Jump to content

Military Grade?????

Likarok

By Likarok
in Future GM News & Rumors

Recommended Posts

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 Senior Enthusiast

SouthernSilveradoGuy85

Posted
Posted

I could be wrong. I'm just thinking that Ford does use a Military grade aluminum, as in material. But, I think they use a thinner version of it. So maybe since it's the same material they can legally say it's military grade, it's just not military standard thickness. It's like different thicknesses of bullet proof glass. At a very thick version of it, it may only stop a 22, but nothing else. The material needs to be thicker for bigger and/or faster bullets. I just figure that's the same idea. Again I could be completely wrong, just how I've thought about the whole thing.

 

I do know Ford guys and others are saying that people that really use the bed like that has either a drop in bedliner or a roll on or spray on bedliner. But, I think all of the commercials about the beds are just showing how much tougher the bed material itself is stronger than Ford's.

  • Replies 32
  • Created
  • Last Reply
MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

Posted
Posted

I am sure it would be very helpfull if they linex the bed from the factory. Personally i wouldnt buy aluminum body truck for a number of years to see how real like take its toll on them

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

 

Every truck manufacturer has a spray in bedliner now. Not Line-X but regardless I'd never own a truck without a spray in liner of some sort.

TimmyG Senior Enthusiast

TimmyG

Posted
Posted

I mean as far as the test goes, linex is pretty strong it very well may make the thin bed usable. The largest problem today is all the people who own a truck and dont use it as such! I looked at a ton of used trucks most didnt seem to ever have a ball put in it, and didnt have a scratch in the bed

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Cowpie Senior Enthusiast

Cowpie

Posted
Posted

I always get a kick out of when folks and OEM's use terms like "military grade". That has no meaning whatsoever. Any of us who have done time in the bush know that everything we are using was done by a bid contractor at the lowest cost they could do it at. And back in the day when I was a young lad stumping around in the bush, anything "military" was not very much welcome back in the world. Only now that we have come back to an appreciation of military folks, OEM's and others come out of the woodwork touting this "military grade" crap as a marketing tactic. There is no such critter as military grade aluminum except in name only. Aluminum stock is rated on industry uniform scale.

 

Where this all falls apart is that you cannot have a similar thickness of aluminum and steel and expect the same result. Steel rims are much thinner than aluminum rims. But even with the thicker aluminum rim, the weight is less than using steel. That is why most commercial trucks use Alcoa aluminum rims instead of steel. For the aluminum bed to have the same strength as steel, the thickness would have to be more. From what I am seeing, the thickness is relatively similar, so the aluminum bed is not going to be able to take severe strikes and hold up like the steel one would.

sk Senior Enthusiast

sk

Posted
Posted

Ford does NOT use "military grade" aluminum. They use a 6000 series alloy which is where the military grades start out too but from there the metallurgy and processing is drastically different. They had to use "Military Grade" in the title because if they just said "Aluminum" people would think of soda/beer cans. Read this interesting letter in the current SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) magazine from someone who worked around military aluminum for a large part of their career (reprinted from SAE so all credit goes to them).

 

BTW - I don't know the person who wrote the letter but I work in the defense industry and know for a fact there is a big difference in the aluminums used.

SAE Aluminum.pdf

SAE Aluminum.pdf

SAE Aluminum.pdf

SAE Aluminum.pdf

Cowpie Senior Enthusiast

Cowpie

Posted
Posted

Only to those that have no experience with aluminum. There are great applications of aluminum in vehicle body use. Heavy commercial trucks and trailers use aluminum extensively. I have been shocked that the auto / pickup world has taken so long to use it more.

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 Senior Enthusiast

SouthernSilveradoGuy85

Posted
Posted

Only to those that have no experience with aluminum. There are great applications of aluminum in vehicle body use. Heavy commercial trucks and trailers use aluminum extensively. I have been shocked that the auto / pickup world has taken so long to use it more.

