Ford Aluminum Body

Too bad, this was bound to be a great topic discussion.

Well let's talk about it anyway, Seen a couple videos on YouTube from Big Truck Big RV I believe where they did in experiment tearing the metal on a aluminum Ford and a steel Chevy I believe. I was amazed how easy the aluminum tor in comparison to the steel. Ford owners, what has been your experience with dents and such?

Dan

Well GM is about to go aluminum ,hope they fix all the mistakes Ford made and do it right.

It is a non-issue.

hone eagle wrote:
Well GM is about to go aluminum ,hope they fix all the mistakes Ford made and do it right.

With a metal floor in the bed! Now we have the issue of dis-similar metals.

Me Again wrote:

hone eagle wrote:
Well GM is about to go aluminum ,hope they fix all the mistakes Ford made and do it right.

With a metal floor in the bed! Now we have the issue of dis-similar metals.

The marine industry solved this in the '80s,most ultra luxury yachts were steel hulls and alloy superstructure, and in a salt water environment .

Even if it dents easier, at least it won't rust away.

Yeah, if you use the bed really hard that's not great but put a bed liner or a sheet of 1/2" plywood in the bottom and throwing cement blocks in the back is not an issue.

valhalla360 wrote:
Even if it dents easier, at least it won't rust away.

Yeah, if you use the bed really hard that's not great but put a bed liner or a sheet of 1/2" plywood in the bottom and throwing cement blocks in the back is not an issue.

Yes, I've always had a sheet of plywood in my truck bed. Sometimes in the winter I put in a piece of plate steel also.

The new F450 truck next year will have a flat bed on it though because they've jacked the standard pick up beds too high.

Bill

valhalla360 wrote:
Even if it dents easier, at least it won't rust away.

Yeah, if you use the bed really hard that's not great but put a bed liner or a sheet of 1/2" plywood in the bottom and throwing cement blocks in the back is not an issue.

Pure aluminum is quite corrosion resistant but alloys aren't. Alloy manufacturers often put a thin layer of pure aluminum on top of the alloy for corrosion resistance, called Alclad. Even so, float planes in salt water are a continuous battle against corrosion. Still, more manufacturers will be using more aluminum. Land Rover has been using it for bodies since the forties, believe it or not because there was a steel shortage in post war Britain and they have been using aluminum ever since.

valhalla360 wrote:
Even if it dents easier, at least it won't rust away.

Yeah, if you use the bed really hard that's not great but put a bed liner or a sheet of 1/2" plywood in the bottom and throwing cement blocks in the back is not an issue.

Dents don't really bother me. The steel bed in my Ram has some and it seems to dent pretty easily. But who cares? It's a truck bed.

Holes would bother me. That seems to be the bigger problem with the aluminum bed and body, whether it's from dropping something in the bed or tearing off your antenna.