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Reports: GM To Use Carbon Fiber In Truck Beds

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revrnd Senior Enthusiast

revrnd

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Daly said:

Yup those pesky Light Duty 1/2tons with there exact same payload and towing as all the other 1/2 tons. 

Yes, but look @ their usage compared to a WT used by a DOT crew or contractor. After a couple of years the boxes are pretty much beat to crap. Before I sold my '04 2500HD, I removed the box liner to see how the floor had faired after reading the 'horror stories' of boxes rusting out when using a liner. The box floor was fine except for the raised being rubbed. The wheel house were beat pretty bad since I use my trucks to haul firewood & am not so gentle at times loading it.

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Jsdirt Senior Enthusiast

Jsdirt

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, revrnd said:

I don't know about driveline strength, but my '94 sucked when it came to payload. Sagged w/ a snowmobile in the box. Ended up adding 2 leaves on each side. Went to a 3/4 ton in 2000.

 

I imagine they know how the majority of 1/2 tons are used & design them accordingly. I think nowadays if you're going to use your truck as a truck, you automatically get a 3/4 ton.

The driveline in my '94 K1500 was bulletproof. I used to romp the pee out of it during the daily commute, then overload the crap out of it with coal and other things on the weekends. My universal joints made it 222k miles!! Rear end was stock at 266k when I sold it. Tranny unknown history, but never had an issue in 60k hard miles.

 

Previous owner must've melted the engine down at 183k (engine swap was noted by garage who did it under the hood), and whatever they put in there had unbelievable off-the-line power. Party was over by 4k, but this thing consistently beat nearly every single vehicle that lined up next to me at the traffic light 2-1 lane funnel. My boss followed me home one day and said he never saw a pickup accelerate that quickly in his life, lol. Just enough power to launch without spinning the tires (unless it was wet). After 30 mph, all bets were off, though. Typical gutless 200 HP TBI.

 

Suspension was definitely mushy out back. Sagged with my 800 lb. Polaris in back. Pretty weak.  Front was HORRIBLE - rode like it had no suspension. Previous owner had the torsion bars cranked way up. I turned them way down, but only a slight improvement. That was my main reason for making the mistake of buying my '07. Live and learn. All of that could've been fixed with a little effort.

 

3,000 pounds in the bed, plus another ton or so on the trailer! :D

fullsizeoutput_98b.jpeg

New wheels & a load of COAL 011.jpg

Daly Senior Enthusiast

Daly

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, revrnd said:

Yes, but look @ their usage compared to a WT used by a DOT crew or contractor. After a couple of years the boxes are pretty much beat to crap. Before I sold my '04 2500HD, I removed the box liner to see how the floor had faired after reading the 'horror stories' of boxes rusting out when using a liner. The box floor was fine except for the raised being rubbed. The wheel house were beat pretty bad since I use my trucks to haul firewood & am not so gentle at times loading it.

Your comparing a work truck used by DOT or contractors to a personal truck. It doesn't make them any less capable trucks. If you compare a contractors W/T to a personal W/T you'll get the same results. People care less about a work truck then they do a personal truck, it's human nature to take care of something you pay for. My HC, does everything my '14 LT, '12 LS, '91 C2500, '97 C1500, '84 K25, '79 C20, '83 C10, '00 Silverado and 94 C1500 did. I don't care more about it, I take care of my HC the same way I took care of all the others. Just, now I do it with more creature comforts. As for the Bedliner, the horror stories come from people that abuse the hell out of their trucks. My 1991 C2500 has had a Bedliner installed since it was new, two summers ago I took it out to see what the floor looked like. Aside from surface scratches it was perfect, not a dent or sign of rust, and that truck spent it's life hauling stone and gravel. 

revrnd Senior Enthusiast

revrnd

Posted
Posted

My whole point being that GM would probably offer the carbon fibre box floor in a model/trim that wouldn't be abused.

Also how would someone add a 5th wheel hitch? I dont think the mat'l is conducive to drilling.

 

Snoringbear Enthusiast

Snoringbear

Posted
Posted
44 minutes ago, revrnd said:

My whole point being that GM would probably offer the carbon fibre box floor in a model/trim that wouldn't be abused.

Also how would someone add a 5th wheel hitch? I dont think the mat'l is conducive to drilling.

 

Don't know about the drilling.  Is it extremely hard or brittle or what?  One interesting attribute though is it provides an excellent EMI/EMP shield against neuclear radiation.  So, if Little Fat Kim should ever set off a hydrogen blast over some region here in the US carbon fiber body vehicles in the affected area would be protected.  And, if you should happen to have one of these vehicles you would be the envy of your neighbor's being you still have operating wheels ?...

revrnd Senior Enthusiast

revrnd

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, Snoringbear said:

Don't know about the drilling.  Is it extremely hard or brittle or what?  One interesting attribute though is it provides an excellent EMI/EMP shield against neuclear radiation.  So, if Little Fat Kim should ever set off a hydrogen blast over some region here in the US carbon fiber body vehicles in the affected area would be protected.  And, if you should happen to have one of these vehicles you would be the envy of your neighbor's being you still have operating wheels ?...

It's brittle. Like an earlier poster wrote, watch an F1 race when a body or suspension piece shatters.

sdeeter19555 Senior Enthusiast

sdeeter19555

Posted
Posted
My whole point being that GM would probably offer the carbon fibre box floor in a model/trim that wouldn't be abused.
Also how would someone add a 5th wheel hitch? I dont think the mat'l is conducive to drilling.
 
