Ford and Chevy get all twisted up

[jefe_4x4]

With Fox off the Dish air, I now have a little time to browse other on-line providers. I've been wrestling with frame twist and how it effects the new Ford all aluminum frame 1 series, and other current series 1-3 products. Here is a link to something that may be of interest to potential TC buyers. Paste this in your browser:
http://blog.caranddriver.com/chevrolet-rolls-its-own-silverado-hd-vs-ford-f-250-in-pickup-flex-fest-video/
Of course there is no weight in the bed like there would be with a moderate sized TC , but this test is an indication for us. As usual, Ford is the flexiest. There was no head to head with a Dodge.
It will be interesting to see if the young engineers at Ford have really done their homework with the new series-1 and all aluminum TC lashup. Someone on here needs to be the test guinea pig for the rest of us. We will, as a loving and responsive group offer either cudos or condolences, depending.
jefe

[jimh406]

I don't really care if my frame flexes or not, and also don't care if it is a few pounds lighter or gets slightly better mpg. It's fun from an academic argument perspective, but most trucks have been quite good for the past 15 years, and there have been very few advances for the past 10 years.

[mkirsch]

Terryallan wrote:

tuna fisher wrote:
Still don't like that idea, dent very easy. Can you imagine what a shopping cart will do? More than a scratch I bet.

Dude. You do know it's NOT beer can aluminum... Right? you do know passenger jets are made of aluminum. and I believe the highest end RVs like Airstream are made from aluminum.
You should not be afraid of aluminum. As for dents. No one fixes dents any more. They just replace the body part with a new one. Less trouble, and less expensive.

It's amazing with how much hype and coverage the alumium BODIED F150 has received over the past two years, that so many people still don't have the foggiest what's going on.

The aluminum is thicker than the steel it replaces, so it is stronger, more rigid, and more dent-resistant, while being lighter.

The only time a body shop fixes dents anymore is if replacement panels can't be sourced. Usually the insurance company totals the vehicle at that point, because the body man's time exceeds the value of the vehicle.

[deltabravo]

path1 wrote:
(little side note about using alum in vehicles)

All this talk about Alum frames this last year

I haven't seen any discussions of aluminum frames on trucks, just aluminum truck bodies, and some speculation that the next gen Jeep Wrangler will have an aluminum body.

[rexlion]

Have you ever seen an Airstream after a hail storm? Not pretty, from what I have read.

[path1]

(little side note about using alum in vehicles)

All this talk about Alum frames this last year brings back memories of when I had the good experience of working with one of the shirt-tail relatives of a company called Freightliner. They also ran a freight company called Consolidated Freightways. Alum was lighter and stronger. Alum takes a lot of elec to make. Hence the "new" dams on the Columbia provided elec. Freightliner started using alum in early 40's. This relative used to say what he heard from his grandparents was that if any alum failed, they would just make it thicker next time around till all the bugs got worked out.

Anyway just a tid-bit on alum in vehicles.

[deltabravo]

deltabravo wrote:
The video is pretty similar to the results shown in a video made several years ago of the GMT900 series truck against the Ford.

Here's the other video: 2011 model year. (heavier duty HD GMT900, 2011 changed to a boxed frame, and the GVWR increased)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFNv4n7Lm2Q#t=28

[dave17352]

I love my chevy truck. Its all steel but I can tell the truck dents about as easy as a aluminum can does anyway. I can't see the aluminum bodies being much worse than what chevy offers now.

[deltabravo]

The video, that's pretty similar to the results from the video made several years ago of the GMT900 series truck against the Ford.

[Terryallan]

tuna fisher wrote:
Still don't like that idea, dent very easy. Can you imagine what a shopping cart will do? More than a scratch I bet.

Dude. You do know it's NOT beer can aluminum... Right? you do know passenger jets are made of aluminum. and I believe the highest end RVs like Airstream are made from aluminum.
You should not be afraid of aluminum. As for dents. No one fixes dents any more. They just replace the body part with a new one. Less trouble, and less expensive.

[tuna_fisher]

Still don't like that idea, dent very easy. Can you imagine what a shopping cart will do? More than a scratch I bet.

[jefe_4x4]

sch,
That's a relief.
jefe

[sch911]

An aluminum F150 frame?? The new F150 has an all aluminum body, and a high strength steel frame.