 

Ya but if you think about it, 18 wheelers and the trailers use aluminum and fiberglass in the right places. All of the box trailers or box trucks I've been in the floor is wood and not aluminum or any kind of metal. I know the roof and walls of 18 wheeler trailers are thin. If it was up to me, even if the whole pickup was an aluminum body I would still want the bed floor to be steel.

  • 3 weeks later...
revrnd Senior Enthusiast

revrnd

Posted
Posted

Most guys shrug off the aluminum bed holes. I actually DO use my truck like this. I hope GM doesn't use aluminum for the bed.

 

For Ford to go with such thin sheet metal is embarassing. They push the "Built Ford Tough" tagline but their bed doesn't meet that standard. In the lead-up to the release of the 2015 F150 they were putting out tons of marketing videos where they showed F150's being loaded just as rough as the GM bed test. Military grade is a meaningless tagline. Everything in the military has a spec or grade. Great marketing team at Ford though.

During the GMT800 program there was a concept for a composite fleetside box. The box sides were to be a similar mat'l as the stepsides mounted to a metal structure. The inner steel panels were to be replaced w/ a 1 piece part like the typical box liner.

 

I don't know how much a spray in liner would protect an alum' box floor from impacts.

sk Senior Enthusiast

sk

Posted
Posted

During the GMT800 program there was a concept for a composite fleetside box. The box sides were to be a similar mat'l as the stepsides mounted to a metal structure. The inner steel panels were to be replaced w/ a 1 piece part like the typical box liner.

 

I don't know how much a spray in liner would protect an alum' box floor from impacts.

 

It wasn't just a concept - GM sold it for 2 years. It was called the "Pro-Tec" composite bed. It held up really well but didn't sell since people were afraid of anything that wasn't steel. Also you didn't need a bedliner with it and the dealers were losing out on bedliner upsells so they weren't ordering stock units with the composite bed to sit on their lots. GM discontinued it in 2002.

revrnd Senior Enthusiast

revrnd

Posted
Posted

 

It wasn't just a concept - GM sold it for 2 years. It was called the "Pro-Tec" composite bed. It held up really well but didn't sell since people were afraid of anything that wasn't steel. Also you didn't need a bedliner with it and the dealers were losing out on bedliner upsells so they weren't ordering stock units with the composite bed to sit on their lots. GM discontinued it in 2002.

Were those the boxes w/ the raised "Chevrolet" on the tailgate & "different" taillights?

BigBlueLB756 Senior Enthusiast

BigBlueLB756

Posted
Posted

Having been employed by Uncle Sugar for over 29 years, the only "military grade" that mattered was the PAY grade.

 

And it's a great retirement!

Thank you, taxpayers.

sk Senior Enthusiast

sk

Posted
Posted

Were those the boxes w/ the raised "Chevrolet" on the tailgate & "different" taillights?

 

Yes those were the ones!

revrnd Senior Enthusiast

revrnd

Posted
Posted

 

Yes those were the ones!

A big seller like the QS4 4 wheel steer option, which I THINK added 3,000 bucks to the price. When we were making some tooling for the QS4 I said it was too bad that the money wasted on this wasn't spent on putting a solid steering axle in the HDs. Might've gotten some sales that went to Ford & Dodge. In '05 when I was in Alberta & British Columbia, the work trucks were all Fords & Dodges, I don't recall seeing any Chevs or GMCs that had been upfitted for work.

 

I think I've seen TWO of those Pro-Tec boxes over the years & maybe 10 or so of the QS4.

 

The chatter about the plastic box was just that. I guess production was just in 1 of the 4 plants so that's why we were never involved w/ it.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • Atlas
      Missing thrust bearing? And oil selection

