Ford Aluminum Body

Hammerboy wrote:
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

The Aluminum on my 2018 has been a non issue so far. Waxed it just like I would any other vehicle.

The aluminum hood on my 2002 Explorer has also been a non issue. I suppose if the hood has survived 16 years of service without issues, the body on my new Super Duty doesn't keep me up nights. No dents so I can't speak to that thus far.

If the Aluminum is hit hard enough to be torn, the damage will be significant to the steel body as well, so I guess I don't really care about that. My aim is to avoid accidents and body work, no matter what alloy the metal is made of.

wilber1 wrote:

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.

I understood that pure metals are rarely used in manufacturing, as alloys combine the strengths of the metals to create more desirable characteristics. Of course chosen to exploit the strengths, and mitigate the weaknesses of the metals present.