5th wheel would just utilize the existing bed bolts...

Steve
2012 2500hd 6.0l

sdeeter19555 Senior Enthusiast

sdeeter19555

Posted
Posted
It's brittle. Like an earlier poster wrote, watch an F1 race when a body or suspension piece shatters.
I don't think anyone would argue that it's not brittle. But I think GM would be smart enough to understand that problem (in this application), and that to get the weight savings and have a usable product the carbon fiber would need protected.

What I see them doing is a carbon fiber structure sprayed with something like LineX or Rhinoliner's Hardliner.

Steve
2012 2500hd 6.0l

Snoringbear Enthusiast

Snoringbear

Posted
Posted

Ive been mulling this topic over a bit (no pun intended, clever nonetheless ?).  Anyway, not all steel is created the same in hardness, brittleness, etc.  example, a knife blade has a different hardness, different maleablety, etc, than an auto fender.  Presumably, not all carbon fiber material is created the same either.  True/false?  Just asking....

Jsdirt Senior Enthusiast

Jsdirt

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, Snoringbear said:

Ive been mulling this topic over a bit (no pun intended, clever nonetheless ?).  Anyway, not all steel is created the same in hardness, brittleness, etc.  example, a knife blade has a different hardness, different maleablety, etc, than an auto fender.  Presumably, not all carbon fiber material is created the same either.  True/false?  Just asking....

Very true with metal - there's so many different grades of hardness, durability, corrosion resistance, etc.. - it makes my head spin.

 

One thing I've learned over the years though: You can count on GM to use the cheapest, lowest-quality materials on the face of the Earth.

 

Remember, they're in the business of selling you overpriced rolling tupperware every 3 years- not in making them last forever. This has become GLARINGLY evident in the 21st Century.

1SLOW1500 Senior Enthusiast

1SLOW1500

Posted
Posted
Another fantastic GM brainstorm. So, when the now $80,000 trucks get rear ended, or backed into in some parking lot when it's in the single -digits Fahrenheit, total bed replacement will be the only option. $6,000 doesn't sound out there - probably closer to $10,000. Don't forget about labor - I'm sure they'll throw some curve balls into the replacement process as well, just to ensure you don't save any money by attempting this in your driveway on a Saturday.
 
You can bet they'll use the finest fasteners straight from mainland China, so that after a few rain storms, let alone northern salt baths, you'll have to torch every single bolt off in order to remove your shattered bed. They'll be some special bolt too, so you won't be able to go to your local hardware store to replace them. $49.99 each (& there will be 8 of them now ...) at your local GM dealer. [emoji38]
 
I'm so done with modern vehicles ... 
Man is on something but still didn't connect the dots.
Why are the new ford bodies 3 times the price to replace aluminum panels, yet same to lower to insure? Answer this and you will understand the big 3 and auto design. This is a huge issue believe it or not.
I know the answer but let's see if anyone knows.
Google real bail out,break unions,big 3 fraud.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Jsdirt Senior Enthusiast

Jsdirt

Posted
Posted

I don't want to start a war here, but I'm no fan of unions either. Used to be an advocate for workers, but have morphed into money sucking, legal mafia. Corrupt to the core. Just scratching the surface is this: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/11/02/fbi-uaw-investigation-gm-ford/826258001/

 

Automakers know they've got us by the ... short 'n' curlies - we need trucks, we need transportation. With that in mind, they stopped caring about quality (starting around the early 70's - been all downhill since), and seem to be focused solely on extorting every dollar they can out of their customers. Having to program modules is a glaring example of this. Something owners won't be able to do at home (unless they're extremely motivated), and even if they can, they make you pay for the information. You've already paid for the vehicle! Nothing like paying twice ( or more ...).

 

These days with the moral decay of society at large, the downright evil practices of some of these automakers is appalling. I see it every day and it makes me sick.

kstruckcountry Senior Enthusiast

kstruckcountry

Posted
Posted
On 12/7/2017 at 10:10 PM, truckofwinandawesome said:


Didn’t they use composite bedsides (with a HSS inner bed core) in the GMT800 stepside trucks?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On the duallies as well.

 

I have nothing bad to say about composite body panels. I have seen "homemade" carbon fiber / fiberglass panels take nasty hits. They don't corrode or rust, and bounce back from most impacts.

 

I have been guessing and hoping composite panels are the way GM has been going, based on their willingness to bash aluminum (however childish). The floor wouldn't be where I'd start, but whatever.

raid0072 Enthusiast

raid0072

Posted
Posted

To whom it may concern:

FIBERGLASS IS NOT CARBON FIBER. Repairs and manufacturing of fiber glass is an open air process; and do not require the cumbersome vacuum packing and sealing in an vacuum bag that carbon fiber requires for high tinsel strength. Air has to be removed from vacuum bag or the material will not cure evenly. I make a living doing this.

Fiberglass repairs are a picnic compared to shattered carbon fiber parts that have to be discarded.

You cannot make a buck (wood Mold) for carbon fiber without a vacuum bag big enough to fit the entire  mold in,

thus this is why the boating industry will never adopt carbon fiber to replace fiberglass less costly curing process.

Hope this post clears that up.

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