[Keith_McClary]

Will aluminum Ford F-150 be a rolling beer can?
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'F')ord is going to announce in a couple of weeks that the next F-150 will have a body made mostly of aluminum instead of steel in a bid to save weight, and thus gas ...

[dolanbaker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Keith_McClary', '[')url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/driveon/2013/12/26/ford-f-150-aluminum/4203935/]Will aluminium Ford F-150 be a rolling beer can?[/url]
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'F')ord is going to announce in a couple of weeks that the next F-150 will have a body made mostly of aluminium instead of steel in a bid to save weight, and thus gas ...

[Pops]

I don't know a lot about body work but I'm gonna guess most repairs are bolt on replacements not hammer work by the hour.

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . dolanbaker

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')luminium soldering, no big deal.

[dolanbaker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Scrub Puller', 'Y')air . . . dolanbaker

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')luminium soldering, no big deal.

[AgentR11]

Its an F-150....

Why would you UNdent it? Its for working, pushing, pulling, bumping, nudging, dragging.... Dents are expected. As long as the bed stays on and the tailgate more-or-less closes....

Or am I missing something?

[Loki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AgentR11', 'I')ts an F-150....

Why would you UNdent it? Its for working, pushing, pulling, bumping, nudging, dragging.... Dents are expected. As long as the bed stays on and the tailgate more-or-less closes....

Or am I missing something?

[Tanada]

I thought we had discussed this years ago but I can't find any old posts on the subject so I will repeat myself.

The modern SUV/Pick Up truck buyer in America isn't looking for a work truck, if they were the darn things would not overpopulate our roads. When I was growing up a pick up was a general labor work vehicle used mostly by farmers and construction industry types to haul stuff from point A to point B. Starting about 25 years ago a 4X4 truck went from being something you needed in rough terrain to accomplish the above to being a 'Sport Utility Vehicle'. While this was nifty for the automotive industry it totally destroyed the mental image for the average American that a truck was a work vehicle you bought because you needed it, and it also pretty much tripled the price of these things after inflation. Heck Ford even put out a Lincoln pick up truck with a leather interior and all the options, for all I know they still do!

The younger generation of truck buyers are terrified of dents, dings, scratches and so on and so forth. You are talking about their beautiful SUV, their pride and joy, their way of showing off for the girls/guys. For that crowd the Aluminum F-150 is a disaster because its exterior will be more costly to maintain. For the pick up truck commuter crowd the same thing takes place to a lesser extent, they want the better fuel economy but they don't want dents and dings marring up their pretty to look at driveway ornament.

I see two possibilities, the Aluminum F-150 catches on with the construction/farm crowd and has a minor success, or it dies a quick and painful death because Dealerships will not be able to sell them at the price they are offered at.

For myself if I could pick up a ten year old solid truck to keep in reserve in case I ever needed it at a good price I would, but prices on decade old trucks are still too high unless you actually need it for your job.

[KaiserJeep]

The F-150 has been the best selling vehicle in the USA for 17 years straight. Then in May 2013, it was surpassed by four more fuel-efficient vehicles. Now it is rated fifth in sales following Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, and Honda Accord.

The aluminum F-150 is a bid to regain the #1 sales position by selling a more fuel-efficient truck. I will venture a guess that many more vehicles will be crafted from aluminum going forward, in the effort to reach the 54 mpg CAFE goal which begins phasing in in 2016, which now includes (for the first time) SUVs and Light Trucks. Those collision repair shops which cannot adapt to the new repair and refinishing techniques needed for aluminum will quickly become obsolete.

I see the biggest change going forward as the freedom from the built-in obsolescence of vehicle bodies that rust from the inside out beginning the day they are made. THAT really is different, and only happened because the CAFE goals caused the manufacturers to abandon steel vehicle construction.

To quote Car and Driver magazine:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')e’ve been talking about expensive gas for a long time now, but for the first time it appears the market really is undergoing a fundamental shift. The execs may be right when they say this is not cyclical, that oil prices have brought us all to the tipping point and we will never make rote truck purchases again. We are all walking towards the green light. When four compact and mid-size cars outsell the workhorse of America, we may be ready to drink the Kool-aid.

[dolanbaker]

Why don't the US just follow the European or Japanese model of vehicle design with its much superior fuel consumption figures rather than trying to find an American solution to an American problem.

It sounds like the NASA joke about spending millions on developing a pen that could be used by astronauts in zero gravity, while the Soviet cosmonauts used pencils.

[KaiserJeep]

The USA is not Europe and not anywhere else, either. Our country's infrastructure and population distribution was formed in an era of cheap fossil fuels. Now it must change, and it only makes sense that we find unique solutions for unique situations.

We were the country with the most to gain from reducing vehicle emissions, and we did so.

