2014escape Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Looking for some feedback on weather the aluminum bodies on the 2015 F-150's will be a positive or negative for the trucks overall value and durability Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Positive, otherwise Ford wouldn't be betting the farm on their bread and butter. The Al is supposedly more resistant to dents and dings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 (edited) The one I saw at the show yesterday had some very noticeable vertical ripples in the sheet metal. It was obviously a pre-production vehicle so I'll withhold saying it's going to be an issue. But I was surprised to see it on a vehicle they were displaying to the press and public. Edited April 18, 2014 by Intrepidatious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Real-world fleet testing In addition to the Baja event and testing in the laboratory and at the track, F-150 engineers put a small fleet of the new beds into service with some of Ford’s most demanding customers. Six F-150 trucks with high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy cargo boxes were placed with a mining company, an energy utility and a construction firm to monitor performance. The customers were told to drive and treat the trucks as they normally would in their daily working routines, but they were not told what parts of the trucks may have been different. After two years and more than 300,000 miles of abuse, teardowns and inspections resulted in new engineering tests and design changes to ensure the production box would be ready to handle customers’ demands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 The biggest negative is the cost of sheet metal repairs. In the short term, only some Ford Dealerships will properly be equipped to handle them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 The biggest negative is the cost of sheet metal repairs. In the short term, only some Ford Dealerships will properly be equipped to handle them. You don't repair most of the aluminum pieces - you replace them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal50 Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 You don't repair most of the aluminum pieces - you replace them. You don't repair most of the aluminum pieces - you recycle them (Fixed) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 You don't repair most of the aluminum pieces - you replace them and recycle the old ones Fixed correctly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprinter Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 The hood assembly has been made from aluminum for several years. Your answer is right in front of your nose. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bored of Pisteon Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 All you need to do is just follow the scrap price of aluminum...my opinion on the Aluminum bodies on the F-150 right now is "NO OPINION" Need to see realistic results and a true driving test on all types of roads, (rural and city) as well as climates before I pass judgement on it. Plus, we don't know what the sticker prices are on these trucks are going to be to begin with! If it's in excess of $40,000 just for a cheap model F-150, I'd rather buy a F-250 or F-350 instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Plus, we don't know what the sticker prices are on these trucks are going to be to begin with! If it's in excess of $40,000 just for a cheap model F-150, I'd rather buy a F-250 or F-350 instead. Yep, Ford is going to price their trucks $15k above the other brands just because it's made of Al. You heard it here first, folks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Yep, Ford is going to price their trucks $15k above the other brands just because it's made of Al. You heard it here first, folks! that's right about the time they reintroduce the Panthers and Ranger. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minx88 Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Positive. This is the wave of the future. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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