Ford Aluminum Body

I mentioned the corrosion issue in the salt belt to see if anyone has information about any problems. We all know that steel rusts, aluminum corrodes and the use of salt is crazy. While manufacturers make some effort to isolate unlike metals, the road salt will do its best to bridge that gap. If there are areas that collect the salt, corrosion is sure to happen, the question is how soon and how bad.

valhalla360 wrote:

hone eagle wrote:
So how are those big yachts built with steel hulls and aluminum superstructures?

1) The joint between materials is not submerged.
2) They put an isolating material between (on an aluminum mast, something as simple as a layer of plastic from a milk jug between the mast and the stainless steel winch base does the trick.)

This isn't a new or unknown issue. I'm sure the truck makers have this figured out. Only thing you might worry about is a DIY guy who pulls the bed and when he puts it back, he doesn't do it right...of course, the vast majority of trucks never have the bed pulled.

i knew that they had if figured out 50 years ago I just didn't know the details,I was never worried about all or partial aluminum trucks .
what I did run across was the problem metal boat have in some marinas, the boat next to you not bonded and the marina itself with DC or AC voltage leaks
egads
dont park your salt covered ford in the same puddle as my chevy ,they will have holes by nightfall

hone eagle wrote:
So how are those big yachts built with steel hulls and aluminum superstructures?

1) The joint between materials is not submerged.
2) They put an isolating material between (on an aluminum mast, something as simple as a layer of plastic from a milk jug between the mast and the stainless steel winch base does the trick.)

This isn't a new or unknown issue. I'm sure the truck makers have this figured out. Only thing you might worry about is a DIY guy who pulls the bed and when he puts it back, he doesn't do it right...of course, the vast majority of trucks never have the bed pulled.

And a 400' boat has a lot more...

I get it but a 200' boat must have a bunch eh?

hone eagle,

Fastening insulators and in some areas replacable sacrificial anodes. You'll find them on cast aluminum outboard motors, boat propellershafts, attached to the bottom of large metal motorized watercraft, etc, and guess where else? Right in your RV's aluminum water heater that needs replacing when well sacrificed! Any more questions???

valhalla360 wrote:

wilber1 wrote:
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.

Do you really think they haven't thought of this? The F150 is thier flagship model that brings in the bulk of company profits. They aren't going to risk having to replace several million truck beds if they all fail in 5yrs. Aluminum is not a new material.

Also, "pure" aluminum is virtually unknown for most uses. Just about any time you hear aluminum it's an alloy. Corrosion resistance is one of the key advantages of the switch, right after weight savings.

I wasn't advocating not using aluminum in vehicle bodies, Ford isn't alone in using aluminum, and more will follow. I mentioned, Land Rover has been using them from the get go and newer Jaguars are aluminum bodied. I was just pointing out that aluminum has its own corrosion issues.

So how are those big yachts built with steel hulls and aluminum superstructures?

Dissimilar metals especially with any salt present is an actual true battery and guess what is sacrificed the fastest? Add any water and the heat from the sun and watch how much faster the sacrificing happens!!!

Aluminum boats in salt water have lots of corrosion problems IF they have steel or stainless steel fasteners (screws, bolts, nuts, washers, rivets) holding the hull together or items/components attached to the aluminum hull. Totally welded aluminum hulls hold up very well in salt water and even a lot longer if they are properly seal painted inside and outside. Care must be taken to isolate any electrical contact with/from/thru the aluminum hull material.

The real issue is how to attach components/items to the aluminum hull as aluminum fasteners have less that 1/2 the strength of steel fasteners so that's not an option. Properly done epoxy/high tech cured bonds is an option but must be done with enough square inches of true contact surface to surface mating and be totally clean before gluing. Costly and the jury is still out on the long term hot sun and ambient chemicals effect on such affordable bonding methods. If a method used is not affordable in the mass selling marketplace, it simply won't be used as the true construction method of choice.