A 45 mpg Ford F-150 is a transition vehicle. But the fact that it is being planned says that finally, the oil peak is acknowledged by the general population and the CEOs of Detroit. Not a bad thing, just a couple of decades late.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A') 45 mpg Ford F-150 is a transition vehicle.

[ROCKMAN]

Donlan - I see the problem...it's the translation. You're saying "Euro vehicles get better mileage". Translated into Texan: "Why don't you just cut your balls off and make the transition to womanhood complete." LOL.

Dents: There are two kinds of p/u in Texas: dirty country trucks with dents and city trucks with no dents and never dirty for more than a day or two. In the country a lot of dents come from the stock banging into you. In Houston it's more likely from a stumbling drunk in a parking lot.

[dolanbaker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ROCKMAN', 'D')onlan - I see the problem...it's the translation. You're saying "Euro vehicles get better mileage". Translated into Texan: "Why don't you just cut your balls off and make the transition to womanhood complete." LOL.

.

[Ibon]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', 'W')hen I was growing up a pick up was a general labor work vehicle used mostly by farmers and construction industry types to haul stuff from point A to point B.

[KaiserJeep]

Ford had the #1 selling US vehicle for 17+ years. They understand their marketplace, I believe. They probably do not care to dominate the truck market in Panama.

That matter of the axles not being stout, for example. The voluntary fuel economy game that all the manufacturers play, requires that one version of each vehicle exist with lightweight running gear. That version IS NOT suitable for a work truck, it's only purpose is to get a higher number on the mileage sticker of a new vehicle. All the dealers understand this and order heavier duty options for axles and transmissions and so forth for the vehicles they sell. Fords, Chevys, and Dodge trucks are all quite durable as they leave the dealership with these options, but those work trucks will also never see the same gas mileage as the lighter one the EPA tested and was used for the sticker mileage.

In truth, you would not want to own one of those high mileage trucks - the powertrains are not stout enough for the stock chassis.Reliability would be poor, especially in the mountains. If the dealership in Panama did not order the right options, any American made vehicle would not seem to be reliable.

Even my beloved Jeep SUVs fall victim to this. Jeep has versions of each model with lighter axles and smaller engines. But what you find on the dealership lot is nicely optioned and a lot more reliable. I own a Wrangler Rubicon which has heavy duty axles front and rear, and a heavy duty transfer case and the largest engine they make for this model. I have never had a mechanical problem in 11 years - but I don't expect to get the mileage on the sticker.

[Loki]

So this new aluminum F-150 will apparently get close to 30 mpg. Pretty good for a full-size pick up. Diesel would probably improve that a couple more miles per gallon, but gawd forbid Americans be allowed diesel in anything other than 8 cylinders.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he huge weight savings are expected to help push the F-150 to nearly 30 mpg highway in its most efficient trim levels (there has been talk of possibly adding a 2.7-liter, four-cylinder EcoBoost engine to the powertrain mix). The most efficient model in the current F-150 lineup only musters 23 mpg highway.

http://www.dailytech.com/Aluminumclad+F ... e33997.htm

[Pops]

I'll chime in since I've always been a Ford guy - you gotta be something right? I've owned a bunch, at least one from each decade from 50's-90s. I gotta say my '99 is a POS. The litany is endless,
Transmission drags since 75k - common Ford problem says the message boards.
On a little Sunday drive to Roaring River a spark plug just popped out! Common Ford Problem says the message board, just 4 threads in an aluminum head. I'd never had that happen on anything but a Volkswagen.
On a trip to OK I pull off the interstates and see great gouts of steam from the tail - a little plug in the throttle body coolant jacket popped out and became an experiment in running an engine on water - no one ever heard of that one.
Both windows quit, heater core is swiss cheese, a/c comp died, ABS sensor shot, MAF, O2, speed sensor... all since 130k.
Latest @ 150k is a miss I can't diagnose, local mechanic says oops, crank thrust bearing is toast so drive it till it stops and junk it.

I suppose it is just the way things are, they are designed to be relatively trouble free for 75-100k, after that the plastic starts turning back into pumpkin.

BTW, my '69 is coming along well :^)

[ROCKMAN]

donlan - True but remember how much a Mercedes emblem looks like a peace symbol. And in these here parts you know how we feel about that dirty long-haired hippy crap. Lots of folks repeat jokes they hear about the TEXAS ATTITUDE but have never actually seen it first hand. I have for over 30 years. Most folks don't know the half of it. LOL.

[dolanbaker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ROCKMAN', 'd')onlan - True but remember how much a Mercedes emblem looks like a peace symbol. And in these here parts you know how we feel about that dirty long-haired hippy crap. Lots of folks repeat jokes they hear about the TEXAS ATTITUDE but have never actually seen it first hand. I have for over 30 years. Most folks don't know the half of it. LOL.