular metal. As I saw someone say on the forum, insurance companies may raise your rates if it will cost more than normal to fix.

[Cowpie]

True, in a worse case scenario you would be correct that repairing an aluminum body would be more than steel. However, Ford designed the aluminum F-150 to use replaceable panels that would negate the added labor time and such that would cause the higher cost. Edmunds did a test on this by beating the snot out of a $52K F-150 they bought. The cost came out to be $600 more than steel, but they did not use the replaceable panel method, but did the test using the same standard technique that would be used with steel and all the labor intensive costs. They determined that using the replaceable panel method, the cost difference would be negligible.

 

In other words, yet again Ford took a page from the semi truck play book. Replace panels instead of repairing. Cost is reduced and down time is reduced.

 

http://motrolix.com/2015/02/2015-ford-f-150-meets-sledge-hammer-determine-repair-costs-video/

[SouthernSilveradoGuy85]

True, in a worse case scenario you would be correct that repairing an aluminum body would be more than steel. However, Ford designed the aluminum F-150 to use replaceable panels that would negate the added labor time and such that would cause the higher cost. Edmunds did a test on this by beating the snot out of a $52K F-150 they bought. The cost came out to be $600 more than steel, but they did not use the replaceable panel method, but did the test using the same standard technique that would be used with steel and all the labor intensive costs. They determined that using the replaceable panel method, the cost difference would be negligible.

 

In other words, yet again Ford took a page from the semi truck play book. Replace panels instead of repairing. Cost is reduced and down time is reduced.

 

http://motrolix.com/2015/02/2015-ford-f-150-meets-sledge-hammer-determine-repair-costs-video/

 

The body shop I use usually just replaces the panels like you say, but some body shops or even insurance companies go the cheapest route and try to repair the part instead of replacing the whole panel.

[Cowpie]

Then there should be no issue, right? The cheapest way would be the panel replacement on the aluminum pickup per the report I referenced. And they stated that it would be negligible cost difference to steel doing it that way. Insurance wants to do the repair on the cheap, then that would be the way to go.

 

I just don't understand the aversion many have had to the aluminum body thing. I am on the other side on this issue. It boggles my mind why they haven't done it sooner, but then it also boggles my mind why they haven't offered a hydrogen fueled internal combustion engine either. I have aluminum body semi truck, aluminum body and frame semi trailer, even aluminum housing drive axles on my semi truck. I would much rather deal with aluminum in the long term than some steel body that will eventually be a rust bucket. Especially living in the upper midwest.

 

Oh, on the hydrogen thing. Showing my age here, but I remember reading a Popular Mechanics mag circa 1973 I bought off the shelf back then where they took a AMC Gremlin with a V8 and did a propane like conversion on it to use hydrogen. Gave fantastic performance and all that came out the tail pipe was water vapor. A little NOx, just like any other fuel, but oonsidering the atmosphere is primarily nitrogen, that can't be helped. But ZERO carbon emissions! No CO. Today, they don't even consider this and keep wanting to play with some stupid fuel cell crap. Heck do both!

['01LS1]

The delay in the switch over mfg wise is a combination of both that if you switch to aluminum, all that the factory kicks out has to be the same. The tooling is set up for steel or what ever variant metal. Which is why F/liner, Peterbilt or who ever can do that when they are essentially building cabs only. But do remember reading GM was screwing with the aluminum idea in 07/08 for the current generation (K2XX) truck, but the bankruptcy deal scratched the r&d budget.

[BigBadSierra]

Let see how well all of this aluminum holds up after the years get on it.

 

As it tends to crack when it's older.

[j-ten-ner]

I don't mind an aluminum body as much as a clunky transmission...

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[02suburbanZ71]

At least in the 800's the whole single piece dually bedside and quadrasteer bedsides were composite.

And stepside.

[Cowpie]

Let see how well all of this aluminum holds up after the years get on it.

 

As it tends to crack when it's older.

 

Could be, but here was a write up on some of the "real world" testing done with it...

 

http://fleetowner.com/equipment/aluminum-strikes-gold-ford-f-150?NL=FO-03&Issue=FO-03_20150225_FO-03_966&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&YM_RID=CPENT000000046142&YM_MID=1229

[Pender1]

The biggest change I see is you won't be able to pop out little dents anymore. I work with steel and aluminum on a daily basis and aluminum doesn't dent the same way steel does. It dents perminately and cracks if you try to manipulate it. There will be no more DIY fixing little bits of damage. You'll either have to live with the damage or file an insurance claim and replace the whole pannel.

[BigBadSierra]

 

Could be, but here was a write up on some of the "real world" testing done with it...

 

http://fleetowner.com/equipment/aluminum-strikes-gold-ford-f-150?NL=FO-03&Issue=FO-03_20150225_FO-03_966&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&YM_RID=CPENT000000046142&YM_MID=1229

I just go by how many aluminum boats I've had to weld. Of course they take more of a beating but with the way roads are now the beating is almost as bad.

[LaserBlueZ71]

I don't care so much about the type of material, what I want to see is modular designs.

 

Everything should be made modular. Damage a panel? So what, take it off, install a new freshly painted one. Damage one side of your box? So what, install a new side. Damage part of a wiring harness? So what, replace a section of the harness. Vehicles need to be designed so that parts can be easily swapped out for the same replacement part. In almost every industry nowadays, replacing is in, repairing is out. Replacing is very low labor cost, plus your happy because your getting brand new parts that extend the overall life of your vehicle. Repairing means super high labor costs, and your getting the same old panel/part back with just as much wear on it as the rest of the vehicle.

 

I work in a small engine shop right now, and we don't even bother rebuilding carbs anymore. We simply unbolt them, throw them in the scrap metal bin, bolt on a new one, done. 99.9% reliability rate, no fussing around, just a quick repair with low cost and high satisfaction.

[newdude]

Got to look at two last night at the auto show. The panels had as much flex to them as a K2 truck and the interior materials are 100% still 2014 and prior. Lots of hard cheap feeling plastics everywhere, and mish-mosh design. It will sell solely on the aluminum aspect. K2 and the Ram trucks crap on it interior wise. 4x4 knob and the headlight switch almost feel recessed into the dash and are awkward to grab and operate. The LED bed lighting (one was a Platinum) was pretty good, as the 3rd brake light and the box lights in it are LED, but the "under rail" lighting is box van style, a weatherproof lamp in the bed side panel, and not under the rail. Then the rep there talked about the auto drop gate, that does auto drop, but doesn't stop smoothly. And the other truck, an XLT didn't even have it.