      By Atlas · Posted

      Two interesting tidbits of information which are NOT related were just released.   One, regarding the possible thrust bearing issues / engine failures with the 3.0. Demonworks just did a segment in which they believe they may have found "a" or "the" cause of thrust bearing failures: A missing thrust bearing. If the engine doesn't have all its thrust bearings from the factory, the missing bearing can cause extra play which ends up destroying a nearby thrust bearing which then sends metal through the engine.       Of other importance, Lake Speed Jr released some interest information regarding oil weight selection for the 3.0. Comparisons of:   AcDelco 0w20 Dexos D Mobil 1 ESP x2 0w20 Dexos D Mobil 1 ESP x2 0w30 Mobil 1 ESP x4 0w40. Mobil Delvac 5w40   Spoiler alert: The Mobils are PAO Ester -base and the ACDelco is a Group III base. Mobil shows lower wear in their tests for similar weights. Additive packages between 20-30-40 weight ESP's appear to be the same, but only 0w20 is Dexos D licensed. Wear is even more reduced with 30 and 40 weight ESP although all perform very well and resist shear and provide very similar viscosities within temperature operating ranges in the 3.0.   There are even more surprises, so just go watch it.    
    • JimmyB4
      Weird click noise when revving my truck?

      By JimmyB4 · Posted

      Hello Guys I'm new to the form,         I just put a 7-inch Rough Country lift on my 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 with the 5.3 and I also put a Borla exhaust on it. But I noticed when I'm in park or in neutral and then I rev my truck up really quick there is a bad click noise and I think it's coming from the motor somewhere. Anyways I got a video of it I will attach below I was just wondering if you guys think its rod knock or lifter tick or something like that because I know the AFM kind of made the lifters weak on these trucks.       Thanks!!!!! RIP - Chevy 5.3 IMG_6043.mov    
    • KARNUT
      OCI, not when but why?

      By KARNUT · Posted

      We’ll have to agree to disagree. I didn’t experience or know anyone who had a decent car after 100K miles in the 60s through the 80s that were daily commuter vehicles. Unless they were collector vehicles. Of course things cost more due to inflation. But we also make more money. The biggest money drains these days are things people think they need today versus what we require back in the day. Like cell phones and internet as examples. Another example is where you live. Cost of living varies from state to state. I would need twice the money to live in NJ vs Texas in retirement. The car you recently purchased was less than my first car with inflation at 3000$ in 1973. I didn’t have air, electric windows, cruise etc. Purchasing power is equivalent, you just have to do the research. 
    • newdude
      Trim level custom/pro

      By newdude · Posted

      Sierra HD Pro:   - If you want a power driver's seat on the Pro, you can't get it.  You have to go to SLE.   - Factory remote start?  Can't get it on any of the Sierra Pro trim (1500 or HD).  You have to go SLE.     - 7 inch radio has limitations for replacement if you wanted to upgrade the screen, etc.    - Steering wheel radio controls?  Nope.  Can you add them?  Yes.  NOT CHEAP.  Requires a new instrument cluster, steering wheel and wiring harness mod kit.     - Fog lights?  Nope.  And no factory path to install them.    Sierra HD SLE:   - IMO, the larger radio screen is a much better interface.   - Fog lights?  You can get them.  Steering wheel controls?  Has them.  Remote start?  Yep.  Power driver seat?  Available.       Silverado WT:   - Same as the Pro above however you CAN get factory remote start installed at the dealer for the WT Chevy.     Silverado Custom:   - Comes with 20" wheels only.  Can you swap later?  Sure.  But.  Truck is calibrated for the stock 20s (34" tire) and no path to properly recalibrate.     - Power seat?  Yes.   - Steering wheel controls?  Same as the Pro above.  No but can be done and not cheap.     Silverado LT:   - Same as the SLE.  You can get or it comes with many features you can't do on the lower trims.       I'd say its all going to come down to what you NEED and what you WANT to have that you'd benefit from.  For me, things like power seat is a must (I hate the WT/Pro seating position), so I'd have to go Custom, LT or SLE right out of the gate.  Steering wheel controls?  Should be standard in 2026 across the board IMO, so again, puts me to LT or SLE.  
    • Coastie05
      Trim level custom/pro

      By Coastie05 · Posted

      I have a 1500 but the Custom trim. I bought it solely for the simplicity meaning less electronics. I also love the old school gauges. The only thing that I like about the LT better than my Custom is the front grill. Otherwise, absolutely no regrets choosing this trim. 

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...