2nd generation Sable with aluminum body panels and 3.2 SHO engine

[ToBeHuman]

Link

 

Ford hand-built 20 second-generation Mercury Sables with lightweight aluminum bodies and potent Taurus SHO V6 engines. The few of these rare rolling all-aluminum technology testbeds still around are now potentially headed for a Ford crusher. This is their story.

[Mad Hatter]

Previous PostI never knew of them until recently, either. Interesting, and the concept will surely be revisited-if not someday implemented.

[PTRocks]

Well, the car is still around and made an appearance at the 2010 SHO Convention. This car had been in my city all this time, if only I had known...

 

This car or one of its sisters needs to be in the Ford museum. One sister car still exists (as of May 10, 2010) and is sitting in a Dearborn engineering parking lot. (The burgundy car seen at the center of this view)

 

linky

 

 

Edited July 30, 2010 by PTRocks

[JimmyL57]

Ford really needs to auction these specialty cars for charity! Collectors would be thrilled!

[rkisler]

Ford really needs to auction these specialty cars for charity! Collectors would be thrilled!

 

Just so everyone knows.

 

These cars, along with a few aluminum CDW's (Contour) led directly to the Jaguar XJ's aluminum construction. These cars were in testing when the decision was made to go from steel to aluminum for the Jag.

 

What Ford proved in these advanced vehicles was the capability to build an all-aluminum aluminum vehicle, encounter and solve design difficulties, and to have confidence in and sharpen analytical projections of weight, safety, and cost. Ford used a somewhat simplified approach of replicating a steel car in aluminum and making changes only where necessary or where there might be cost savings (like a casting sweeping up several separate stampings). Some of these cars were put through crash testing to veryify that aluminum can have the same safety potential as steel. Ford was working with Alcan on these projects; Alcan saw it as a potential huge new business opportunity (ummm, it hasn't happened that way mostly due to cost).

 

I'm actually surprised that any of them ended up in private hands as they probably aren't certified. Maybe cause it's Canada?

[silvrsvt]

 

 

What Ford proved in these advanced vehicles was the capability to build an all-aluminum aluminum vehicle, encounter and solve design difficulties, and to have confidence in and sharpen analytical projections of weight, safety, and cost. Ford used a somewhat simplified approach of replicating a steel car in aluminum and making changes only where necessary or where there might be cost savings (like a casting sweeping up several separate stampings). Some of these cars were put through crash testing to veryify that aluminum can have the same safety potential as steel. Ford was working with Alcan on these projects; Alcan saw it as a potential huge new business opportunity (ummm, it hasn't happened that way mostly due to cost).

 

 

 

From what I understand, Aluminium based cars are very difficult to fix when they are in an accident due to general lack of knowledge on how to fix them, thus that would make me assume that the insurance costs would be even more

 

 

[akirby]

From what I understand, Aluminium based cars are very difficult to fix when they are in an accident due to general lack of knowledge on how to fix them, thus that would make me assume that the insurance costs would be even more

 

It's not just lack of knowledge - it requires totally different procedures and tools.

[rkisler]

It's not just lack of knowledge - it requires totally different procedures and tools.

 

I don't count myself as an expert on aluminum, but there are several plusses and minuses. Service is a big minus. You are right about the tools, procedures, and training. I'm not sure what Jag actually does now, but the plan was to set up certified shops that would be able to repair the XJ, with Jaguar loaning a car in the meantime.

 

Some other +/-:

+ Less weight; around 350-500 pounds; this enabled the body-in-white plus closures of the XJ to weigh around the same as the steel S-type which allowed component and powertrain sharing between the two.

 

- Cost. Over $1000 more for aluminum biw+closures versus steel.

 

+/- Recyclability -- Steel is the very best for recycling. Aluminum has to be kept separate by alloy, and I believe Jaguar uses two separate alloys, one for the underbodybody, and another harder one for the exterior skin.

 

- Contamination -- Aluminum facilites have to be very clean, particularly in stamping, and kept from contamination that can cause pits

 

- Strength -- Aluminum crash performance is very good, but aluminum requires greater sections to achieve the same strength as steel. This causes problems where there are usually thin steel pillars -- particularly the A pillar and the top of the doors. Jaguar had to mask this with black paint to make it appear thinner from the outside, but you can tell from the inside.

 

- Stamping/design -- Steel can be drawn deeper in stamping; aluminum can crack. Can be an issue in floor tunnels and exterior design. Getting really swoopy exterior design in aluminum (like Aston Martin) requires a high temperature process where the aluminum is heated in an inert atmosphere and draped over a die. Nice, but high cost and low cycle time.

 

There is a lot of application of aluminum (or magnesium) in hood and decklid within the Ford lineup. These are easily fabricated and can save a lot of weight. Doors are more difficult, and biw are even more so as the body shop would have to be uniquely designed for adhesives/rivets which is $$$$.

 

I;m not seeing much on the wholesale adoption of aluminum, although there seems to more talk of hybrid bodies with steel and aluminum (I have no idea how they are going to isolate the metals to keep them from reacting), and for BMW hybrid carbon fiber/steel bodies. Of course, if the Union of Concerned Scientists is successful in pushing their 60 mpg agenda, then everything is up for grabs...

[silvrsvt]

 

I;m not seeing much on the wholesale adoption of aluminum, although there seems to more talk of hybrid bodies with steel and aluminum (I have no idea how they are going to isolate the metals to keep them from reacting), and for BMW hybrid carbon fiber/steel bodies. Of course, if the Union of Concerned Scientists is successful in pushing their 60 mpg agenda, then everything is up for grabs...

 

 

From my days as Bradley hull mechanic, the Bradley had an aluminium hull with steel armor plate on the sides of it. IIRC they had thin rubber mats inbetween them, but at the same time the bolts that held the steel armor to the aluminium hull had a lot of rust coming off them

 

 

 

 

[Nick986]

Here's a small glimpse at the red one I grabbed a pic of in Jan 2008: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/beachbum86/TCCA/DetroitPgh%201-08/NAIASPGH114.jpg But that was from Jan 2008 and the window appears to be cracked. Must smell nice and musty inside...